By Richmond Natural Medicine

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March 4, 2020

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What Is the Difference Between Food-Based and Processed Sugar?

Many people are unsure of the major differences between food-based and processed sugars. Here is a guide for how to spot them, avoid them, and understand their impact on overall health.

Food-based sugars such as fructose or lactose are the most minimally processed natural forms of sugar. They are found in whole foods such as honey, fruits, dates, coconut sugar, and maple syrup. In contrast, processed sugars are highly refined and found unnaturally. Eating a piece of fruit with naturally occurring fructose means that other vitamins, minerals, and fibers present in the fruit are also being absorbed by the body. This synergy of nutrients, along with the fructose sugar, allows the body to metabolize the sugars much more effectively.

Added sugars or artificial sweeteners lack other nutrients and are rich with empty calories and concentrated sweetness. Often they are referred to as “non-nutritive sweeteners”. When we consume processed sugars, the body attempts to rapidly break down these sweeteners, which spike our blood sugar levels.

Is Low Calorie More Important than Low Sugar?

It is not a sustainable nutrition approach to focus solely on calories. The overall nutrient quality of food is always more important than calorie content alone. This approach is a prime example of quality vs quantity. The food we consume is more than just calories and therefore must contain more than just sugar. Try to consider: How nutrient-dense is the sugary food we see in grocery stores? For example, blueberries are low in calories and extremely nutrient-dense, while a Snickers bar is low in nutrients and high in calories and sugar.

How Much Sugar is Too Much Sugar?

According to the American Heart Association, the RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance) for sugar consumption is 37g or 9 teaspoons for men, and 25g or 6 teaspoons for women. For reference, a small cup of hot chocolate from a national coffee chain contains 43g of added sugar.

Americans are consuming upwards of 22 teaspoons of added sugar every single day, despite the RDA recommendations of 6-9 tsp for men or women. This level of consumption has grown out of control because added sugars can be found in over 80% of food in our grocery stores. This means that the average American will actually have to go out of their way to avoid foods packed with added sugars and artificial sweeteners.

Many major health issues including obesity, diabetes, and heart disease have been linked to the consumption of processed foods and the added sugars found inside them. Sugar is also a highly addictive food, and the food industry knows this. The profit makers of the food industry are rarely on the same team as public health officials and health care practitioners. Because of these unaligned institutional priorities, it’s important to pay close attention to food labels and to make an intentional effort to reduce sugar intake below the recommended daily intake of 6-9 tsp daily.

Why Should We Limit or Avoid Processed and Added Sugars?

1. Sugar is addictive. It is also frequently mislabeled or listed in a confusing way, meaning that we can find it in almost all we eat and drink. Unfortunately, processed sugar has over 50 names that can be used interchangeably and this often leads to confusion or seemingly false information when reading a nutrition label.
2. Sugar causes liver fat accumulation.
3. Major health conditions including heart disease, obesity, and diabetes are linked directly to the consumption of added sugar.
4. Processed sugar causes blood sugar dysregulation, glucose imbalance, and hyperactivity in both youths and adults.

Sugars to Avoid

As a rule of thumb, try to avoid any sugars that are artificial or highly processed. Check ingredient labels carefully and note all of the different names under which sugar appears. Stay away from these few examples of artificial and processed sugars:

• Truvia, Aspartame, Equal, Saccharin, Splenda, Sucralose, Sweet-n-Low, turbinado sugar, maltodextrin, dehydrated cane juice, high fructose corn syrup, and erythritol.

Natural Sweeteners to Replace Sugar With

You can replace added sugars with naturally occurring sugars that are minimally processed. Some examples include honey, fruit, maple syrup, molasses, coconut nectar, coconut sugar, dates, and date sugar.

To begin replacing added sugars, go through your pantry or refrigerator and investigate how much sugar is in your commonly consumed foods staples like cereals, granola bars, yogurts, bread mixes, juices, and other pre-packaged meals. How does this amount of sugar compare to the 6-9 tsp or 25-37g of recommended daily sugar? Sugar adds up fast when found in our prepared foods, snacks, drinks, breakfast foods, and baked foods. Using natural sugars when baking treats at home and spicing up family meals or snacks can significantly cut down the amount of processed sugar we consume.

Having a hard time kicking the sugar addiction? Consider scheduling an appointment with Dr. Viktoriya Beliy, ND MSN. Dr. Beliy is a naturopathic doctor with additional training and expertise in nutrition through her Masters in Nutrition. Request an appointment on our website or call our office, (804) 977-2634.

Learn More:

How Sugar Affects the Brain (TED Talk)
How Worried Should We Be About Sugar?
Natural vs. Refined Sugars: What’s the Difference?