What is Sugar ?

We Indians are known to have a sweet tooth and we take pride in it!

But should we really feel proud of this distinction?

Sugar that we consume is usually extracted from sugar cane or sugar beets. It consists of 50% glucose and 50% fructose.The chemical name for sugar is sucrose, which is a carbohydrate that is produced naturally in all plants and it is present in fruits, vegetables, and even nuts.

Sucrose is also found in many sweet foods like ice cream, candy, pastries, cookies, soft drinks & fruit juices, canned fruit, breakfast cereals, and ketchup, among others.Sugar is processed and converted to “Refined Sugar”, the sugar that we use today, by a process in which it goes through purification, in which its impurities and other unwanted materials are removed. During the processing of sugar, the activities of washing, boiling, centrifuging, filtering, and drying are carried out. Refining separates the sucrose from the plant minerals and at the end of this process, all nutritional elements are removed from the sugar. What remains is 95% sucrose with no nutritional value whatsoever. What is even worse is that this mixture goes through another refinement wherein it is bleached with lime and carbon dioxide, to make the sugar white in color. This form of sugar is severely addictive.

History of sugar in India

When the British invaded India they introduced sugar to Indians and it was only in 1868 that the first sugar mill was started in India. Initially, they supplied sugar for free to all Indians so that they can sell it to them later. All bad habits start by consuming for free. No first-timer goes ahead and buys cigarettes or alcohol or any substance which is bad for health. He or she is given it for free by others such as their friends or colleagues. Such was the extent of research done by the Britishers to introduce sugar into our lifestyle!

Sugar & digestion.

In order to digest the refined sugar we require loads of calcium, sodium, potassium, and magnesium and they have to be taken from various parts of our body. When you consume sugar, the body tries to digest the sugar first and other food later so it takes longer to digest the food that has sugar in it. The same is the case when we consume our food along with sugar products. So, by consuming sugar regularly, our body falls short of these vital elements and micro nutrients. This results in everything from osteoporosis to the failure of effectively excreting poisonous residues and wastes from our body.

Sugar & ailments

Refined sugar is just sweet poison. Regular use of sugar in your diet can cause 103 different physical ailments such as gastroenteritis, hyper acidity, osteoporosis, obesity, dental cavities, diabetes, coronary heart diseases, among others. This happens because sugar changes the body pH to an acidic value. Sulfur is one of the chemicals used in refining sugar. Small traces of sulfur remain in refined sugar and it’s very difficult to remove sulfur from our body as it gets into our bloodstream. This residual sulfur can lead to health problems. In fact, to put this into perspective, this same sulfur is used to make crackers which we use in Diwali!

Sugar & children’s health

I feel extremely pained to note that the main foodstuff that the children have these days and the hot favorites among them are all loaded with refined sugar. Everybody, including children, know that sugar goes into our daily intake of chocolates, candies, sweets, cold drinks, and so on. What we all don’t realize is that when we consume all these foodstuffs, it can result in a diseased body. In fact, the chocolate drink the kids have every morning like a religious routine is an even worse habit, because of the presence of sugar in the chocolate powder (and also extra sugar is added to the drink) and cow’s milk.

Sugar & teeth

Some of the most harmful effects of sugar are on the teeth. Sugar dissolves quickly in saliva in the mouth and finds its way to the material layer on the teeth known as plaque. The plaque feeds on sugar and it is converted into acid. This acid eats away the enamel of the teeth and causes cavities. This process takes place in a matter of a few seconds, so it is dangerous and quick.

The benefits of quitting refined sugar

• Reduce weight

• Reduce abdominal fat

• Reduce migraine

• Drastically Reduce the frequency of your falling sick

• Your skin would start glowing

• Sinusitis, asthma or any lung-related problems would reduce

• Your blood gets purified

• Your joint pains would reduce

Alternatives to refined sugar

Natural, whole food.

As I have mentioned earlier, sugar in a natural form is present in many foods. And there's no reason to avoid the sugar that is naturally present in whole foods.

And you know I LOVE ANY FOOD THAT IS NATURAL!

Fruit, vegetables, and dairy products naturally contain not just small amounts of sugar, but they also contain fiber, nutrients, and various beneficial compounds.

Another major advantage of eating mostly whole and unprocessed foods is that your sugar intake is reduced and maintained within the required limit.

Jaggery.

Making jaggery is a simple process. Continuous boiling of sugar cane juice results in jaggery, after which it is given shape.

Jaggery is rich in minerals and vitamins as compared to refined sugar which has no nutritional value. Consuming jaggery not only helps you nutritionally but also helps farmers who grow sugar cane directly and more effectively as the jaggery making process is very simple and

doesn’t require any modern machinery or tools as required for sugar. So a farmer who grows sugar cane and makes jaggery stands to make more money compared to farmers who sell their produce to the sugar manufacturing companies.

Historically, India has been the country that always used jaggery for all its cooking and preparing of food & sweets.

We should also make sure we buy good jaggery. To make jaggery look good, chemicals are added and to improve the shelf life benzoic acid is also added. Make sure to choose naturally dark coloured jaggery, which is the right choice.

Honey.

Honey is a better substitute for sugar. Both sugar and honey have the composition of glucose and fructose. In sugar both combine and become sucrose whereas in honey they are in the simpler form of glucose and fructose because of the enzymes added to the nectar by the bees. So honey is simpler to digest, it has a lower Glycemic Index (GI), it is also good for

infants, it is rich in minerals and vitamins.

Sugar is not our body’s enemy. It is indeed necessary. Consuming sugar through natural food and other natural alternatives is the key to healthy living.

Do we have to completely give up on our favourite sweets? Definitely No.

So then should we get back to our tradition of using jaggery and honey to make our sweets and home-cooked food? Definitely yes, considering just the health benefits they have to offer.

It’s time to be proud of our NATURAL SWEET tooth!!