TORONTO -- Sugar has been demonized as a dietary no-no for decades, but some sugars are worse than others.
Registered dietitian Nishta Saxena visited CTV鈥檚 Your Morning to explain the differences in the sugars we use, with an emphasis on 鈥渓ess is more.鈥�
鈥淚 think a lot of Canadians don鈥檛 realize how much sugar is added to other foods they鈥檙e consuming, that they don鈥檛 anticipate sugar to be in,鈥� Saxena said.
鈥淲hen we鈥檙e controlling sugar and adding a tiny bit to tea or coffee, that鈥檚 very different to looking across the foods you鈥檙e eating and seeing sugars in every one of the foods that you鈥檙e eating. You want to watch where it is in your diet.鈥�
Saxena broke down the differences in these common calorific sweeteners, that will increase blood sugar levels.
White cane sugar
The most common kind of sweetener, extracted from sugar cane or beets, this is the white crystalline powder that is 100 per cent sucrose, half glucose and half fructose.
This sugar comes in many different forms, from caster sugar to confectioner鈥檚 sugar, often distinguished by the size of the crystals.
鈥淭his is what we think of when we think of sugar,鈥� Saxena said.
鈥淲hite sugar comes from sugar beet, sugar cane, they鈥檙e juicing that and they鈥檙e evaporating the water away to get this crystalized form of sugar.鈥�
Brown sugar
She also dispelled the myth that brown sugar is slightly better for us than white sugar.
It鈥檚 95 per cent sucrose with five per cent molasses added to give it its rich colour and a deeper flavour in baking.
鈥淭he brown is not necessarily better, it鈥檚 just really sugar,鈥� Saxena said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 slightly more hydrating, so sugar does hold a lot of water in baked goods.鈥�
Molasses
Molasses are a byproduct of sugar cane manufacturing, 鈥渓ike the syrup left over at the end,鈥� Saxena explained, with a slightly bittersweet taste.
It has a slight nutritional edge over cane and brown sugar, she said, due to some mineral content.
鈥淚t contains some actual minerals, so if you look at two tablespoons of molasses you can actually see that you get eight to ten per cent of calcium and iron (daily recommendation for adults) from having that much blackstrap (common) molasses,鈥� Saxena told CTV鈥檚 Your Morning.
Molasses doesn鈥檛 work well in cooking, Saxena said, but is better drizzled on toast or oatmeal.
鈥淵ou don鈥檛 want to have vats of it, because like all of these you want to watch your portions,鈥� Saxena said.
Coconut sugar
Taken from the sap of the coconut tree, and not to be confused with palm sugar, coconut sugar is four times more expensive than any of the other sugars on the list.
There鈥檚 a lot of unproven health claims around coconut sugar, Saxena said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 from the sap of the tree so it has some of those extra minerals, antioxidants, polyphenols (a naturally occurring organic chemical), but really there鈥檚 no measured health benefit here, you still have to watch your portion,鈥� she added.
Honey
Honey will have different properties depending on where it鈥檚 from, Saxena explained.
鈥淲hether or not it鈥檚 highly refined it鈥檚 going to have some of those extra added antioxidants, it has minerals as well and it has some of the parts of bees in it, like bee pollen,鈥� she said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 very high in calories so you have to watch how much you鈥檙e having and taking large amounts of it hasn鈥檛 been shown to improve health in any way.鈥�
The more unrefined the honey, the more plant compounds it will have that come from the bee hive.
Honey can help certain types of wounds to heal, reduce allergy symptoms for some and show small improvements in reducing cough.
Maple syrup
This Canadian staple, which is at least 65 per cent sugar, also contains minerals from the sap of the maple tree.
鈥淭he same as the molasses, you鈥檙e getting a little bit of zinc and calcium, but you don鈥檛 want to trade in your multivitamin yet,鈥� Savena said.
鈥淛ust stick to watching portions again of this delicious Canadian classic.鈥�
