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Sugar, like fat, has a terrible reputation among nutritionists. But this does not put off lovers of sweets. In addition to sugar, there are many sweeteners. How are they different, or are they he althier than regular sugar?

Immediately after birth, along with mother's milk, we get to know the sweet taste. It contains lactose, which is one of the sugars (carbohydrates) - a diverse group of compounds. Some of them are composed of many molecules ( starch ), others are composed of two smaller ones (sucrose, lactose), and there are also single sugar molecules, not joined into larger groups (glucose, fructose).Sugar , specificallyglucose , is the primary source of energy, 1 g of sugar equals 4 calories. The burning of carbohydrates should come the most, as much as 55-60 percent. calories. For example, for a woman who needs 2,000 kcal per day, this means more than 270 g of carbohydrate alone. The problem arises when we eat too much sugar because the excess sugar is quickly stored as adipose tissue. Remember, however, that it is not carbohydrates that fatten, but their excess (similarly with fats).

Natural sweeteners

  • Stevia - a plant containing steviosides (glycosides) several hundred times sweeter than sucrose, and has few calories. The extracts are added to beverages, sweets, desserts and pastries. In Poland, it is available in the form of a powder, water extracts and tablets. Due to the lack of unequivocal studies on the harmlessness of stevia, it has not been approved for food production in many countries.
  • Xylitol (birch sugar) is obtained from birch bark. It belongs to the group of polyols - carbohydrates, which are absorbed more slowly in the gastrointestinal tract, and their metabolism is practically independent of insulin (or with little insulin involvement), i.e. they do not increase blood glucose levels and do not stimulate insulin secretion. Therefore, the glycemic index of xylitol (IG=8) is several times lower than that of sugar.
  • Thaumatin is obtained from the African plant Thaumatococcus daniellii. It belongs to proteins, it is 2,000 times sweeter than sugar. It has the property of prolonging the perception of the sweet taste. The main obstacle to the widespread use of this substance is its high costproduction.

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Glycemic index of sugars

It is important how quickly the sugars in food enter the bloodstream, and this determines their glycemic index. Since calculating this indicator is not easy, it is best to use our IG calculator. To maintain a slim figure, we should choose carbohydrate products, but necessarily with a low glycemic index (whole grain bread, wholemeal pasta cooked al dente, raw vegetables, thick loose groats). From such products, glucose is released slowly, then the blood sugar level is more stable and we no longer feel hungry. Glucose has the highest glycemic index, followed by sucrose, i.e. refined sugar popular on our tables, which we use in coffee and tea, as an addition to desserts and baking cakes. However, there are more sweeteners. They taste similar, but have differences.

See in the gallery below what the different types of sugar and their substitutes are: maple syrup, agave syrup, molasses, fructose, crystalline white sugar, brown cane sugar, brown sugar, palm sugar, and synthetic sweetener.

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