Sugar is harmful to health. This is the reason why health experts also advise people to consume them in limited quantities. In such a situation, many people often start avoiding sweets, chocolates, etc. to stay away from sugar, but do you know that many food items contain sugar even if they are not sweet?

Added Sugar: Many of us like sweets very much. Be it chocolate or any sweet, the mouth starts watering as soon as one hears the name of the sweet. However, eating it in large quantities is also harmful to health. In such a situation, to keep themselves healthy, people often stay away from sweets. People generally believe that sugar is found only in food items that taste sweet. However, this is not completely true. Apart from sugary drinks, sweets, and candies, many such foods contain sugar, but you do not feel its taste.

If you are also one of those people who think that staying away from sweets means just not eating sweets, then let us tell you that your perception is not correct. You eat many food items every day which contain added sugar. Let us know about some such foods-

Is sugar harmful to health?

Whenever you hear the name of sweets, the first thing that comes to your mind would be delicious sweets, chocolates, and sugary drinks. However, extra sugar is added to all of them. In such a situation, eating them in large quantities causes great harm to health. Consuming too much sugar increases the blood sugar level in the body, which can cause prediabetes and type 2 diabetes. In such a situation, you can consume natural sugar by eating fruits, vegetables, and dairy products instead.

Additionally, sugar also has a psychoactive effect. When digested, sugar releases dopamine. This is a chemical that controls how you feel pleasure. It may also increase serotonin production, which can improve your mood. For these reasons, sugar is often viewed as an addiction.

What is added sugar?

As the name suggests, added sugars are added to various food items during their preparation. If understood in simple language, these are not natural sugars and they are mixed separately in foods. Generally, the following types of added sugars are added to these food items-

  • Processed Sugar Molecules – Fructose, Sucrose, Dextrose, Maltose
  • Syrup – Rice Syrup, Maple Syrup, Corn Syrup, Brown Rice Syrup
  • Natural sweeteners- honey, jaggery, agave
  • Processed fruit sugars – fruit concentrates, fruit juices (peach juice, pear juice), sugarcane juice, etc.

Natural Sugar VS Added Sugar

If you've ever eaten a bite of a summer strawberry or eaten fresh corn, the sweetness you feel when you eat it is a result of what is known as natural sugar. The most common natural sugars include fructose (fruit sugar), lactose (milk sugar), and maltose (found in sprouted grains).

Now you might be thinking that sugar is sugar, whether it is natural or added, but both are quite different from each other. Once sugar enters your body, the digestive system considers natural sugar and added sugar the same and processes them in the same form.

In such a situation, when you eat fruits and vegetables with natural sugar, which have high sugar content, they also contain fiber, vitamins, and minerals, which slow down digestion and keep you full for a long time. Because of this, you are saved from eating too many fruits or vegetables and thus the amount of sugar in the diet remains controlled.

Added sugar, on the other hand, has no nutritional or dietary benefits other than slowing digestion. This is why they are commonly known as empty calories. In such a situation, you can eat a lot of cookies with added sugar and not even feel satisfied.

Food items with added sugar

If you are one of those people who think that avoiding sweets is enough to stay away from sweets, then you may be proved wrong here. You eat many such foods every day, which contain added sugar and you are not even able to detect it from the taste. Let us know about some such foods-

bread

Many of us start our day with bread. These days, many types of bread are easily available in the market. Generally, people like to eat white bread. Although, people who are conscious about their health prefer brown bread, but do you know that bread also contains added sugar? Although flour, water, and a leavening agent (natural sourdough starter or yeast) are used to make it, sugar and salt are added to improve the taste of the bread.

Fat-Free Products

When it comes to added sugar, fat-free and low-fat products top the list. There is a need to enhance the taste of these foods while removing fat from the products during their preparation. To meet this need, added sugar is added to fat-free and low-fat products.

Ketchup and other dips

We eat dips like ketchup, salad dressing, and barbeque sauce with great pleasure every day. However, many people are unaware that sugar is added to these dips while preparing them to maintain their taste and balance.

yogurt

Dairy products already contain natural sugar from lactose. However, even after this, many yogurt brands add sugar to improve the taste. In such a situation, it would be better if you choose whole milk yogurt without sugar.

Pizza

These days, the trend of eating pizza has increased rapidly among people. Although eating it causes much harm to health, very few people would know that each piece of pizza can contain several grams of sugar. If the pizza contains pepperoni or sausage, the amount of added sugar may be even higher.

breakfast cereal

Nowadays many people like to eat cereals for breakfast. However, despite being a healthy option for breakfast, added sugar is added to it, which can harm you by entering your body. In such a situation, you can replace it with plain oatmeal for breakfast.

canned fruit

According to health experts, canned food items are harmful to health. The same is the case with some canned fruits, in which fructose corn syrup is added while packing, which helps in storing the fruits for a long time and enhancing their taste. In such a situation, eating fresh fruits instead of canned fruits will prove to be more beneficial.

peanut butter

These days most people like to eat peanut butter with bread etc. However, several grams of sugar are added to peanut butter to improve its taste.

Disclaimer: The advice and suggestions mentioned in the article are for general information purposes only and should not be taken as professional medical advice. If you have any questions or concerns, always consult your doctor.

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