Less Sugar

Here’s a riddle for you! Cookies, brownies, candy, and snack bars…what do all of these things have in common?

Ding, ding, ding! That’s right! They’re all so delicious, and all typically loaded with sugar. These sweet treats can bring us happiness and enjoyment, but they can also cause issues when eaten excessively. That’s why it’s best to practice choosing sweet treat alternatives with less sugar whenever possible! Actively choosing to consume less sugar has a handful of benefits and is just as delicious as the conventional sugary treat! 

So what is sugar?

Let’s first make sure we’re on the same page about sugar. When we’re talking about sugar, we’re referring to the sweetener. In dictionary terms, sugar is anything made from sucrose extracted from a sugar cane or sugar beets. 

Brown sugar, table sugar, icing sugar, caster sugar, and many more, fall under the definition of sugar! 

But why is sugar bad for you?

Sugar gets a bad reputation in the health industry. 

It has gained this reputation for many reasons. The primary reason being that it offers no nutritional value while being calorically dense. On average, 1 teaspoon of sugar comes with about 15 calories and no nutrients (this is also known as “empty calories”).

Talk about a bad rap sheet…

These empty calories can quickly add up and cause cavities, weight gain, or obesity to name a few. Furthermore, this excess weight and sugar consumption can put pressure on our internal organs to work harder, contributing to the development of diseases like diabetes. Sugar can also be highly addictive, and cause you to fall into bad eating habits and risk your health. Overall, to live a long and healthy life, professionals recommend minimizing your added sugar intake as much as possible.

Okay, but are there benefits to eating less sugar?

Some of the rewards you may receive from cutting back on added sugar include:

• You may experience weight loss and controlled appetite. The benefits attached to adequate weight loss include improved heart health, reduced risk of diabetes, liver disease, lung disease, and potentially cancer. 
• You may also experience improved energy. Experts believe that added sugar actually makes you more tired, as a sugar rush is usually followed by a sugar crash. 
• You may experience improved mental capacity, brain health, and mental health. 
• Additionally, you may also see improvements in your dental health and skin.

Then how much sugar should I eat in a day?

In short, the best answer that is available to you is to consume the least amount of added sugar possible!

Sugar clearly has not demonstrated any benefit to our health, so the less that you can consume the better. However, if you want some numbers to aim for, the sugar daily intake recommendation is no more than 10% of your total calories for the day. Growing children should avoid added sugar whenever possible.

But how can I eat less sugar?

You don’t have to say goodbye to all the sweet treats that you love! Here at Natura Market, we have a variety of less sugar options to kick those cravings and soothe your sweet tooth! Could it get any sweeter than this?