As a holistic nutrition coach I get lots of questions about sugar from my clients. Is fruit sugar bad? What kind of sugar is the healthiest? Do I have to exclude all sugar from my diet? The answer to this is complex, so let me break it down here for you in a simple way: Sugar in its whole food form is beneficial to our health, while sugar in its refined form is best to be avoided.
Fruit. I have said it before and I will say it here again – do not be afraid to eat fruit in abundance! Fruit is the human’s perfect food, easy to digest and full of fiber, vitamins, minerals and enzymes. Plus, sugar from fruit in its whole form is released into the blood slowly because of the fiber and does not cause blood sugar spikes.
Natural Sweeteners. I don’t think it is necessary or healthy to exclude sugar from our diet completely because balance – plus natural sources of sweet have nutritional benefits which is why in my opinion they should have their place in a well-rounded, balanced diet (everything in moderation, of course). My top three natural sweeteners are coconut sugar, maple syrup and raw honey as they provide us with plenty of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. They are versatile and taste great when used in baking or as condiments for breakfasts or desserts.
Refined Sugar. Refined sugar on the other hand is a different story. First off, there is zero nutritional value to sugar in its refined form. Just like white refined flour it is highly processed and has no vitamins or minerals which already makes it the best reason to avoid it. And sugar is addictive. It causes inflammation and increases the risk for chronic disease like cancer, heart disease and diabetes.
Sugar Cravings. Since sugar has been shown to trigger the same response in the brain as cocaine does, it is highly addictive. Many of us struggle with sugar cravings because we are literally dependent on it. The first step to reducing sugar in our diets is to minimize packaged processed foods as much as you can. Try to reset your palate and taste the natural sweetness of foods. Your tastebuds will take some time to adjust, but soon you will appreciate the more subtle flavor profiles of whole foods and those packaged cookies will taste much too sweet. Eat an abundance of this instead: fruit which is nature’s candy, sweet root vegetables (carrots, squash, sweet potatoes) and spices such as cinnamon which taste sweet and cozy yet are great blood sugar stabilizers.
