Sugar is everywhere! Hard to escape it. The WHO recommends a daily sugar consumption of less than 10% of total energy intake, i.e. around 50 grams or 12 teaspoons of sugar per adult per day.¹ However, 20 to 30% of French people exceed this recommendation. ² How to decrease your daily consumption and improve your health? How to choose the right sugar alternative?
What is sugar?
Carbohydrates are present in large quantities in our diet. They break down into two families:simple sugars, with a sweet taste, and starches essential to the proper functioning of the body for their energy supply.
The main simple sugars found in our diets are:
- Glucose , naturally present in sweet-tasting plant products:fruits, honey and some vegetables;
- Fructose , very common in fruits, vegetables and some tubers (artichoke, onion, chicory, etc.);
- Lactose found in dairy products;
- Sucrose, "table sugar" or "household sugar", obtained from beet (white sugar) or cane sugar (brown sugar). It is made up of one unit of glucose combined with one unit of fructose. If brown sugar and white sugar are obtained by two different processes, their nutritional value is similar. Brown sugar contains slightly more minerals than white sugar, but in negligible proportions for the body.
Sucrose is used as a reference unit to calculate the sweetness of foods:it is the carbohydrate that contains the most calories, i.e. 400 kcal per 100 g.
Why reduce your sugar intake?
Fast sugars are digested quickly and their energizing properties are easily used by the body as fuel. However, they contain few essential nutrients and excessive consumption of sugar poses risks to our health.
- Type 2 Diabetes: excessive sugar consumption combined with other risk factors, such as being overweight and genetic predispositions, favors the development of diabetes.
- Obesity: a diet high in sugar contributes to weight gain and obesity.
- Caries: sugar causes the deterioration of oral health by promoting the appearance of cavities.
- Cardiovascular diseases: a high level of sugar in the blood weakens the arteries and promotes the risk of cardiovascular accidents (heart attack, stroke).
- Cancers: the overall consumption of sugar increases the risk of developing certain cancers such as breast cancer and digestive cancers (rectum, colon, stomach, etc.).³
To improve your overall health, you need to limit your sugar intake. Apps like Glycemic Index and Load and Suggestarless are great ways to track and reduce your carb intake.
3 tips to monitor and reduce your sugar consumption
Sugar is present in many foods in our daily lives, but it is possible to adopt good habits to reduce sugar consumption:
- Only water at the table:this avoids temptation, even fruit juices can be very sweet. If you want to treat yourself, dilute them with water.
- No snacking:There are times when you will be tempted to snack outside of meals, especially in front of a screen, it is important to resist. If you need a snack, crack on dried fruits, almonds or walnuts.
- Removing sugar from yogurt or coffee:It may take a little time, but gradually you will get used to the absence of sugar.
How to decipher the labels of “light” products?
The market for so-called "light", "reduced" or "free" products is thriving in the food industry. But what is behind these terms? Are these products really good for your health?
- “Light”: the regulations impose a minimum reduction of 30% in sugar, fat or calories compared to an equivalent product. It does not require that this reduction be global on all of these three points, but on at least one of the three. Your product can thus be reduced in sugar, but keep a fat and calorie content equivalent or higher than an equivalent product.
- “No added sugar”: the product has been manufactured without the addition of sweeteners (honey, glucose syrup, fructose, sucrose or concentrated fruit juice), however, it may contain sugars naturally present in the ingredients.
- "Sugar Free": the product does not contain more than 0.5 g of sugar per 100 g, but it may contain a high level of fat and be caloric.
- “Low in sugar”: the product does not contain more than 5 g of sugar per 100 g. If it is a liquid, it contains no more than 2.5g per 100ml.
- "0%": the product contains 0% sugar or 0% fat, but it can also contain 0% sugar and a lot of fat and vice versa.
To be in control of what you eat, feel free to turn the package over and check the ingredient list. You can also use the Sugar Scan app which compares sugar levels in food products.
Understanding diabetes and blood sugar levels
Insulin is a hormone made by the pancreas that helps regulate blood sugar levels. Its function is to bring sugar back to normal if its level exceeds 1 gram per liter of blood. In diabetics, insulin is produced in insufficient quantity or it does not perform its regulatory role effectively, which promotes chronic hyperglycemia. Diabetes is characterized by high blood sugar levels.
To precisely quantify the impact of blood sugar on the body and better control insulin production, each food has a glycemic index. The higher the glycemic index, the greater the secretion of insulin. It is calculated on a scale of 0 to 100:
- Fast sugars have a glycemic index greater than 60. They cause high insulin secretion.
- Between 40 and 60, foods are moderately insulin-secreting.
- A glycemic index below 40 corresponds to slow sugars. Insulin secretion is low.
How to replace sugar in the diet? ⁴
Alternatives to sugar can be used daily, to sweeten coffee, yoghurts, or even to prepare cakes. Their sweetness determines the quantity to include in your recipes and in your sweet drinks.
Natural alternatives to sugar
- Honey is a healthy alternative to sugar. This natural product has a lower glycemic index than sucrose and a higher sweetening power. You can use half as much honey as sugar for your preparations.
- Coconut Blossom Sugar easily replaces sugar in cooking recipes. You can use the same amount as if it were sugar. Its caramelized taste and glycemic index of 35 make it a preferred option in desserts.
- Stevia is 200 times sweeter than sucrose and has no calories, but its intense licorice aftertaste is sometimes difficult to combine in the kitchen. 2g of stevia is equivalent to 100g of sugar. Be careful, stevia is a green powder that comes from the dried leaf. Stevia sweeteners, in white powder or liquid form, are made from steviol glycosides, 95% purified by industrial techniques. In addition, these products often contain a very low percentage of stevia extracts which complement a large amount of polyols, sugar alcohols.⁵ Pure Stevia is mainly found in organic stores.
The sweetness of syrups
- Agave syrup has a slightly higher sweetening power than sucrose and contains fewer calories. More fluid than honey, it has a high fructose content and a variable glycemic index. Agave syrup can be used in cooking or in hot drinks. It is 3 times sweeter than sucrose.
- Coconut flower syrup has properties similar to agave syrup.
- Yacon syrup is a good option for diabetics because it does not affect blood sugar levels. Its sweetening power is 50 to 70% less important than sucrose. So you have to use twice as much to have the same effect as sugar.
- The rice syrup does not contain fructose, which makes it an interesting alternative for intolerant people. It is not suitable for diabetics due to its high glycemic index and the presence of glucose. In the kitchen, it gives smoothness to pastries and brings a light caramel taste. You can use it in a similar amount to sugar.
- Maple syrup has a better sweetening power and contains 20% fewer calories than sugar, but it influences blood sugar and contains 60% fructose. Excellent to accompany crepes and pancakes, it supports cooking well:you can replace 100 g with 50 g of maple syrup in your cakes.
Polyols, sugar alcohols or “glycols”
Polyols are sugar substitutes or sugar alcohols. These substitutes, obtained by fermentation, have a low glycemic index, but can cause gastric discomfort. It is best to consume them in moderation.
- Xylitol, or birch sugar, is as sweet as sucrose while being 40% less caloric. It is suitable for diabetics and is relatively digestible, but can have a laxative effect when consumed in large doses.
- Erythritol is 30% less sweet than sucrose. This substitute has no effect on blood sugar and provides no calories. More digestible than other sugar alcohols, it is very well tolerated by diabetics and by those intolerant to fructose. Consumed in large quantities, it can cause gastric problems.
Synthetic sweeteners:consume in moderation
Synthetic sweeteners are widely used in processed foods and sugary drinks, but they cause many adverse health effects. The consumption of sweeteners causes a craving for sugar. They promote the onset of type 2 diabetes by influencing metabolism and the ability of cells to resist insulin.
- Aspartame is 200 times sweeter than sucrose. Its absence of calories makes it an ingredient favored by the food industry for light or low-fat products. It is not recommended to consume it.
- Sucralose is a very powerful sweetener, its taste is 600 times sweeter than sugar. However, it causes gastric problems and promotes overweight.
- Saccharin has a sweetening power 400 times greater than sucrose, but its unpleasant metallic taste leads manufacturers to mix it with other chemical sweeteners.
Although there are many alternatives to sugar, reasonable consumption requires simple daily actions. Prefer water to sodas, avoid sweets, reserve pastries for Sunday breakfasts and take advantage of exceptional moments to eat cakes. Want nutrition advice? Take control of your health with fitness and nutrition coaching Wellness.
Source:
¹https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/155735/WHO_NMH_NHD_15.2_eng.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
²https://www.anses.fr/fr/content/sucres-dans-l%E2%80%99alimentation
³https://www.santemagazine.fr/actualites/actualites-alimentation/cancer-letau-se-resserre-sur-la-consommation-de-sucre-876931
⁴https://www.forceultranature.com/fr/blog/top-13-meilleurs-sucres-sante-n116
⁵https://www.femmeactuelle.fr/minceur/astuces-minceur/edulcorant-naturel-stevia-38592
https://docteurbonnebouffe.com/how-to-reduce-sugar-consumption/
