Wow, I have been researching and talking to others about the different types of sugars and the effects it can have on the body and there is so much information out there.  Some is controversial too and it’s hard to know what information to believe and who you can trust.  Let’s start with a little history on sugar.

The discovery of sugarcane, from which sugar, as it is known today, is derived, dates back unknown thousands of years. It is thought to have originated in New Guinea, and was spread along routes to Southeast Asia and India. The process known for creating sugar, by pressing out the juice and then boiling it into crystals, was developed in India around 500 BC.  Its cultivation was not introduced into Europe until the middle-ages, when it was brought to Spain by Arabs. Columbus took the plant, dearly held, to the West Indies, where it began to thrive in a most favorable climate.

Sugar was brought to the Americas by Christopher Columbus. At the time, sugar was processed by boiling the cane juice and then harvesting the crystals left behind after the water evaporated. These crystals contained protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. While they were calorie dense, they provided essential nutrients. It was not until a few centuries later that the process of refining sugars, and stripping out many of these nutrients, was perfected and sugar became a profitable industry.

It is interesting to note that raw sugar is already refined. Only evaporated cane juice is truly “raw” sugar (of the cane variety – sugars can come from other sources as well, such as beets and fruit). Once the cane juice crystals are harvested, they are washed, boiled, centrifuged, filtered, and dried. The purpose of this is to remove all of the original plant materials (stalk, fiber, etc.) to produce the pure sugar. This process removes most of the fiber and nutrients that existed in the original crystals. The sugar then becomes refined, and is now a food high in calories with little nutritional value.

Over the years, sugar has gotten a bad reputation and many people avoid it at all costs.  Now instead of reading sugar on the labels of many foods, you might see high fructose corn syrup, crystalline fructose, sucralose, aspartame among others.   I like what Dr. Janet Hull says in one of her articles; “Sugar is like a two-sided coin: heads – if natural, it can be useful to the body, and tails – if altered by man, it can be harmful to the body.”  Have you ever heard of someone getting fat by eating too many fruits?  I haven’t.  I think the real enemy here is the mass consumption of refined sugar as well as these sugar-like substances.  Once you start reading the labels, you’ll be astounded at the sheer quantity of products that have them in them.

 I’ve seen commercials on high fructose corn syrup touting it as something natural.  According to the SF Gate, “The body processes the fructose in high fructose corn syrup differently than it does old-fashioned cane or beet sugar, which in turn alters the way metabolic-regulating hormones function. It also forces the liver to kick more fat out into the bloodstream.  The end result is that our bodies are essentially tricked into wanting to eat more and at the same time, we are storing more fat.”  Research from universities like Princeton have confirmed these findings.

I could keep going on and on, but there is just way too much information and I don’t want to overdo it.  I just hope to keep you informed and to get you thinking.   Do your own research and educate yourself, for you and your families sake.  With everything, moderation is the key and remember if it came from the earth, eat it.  Your bodies will thank you!