What is Sugar?
Simple Definition:
Sugar is a sweet monocrystalline substance extracted from a variety of
plants, especially sugar cane and sugar beet, and is composed primarily of
sucrose, which is used as a sweetener in foods and beverages.
What is the definition of sugar in food?
Sugar is one of the simplest carbohydrates. Sugar is found naturally in
fruits, vegetables, milk and dairy products. It is also added to many foods
and beverages during preparation or processing.
What is the composition of sugar?
Sugar is a molecule composed of 12 atoms of carbon, 22 atoms of hydrogen,
and 11 atoms of oxygen (C12H22O11). Like all compounds made from these three
elements, sugar is a carbohydrate.
What are different types of sugar used for?
Here are 6 Major types of Sugar listed below:
1-Sucrose:
Sucrose is refined sugar or table sugar Commercially prepared from
sugar cane and sugar beet and found naturally in sugar maple sap,
dates, and honey.
what is Sugar Beet?
(A sugar beet is a plant whose root contains a high concentration of
sucrose and which is grown commercially for sugar production. Almost all
sugar beets are genetically modified which makes the sugar even more
dangerous).
What's the difference between sugar beet and sugarcane?
Beet sugar has a rustic, oxidized and carbonated aftertaste, while sugar
Cane has a sweeter and more fruity aftertaste. In particular, sucrose is
considered to be a simpler and more uniform caramelization product than
beets.
2-Fructose:
Fructose is Fruit Sugar and Found in Fruits and some Vegetables naturally.
It is monosaccharide. Fructose bonded with glucose, another monosaccharide, forms sucrose, or
table sugar.
Of course, fructose is also found in fruits, but rarely in tuberous
vegetables like onions and potatoes.
Fructose is the sweetest natural calorie sweetener. Fructose is found
naturally in fruits, fruit juices, honey, and even some vegetables. Pure
fructose is much sweeter than other types of sugar. As a result, people can
use less fructose than other sugars to achieve the same
sweetness.
Fructose is also a component of high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), which
manufacturers make from corn starch and add to unhealthful foods such as
sodas and candies.
The main source of fructose in foods is HFCS, which is found in
sugar, honey, fruit juices, fruit juices, candy, baked goods, and soft
drinks.
Processed food manufacturers make HFCS by adding a specific enzyme to corn
starch, which is mostly pure glucose.
Glucose is another type of sugar. This glucose is used to make syrups
containing varying amounts of fructose. Most types of HFCS contain 42 or 55%
fructose and 45% glucose. This means that HFCS contains the same amount of
fructose as sucrose or table sugar. Manufacturers make sugar from a
combination of fructose and glucose.
Fructose is often added to food because it is both cheap and enhances taste. Potential health effects of added fructose include obesity, increased LDL cholesterol, gout, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
It should be noted that naturally occurring fructose in fruits is not the
problem here. Fruits are beneficial to health, being an excellent source of
fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants.
3-Glucose:
It’s a sugar found in fruits and vegetables and is usually present
with other sugars. It is the key material found in the metabolism of all
plants and animals. Most of what we eat gets converted to glucose in our
bloodstream. Because glucose is always present in our bloodstream it is
often referred to as blood sugar.
What is the function of glucose?
The main function of the glucose molecule is to act as an energy source.
fuel. Plants and animals can use glucose as a highly soluble and easily
dispersible chemical energy to "burn" the cytoplasm and mitochondria,
releasing carbon dioxide, water and energy.
Sources of glucose:
This is how different foods affect how our blood sugar levels:
Carbohydrate: Includes bread, rice, pasta, potatoes, vegetables,
fruit, sugar, yogurt, and milk. Our bodies change 100 percent of the
carbohydrate we eat into glucose. This affects our blood sugar levels
quickly, within an hour or two after eating
Protein: Includes fish, meat, cheese, and peanut butter. Although our
bodies change some of the protein we eat into glucose, most of this glucose
is stored in our liver and not released into our bloodstream. Eating protein
usually has very little impact on blood sugar.
Fat: Includes butter, salad dressing, avocado, olive oil. We turn
less than 10 percent of the fat we eat into glucose. The glucose from fat is
absorbed slowly and it won't cause an immediate rise in blood sugar.
4-Lactose:
Lactose is the milk sugar and component of milk, which is why it is
referred to as “milk sugar.” It is present in milk produced by cows, sheep,
goats, and other mammals, including human breast milk. It is a disaccharide
composed of the monosaccharides glucose and galactose.
5-Maltose:
Maltose is malt sugar and is found in germinating grains. as for the
food and drink sources of maltose, it's found in breads and cereals, is an
important component in brewing beer and distilling alcohol and provides a
distinct flavor to malted beverages.
Maltose has a sweet taste, but is only about 30-60% as sweet as sugar,
depending on the concentration. A 10% solution of maltose is 35% as sweet as
sucrose (table sugar).
Maltose, like fructose and lactose, is compared a simple sugar. It's broken
down into glucose in order to transport it to other parts of your body for
use as fuel and for storing energy.
6-Dextrose:
Dextrose is made synthetically from starch and is called “corn sugar.”
and it is chemically identical to glucose, or blood sugar.
Dextrose is a common type of added sugar that's made when corn is broken
down with acids or enzymes before it's crystallized.
Although dextrose is derived from plants and is considered a "natural"
product, that doesn't mean you can eat or use it with abandon.
Foods High in Dextrose are: doughnuts, candies, Packaged pastries, ice Cream, Soft drinks, sports drinks, energy drinks and juices.
Glucose vs. Sucrose
Sugar manufacturers claim that consumption of refined sugar (sucrose) is
better for converting food into glucose in the body. You cannot escape the
truth.
Glucose and sucrose have different chemical structures and enter the body
in different ways. Glucose keeps us alive. Sucrose gradually poisons
us.
How Sucrose or Table Sugar Enters Our Body?
Sucrose is a refined sugar, a white substance that we consume every day,
and very quickly goes straight to the large intestine and bloodstream
without being digested in the mouth or stomach. From there, the harmful
effects of sugar begin to destroy every organ in our body.
Bad Effects of High Fructose Corn Sugar: Genetically Modified
Sugar
Unfortunately, most of the sugar today is made from genetically modified
beets. They are grown from laboratory seeds, not real beet seeds. These
"fake" bits are processed and destroyed, and the result is: High Fructose
Wheat Syrup (HFCS). This is the worst sugar you can get along with sugar
(such as soft drinks and candy). Because of the way it is processed, the
human body treats HFCS as fat rather than sugar. The liver tells the body to
store it, especially on your hips.
Negative Effects of Sugar: Hidden sugar
When you consider the following, you can see why sugar’s such a difficult
addiction to Leave:
Many manufacturers tell us that sugar is made from a “natural” source
(sugar cane and sugar beet) so we think it’s okay. But, so is heroin and
opium made from “natural” sources. And all of these “natural” things are
processed into something dangerous to our health.
You Should know that, Sugar is 8 times more addictive than cocaine.
You might think that we don't eat sugar, but we really don't know how much
we eat with hidden sugar. Almost everything you buy at the grocery store,
from spaghetti sauce to plain yogurt, contains some refined sugar, making it
even more difficult to limit your child's sugar intake.
