"Gimme Some Sugar!"

Gimme Some Sugar
February is the month of LOVE. Everyone is lovestruck. People get excited when Valentine’s Day rolls around because this seemingly gives them the courage to declare their love to a certain person. With love in the air, we dash to the store to purchase the blingest diamond jewelry, the most adorable teddy bear, the sweetest card, the sexist lingerie, or, MOST IMPORTANTLY, the sweetest and yummiest candy or cake, the kind that melts in your mouth and tastes, oh so, so good. But wait… What about all the sugar you are consuming? Ever wondered which sugar was the worse and the healthiest (if there is such a thing as good sugar)? Is brown sugar better than white sugar? Are artificial sweeteners the better alternative? Or are we just safer eliminating sugar completely out of our diet?
If you had to pick which sugar was better, which would you pick; brown or white? You may automatically pick brown sugar because you are probably thinking it is the unbleached version of the white sugar. Wrong. In fact, www.everydayhealth.com says that the brown sugar is worse than the white sugar. Shockingly enough, it is because molasses, which is a dark syrup produced from boiling down juice from sugar cane, is added to refined brown sugar. White sugar is the total opposite. Does that make white sugar better? Nope, in fact, it’s just as bad at brown sugar. White sugar is known to cause tooth decay and raise insulin levels in the blood which in turn increases fat storage with the end results being rapid weight gain. With that said, you are probably wondering how you can satisfy your sweet tooth if both brown and white sugar are on the black list. Let’s try the artificial sweeteners.
Artificial sweeteners rose to fame in attempt to find the healthiest alternative to table sugar. Splenda, Sweet-n-Low, Equal, and Nutrasweet, to name a few, are some of the well known artificial sweeteners on the market. Sucralose (Spelenda), saccharin (Sweet-n-Low), and aspartame (Equal and Nutrasweet) are three of the main ingredients in some artificial sweeteners. They claim to be a zero calorie form of sugar but after much research, it appears artificial sweeteners are a “healthier” alternative with some possible severe side effects. Some of the side effects include nausea, seizures, migraines, cancer, damage to metabolism, lowering body’s immune system, reproductive issues, and possible trigger for genital and/or oral break out such as herpes. Aspartame is the worse one of the three ingredients with saccharin being the less risky one and is favored by those who are diabetic.
Another form of sugar comes from a plant called sweetleaf or sugarleaf and this is what Stevia is created from. When Stevia first hit the market, it was highly favored by diabetics and people on a low carbohydrate diet. Stevia was known to cause some side effects including cancer, nausea, and headaches. However, it was later approved by the FDA in 2010.
So, which sugar is good for you? With all the side effects, one would find this a touch question to answer. As with any food, moderation is key in consummation. Eliminating added sugar and eating only the natural sugars from fruits and vegetables would be the ideal solution. One would think, right? Not necessarily the case. People who are physical active like bodybuilders, long-distance runners, or athletes benefit from sugar because it helps to increase their performance and avoid getting tired for longer periods of time. For the average person who is not active, sugar is NOT their best friend. That sounds easy enough. Why not join a sport, sign up for a 5k, or come work out with TYU to stay physically active ‘cause at the end of the day, after getting your grind on, you won’t have to feel guilty for asking your honey, “Gimme some sugar.”