Many stories have been circulating so far about the evils of sugar. The fact is, sugar is not the main cause of health problems, especially for us Malaysians. According to chemists, heart disease and obesity are not caused by excessive sugar intake, but the cause is because of the saturated fat in sugar sold in the market.
Myth: Sugar causes obesity and disease
The truth is, obesity and disease are caused by high-calorie content. Sugar is easily digested by the body and this makes calories carried along with sugar while we are still not satisfied to taste sweet food. This is the main cause of contributing calories to the body.
Myth: Natural sweeteners are better than regular sugar
No! All other sweeteners like honey, maple syrup and stevia give the same effect to your body. There are other studies stating that sweeteners in fruits also have a similar effect. Even worse, it can make hormonal changes so your appetite increases.
Myth: Sugar is not good, Less sugar is good
Sugar is essential for the brain. The absence of sugar can make your brain sluggish and unintelligent. This problem is caused by product dealers or industries that always peddle taglines such as “sugar-free” and “no sugar added”. This creates a wrong perception for users. Consumers should know that in products like this, they will usually use sweeteners or artificial sugar that can have a worse effect than regular sugar.
Myth: Fruit juices are better than regular sugar
No! The sugar in regular fruits is the same sugar. Glucose and fructose are also processed in the body in the same way no matter where the original source of the sugar comes from. However, we cannot deny that eating fruits is good for health because they contain vitamins. It’s still good just the fact that fruit sugar is better than regular sugar is wrong!