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Why Not Use Real Sugar? Dear Lora, You recommend people use sugar substitutes instead of real sugar which is a natural food. It's only 4 grams of carbs and 16 calories per teaspoon. And if you don't like the idea of refined sugar, what about using unrefined "raw" sugar? I don't get it... why not stay "natural" which has to be best. Mary Ellen |
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Dear Mary Ellen,
Many people believe that sugar is "natural" (and therefore good for you.) Partly because the sugar industry has promoted this belief. In fact, their slogan is "the natural choice". Some say it�s "natural", since it's derived from the sugar cane plant. But calling this refined white stuff "natural" is simply absurd. In modern sugar cane farming, chemical fertilizers and pesticides are used to grow the sugar cane plants. The mature sugar cane is harvested and sent to refining factories, where the cane�s vitamins, minerals and other nutrients are separated from the sucrose. After further refining, the cane juice is dried, processed into crystals and bleached to remove its naturally dark color. 
Cane sugar refineries require the use of a specific filter to decolorize the
sugar and absorb inorganic material from it. This whitening process occurs
towards the end of the sugar refining procedure. The filter used for refining
is almost always "bone char". Bone char is derived from the bones of cattle
from Afghanistan, Argentina, India and Pakistan. Bone char cannot be produced
or bought in the United States. The bleaching step is done with chlorine,
and is the same process used to make other foods "snow white" (like white flour
and white rice.)
As for "unrefined, raw" sugar... some labels on sugar packages seem to indicate that the product is raw sugar, but all commercial sugar has undergone some refining. Genuine raw sugar cannot be bought and sold to the general consumer in the United States according to Food and Drug Administration regulations, as it is unfit for human consumption. Any refined sweetener, whether it�s white sugar, honey or another variation, is broken down by the body into glucose, and is associated with the same problems, from weight gain to cavities. And as for it being only 4 carbs per teaspoonful, be aware the average person in North America now consumes as much as 30 teaspoonfuls each day. That would be 120 carbs from sugar alone each day for the average person. Sugar substitutes allow low carbers to have sweet treats on occasion without trashing the diet.  |
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