Natural vs Added Sugar
Added sugar which is the “additional” sugar in food products are all bad sugars and should be avoided.
Natural sugars coming from fruits or milk are packed with minerals, nutrients and vitamins. Fruits have fibre which slows down the absorption of sugar. So sources of “added” sugar should be avoided like packaged sweet food items, sugary drinks, desserts and foods like dairy (unsweetened yoghurt, milk) and fruits should be consumed without any worry. Natural sugar from fruits comes along with fibre, and it naturally produces short blood sugar response and also provides fullness in comparison to added sugar that is concentrated and refined.
Maple syrup and honey contain more nutrients while being minimally processed in comparison to white sugar. But all sources of sugar are the same to your body as the digestive tract breaks them down into monosaccharides (simple sugars). Also, the calories from all these sugars are the same, so irrespective of sugars being natural or processed will have the same impact on your weight.
There is no need to cut out sugar completely. But our body does not need sugar so having less is better as it’s all about moderation. Total sugar intake in a day should not be more than 5% of calories ( According to WHO) so cutting down on sweetened beverages like fruit drinks, soda, coffee, teas and snacks like ice creams, cookies, brownies, doughnuts, etc is very important. Bread, fat-free yoghurt, granola bars, salad dressings, etc also contain a lot of sugar so it is very important to read nutrition labels.
Therefore it is very important to limit the consumption of refined concentrated sugar and adapt our taste buds to accept less sugar. It is not realistic to quit sugar completely but we do need to change our lifestyle and avoid having sugar in such concentrated amounts daily to avoid various lifestyle conditions and health risks.
A no sugar diet or a low sugar diet does not mean guaranteed weight loss if you are not mindful of your overall calorie intake. Example: If you consume a 500 calorie sandwich (which is low in sugar) vs a 300 calorie bowl of sugary cereal it does not mean you will lose weight just because your sandwich was low in sugar content.
If you eat sugar in moderation and not overdo it then its consumption is not linked to increased risk of heart disease, cancer or obesity. Excess sugar consumption contributes to weight gain, obesity and other chronic diseases. So eat in moderation and stick to your daily calorie limit.