We’ve all heard stories about how bad sugar is, that it’s a very scary product. But you won’t understand that until you know why it’s so bad in large quantities.
Let’s start by figuring out what sugar is and how it is made. Sugar is extracted from beets or sugar cane. Let’s look at both types of sugar, and more specifically, let’s briefly discuss how sugar is made.
How is sugar made from beets?
In order to extract sugar from beets, they are boiled (first they are turned into chips) at about 70°C. This produces a sugar syrup, which contains only 15% of the sugar itself. This “juice” is then purified and the water evaporated from it, resulting in a very thick syrup, the sugar content of which is already 70%. Then, in special centrifuges, the process of crystallization and purification of sugar takes place, until pure white sugar is obtained, which we are used to.
How is sugar made from cane?
The fields, planted with sugar cane are set on fire, yes, this is not a mistake, they are burned in the right conditions, so that the fire burned the dry leaves and for the collection remained only stalks (they contain sugar). Then they grind the stems into powder. Next, the process is not much different from that of extracting sugar from beets. The sugar is literally boiled out of the cane.
And what is harmful here, as if all is natural, you will ask. It’s not the sugar itself that is harmful, but the amount of sugar consumed by human beings. The fact that sugar is a unique product – it contains many calories, which our body needs so much.
Why is it bad to eat a lot of sugar?
The thing is that sugar gives us substances that we consume during our life processes. But if we do not consume more than we got sugar (more specifically glycogen), it begins to be deposited in the form of “reserves”, i.e. fats. Simply put, a person becomes obese.
It is important to understand that any sugar is stored, not only the sugar that we put in tea or coffee, but also the sugar that we drink with sodas and eat with candy and chocolate. Everything that is sweet contains sugar. So a person, when consuming sweets, eats more sugar than they can consume. Hence obesity.
Also, it takes a lot of calcium to “process” sugar and convert it into the “energy” we need, so the teeth suffer from sweets.
How much sugar does a person need per day?
There are generally accepted norms of sugar consumption, developed by international organizations. The maximum daily dose of sugar for men: 150 calories per day (38 grams or about 10 teaspoons). The maximum daily dose of sugar for women: 100 calories per day (25 grams or 5-6 teaspoons).
That is, the maximum dose of sugar for the average person is one Snickers or a 0.33-liter can of soda.
How do I regulate my sugar intake?
- Set your own intake limit for sugar-containing foods.
- Read the contents of the food carefully.
- Have chocolate and ice cream for diabetics that do not contain sugar.
- Eat more fruits and vegetables, from there you get fructose.
- If you ate too much, just “burn off” the amount with physical activity.
It is important to remember that giving up sugar completely can also harm you, everything is good in moderation. And if you can not imagine life without sweets, then read our post on what you can replace sugar.
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