decoding sugar. homemade knowledge.

Can you tell the difference between turbinado sugar and sucanat? First off, what is sucanat? And what's the deal with coconut sugar? Fad or friend? Is there a difference between cane sugar and sugar beet sugar? So many sweet questions! Throw molasses, honey, brown rice syrup, and maple syrup into the mix, and you've got a motley crew of sweeteners to choose from to stock your whole foods pantry. So let's lay these sugars out, clean and simple, and dig into the big bag of sugar and its saccharine rise into our modern culture. 

Sugar is an organic substance created by plants (and bees help out too) rather than a mineral substance, like salt. It has been enjoyed by creatures for millennia in the form of fruit sugars and later on in the form of honey, which has been used by humans for over 20,000 years according to cave paintings. Humans have found complex ways to alter sugar, and today we have an overwhelming diversity of the sweet stuff. 

There are many variations of sugar defined by the molecular structure, the source, and the refining process. Sugar occurring naturally in fruit (fructose) and milk (lactose) are called natural sugars, while added sugars are just that; added to a product to increase the sweetness. There are natural caloric sweeteners, like honey and maple syrup, which contain trace minerals and have different effects on the body than the standard granulated sugars. 

Refined sugar refers to the process where the natural colors and impurities are extracted from the raw sugar source by boiling, spinning, and separating the sugar. The byproduct of sugar refining is molasses. Refined sugars have been linked to many health problems, which I'll go into a bit later. The refining process is a long and intensive, and differs between sugar made from sugar cane and sugar beets. 

The glycemic index of sugar refers to how fast the sugar is absorbed into the blood stream. If you've ever felt a sugar high, you've experienced a high glycemic food that caused the sugars to be quickly absorbed. Glycemic index uses a scale from 0 to 100, with lower glycemic foods, like brown rice syrups, down at a lower number than higher glycemic foods. Lower glycemic foods cause the sugars to absorb more slowly into the gut, which provide a slow and steady energy source. 

Before we get into the varieties of sugar, lets break down the different types of sugar molecules, shall we. The three most common sugars we come across are glucose, fructose, and sucrose. 

Glucose is a simple sugar, or monosaccharide, that is broken  down from carbohydrates in whole foods, like fruit, legumes, and grains. It is our body's main source of energy, as glucose is further broken down into ATP, which fuels cellular respiration and brain functioning. Glucose is good to have around for regular functioning of the body, but too much can overwork the body.


Fructose is a simple sugar found in fruits and as an additive in many processed foods. It is classified as the sweetest of all sugars, which is why it is utilized in packaged foods. Fructose does have a lower glycemic index, which reduces "sugar highs," or insulin spikes in the blood. Fructose is metabolized in the liver and stored as fat if not used for energy in the body immediately. If eaten in excess, fructose can damage the liver, where it is processed, as well as elevate the risk of obesity, heart disease, and increased blood pressure.

Sucrose, or what we call sugar, is found in sugar cane, beets, as well as many prepared foods, baked goods, and beverages. It is a complex sugar, or disaccharide, made up of a linked glucose and fructose molecule. When metabolized, the body breaks the sucrose down into glucose and fructose, usually storing the fructose as a fat and using glucose for energy.

There are many permutations of sucrose you may come across at the market, from dark brown sugar to turbinado sugar to powdered sugar to rare Demerara sugar. These are all variations of how the cane or beet sugar is processed. Some are ground more finely than others or contain different amounts of molasses that is either left in or added in after refining. The Kitchn gives a list of 11 varieties of sugar, though I'll outline just a few here. 

Types of sucrose

Granulated sugar: Also known as white, table, or refined sugar, granulated sugar is highly refined beet or cane sugar used primarily for baking. This sugar goes through an intensive refining process that strips the nutrients and color. This sugar has basically no nutrients in it and is referred to as "empty calories."

Cane Sugar: As the name suggests, this sugar comes exclusively from sugar cane, and is less processed than granulated sugar. It has a larger grain and darker color than granulated sugar, but can be used interchangeably. 

Brown Sugar: Brown sugar is refined white sugar with the molasses added back in. Light brown sugar has less molasses than dark brown sugar, which has an intense caramel color and flavor. 

Rapadura or Muscovado Sugar: Crystallized cane juice that still contains molasses. Most of the artisanal Muscovado sugar comes from the island of Mauritius, off the coast of Africa. Strong caramel flavor with hints of bitterness and fruit, adding depth and complexity to recipes. 

Turbinado Sugar: Another type of minimally processed sugar with large brown crystals. The name comes from the turbines used to process it. Though less processed than granulated sugar, turbinado is still stripped of many nutrients and the natural molasses. 

Sucanat: Simply dehydrated sugar cane juice, sucanat has a stronger molasses flavor and contains all the nutrients in natural cane sugar juice, including iron, calcium, vitamin B6, and magnesium. According to Time, the trace minerals plus water content in sucanat reduce the percentage of sucrose to 88%, compared to 99% in turbinado and 99.9% in refined white sugar. 

A brief section on Corn Syrup

Corn Syrup: Developed in the early 1900s, corn syrups is made from boiled down corn starch. This thick clear liquid is 100% glucose and dissolves well. 

High Fructose Corn Syrup(HFCS): This corn syrup was developed in the 1970s and is more highly processed than the simple corn syrup. Unlike regular corn syrup, HFCS has some of its glucose molecules converted into fructose enzymatically to taste sweeter. Since it dissolves easily in liquid and helps preserve foods, HFCS is widely used in processed foods and sweetened beverages, like soda. Though research is unclear if HFCS is worse for health than other refined sugars, its cheap and addictive qualities and ever-presence in convenience foods makes it dangerous. An article on Huffington Post adds that the chemicals used during the processing of the syrup may expose humans to trace amounts of mercury and other possibly harmful chemicals. 

Basically, when you are consuming HFCS, you are also consuming low nutrient, poor quality processed foods that shouldn't don't belong in a healthy diet. Eating these foods regularly can lead to obesity, high blood pressure, and heart disease. Try to avoid this one, as well as any other unnatural sweeteners and sweetener alternatives. 


Natural Sweeteners

Honey: Made by the hard work of honey bees, honey is digested nectar collected from flowers. Honey is made of equal parts glucose and fructose rather than sucrose and contains trace minerals and pollen. The flavor varies based on the types of flowers the bees collect nectar and pollen from. Raw honey is pure, unheated, unpasteurized, and unprocessed honey. Because it is raw, it contains all of the natural minerals and vitamins, antioxidants and antimicrobial compounds. Honey shouldn't be fed to infant under the age of one due to the rare risk of botulism. 

Brown Rice Syrup: Made from soaked and sprouted brown rice, which is dried and cooked down into a thick syrup. Rice syrup contains higher levels of maltose, which has a lower glycemic index and is half as sweet as sugar. It has a deep, earthy flavor. 

Molasses: Produced as a byproduct of the sugar refining process, molasses is a dark, thick liquid that has a bitter, deep flavor. Different types (light, dark, blackstrap) refer to how many times the sugar has been boiled down, from light to blackstrap. The lighter molasses has more subtle flavors that are less intense than the blackstrap. Molasses contains trace minerals and vitamins, including iron and calcium. 

Agave Syrup: This light syrupy liquid sweetener comes from various agave (Agavaceae) succulents grown commercially in Mexico. It is comprised of 90% fructose and 10% glucose, so it has a low glycemic index, which means the sugar molecules are absorbed into blood more slowly, though the high fructose load can be hard on the liver. It contains trace minerals and has a sweeter flavor than sugar. 

Maple Syrup: Maple syrup is made from boiling down the sap of maple trees, usually sugar maples, into a thick liquid. It takes a shocking 39 gallons of sap to make one gallon of maple syrup, making a deep, concentrated sweetener. It comprises of 62% sucrose and has a caramel, earthy and very sweet flavor. Best known for dripping down a stack of pancakes, maple syrup imparts a strong, complex flavor to sweet and savory dishes. It has less fructose and overall calories than honey, and has different vitamins and minerals. Make sure to buy pure maple syrup and none of those fake, thick pancake syrups that have no real maple syrup on them. Grade A syrup is lighter and best used for pouring on pancakes while Grade B, the stronger darker versions, is best for cooking and baking. 

Coconut Sugar: Made from the sap of the coconut palm, coconut sugar is minimally processed and has a creamy, caramel flavor rather than a coconut flavor. It contains zinc, iron, and antioxidants, and is 71% sucrose. It has a lower glycemic index than sugar (36 for coconut sugar and 60 for table sugar), which results in a slower rise in blood sugar. 

Palm Sugar: Similar to coconut sugar but made from the sap of  the palmyra or sugar palm. 

Date Sugar: Date sugar is just what is sounds: ground up, dehydrated dates. This sugar is high in fiber and includes all of the minerals and vitamins present in whole dates, including potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron and phosphorus. This sugar can be used in baking but does not dissolve in liquids. 

Artificial Sweeteners

There could be a completely different post this long about artificial sugar substitutes. Those mysterious, "miracle" packets that taste like a sugar coasted gummy bears but have zero calories or sugar might be too good to be true. These, including aspartame (Equal, NutraSweet), saccharin (Sweet'N Low), sucralose (Splenda), and rebiana(Truvia), are highly synthesized and may have more health risks than benefits. 

A 2013 study showed that both sugar sweetened and artificially sweetened beverages were linked with an increased risk in developing type II diabetes. Sugar causes the brain to want to eat more, and because artificial sweeteners deliver sweetness without calories, they may cause the brain to crave even more sweets without satiation. 

This creates a sort of irony around diet foods and drinks. Remember those 100 calories snack packs. They never satisfied your craving for a snack. Same idea. By starving ourselves of the actual nutrients and calories in sugar, our bodies want more to get energy. These super-sweet-sugar-wannabes are not weaning us off of sugar, they are making us want more, and more of the real stuff. 

These chemical sweeteners may also alter our gut bacteria for the worse (maybe even causing gluten intolerance), increase risk of cancer, and obesity. Unfortunately, these artificial sweeteners are cheating our brains and bodies. They don't create a healthy relationship with sugar, and instead cut corners to entice and feed our sweet addiction to sugar. So be cautious with these, and if you must, use Stevia, a naturally-derived alternative with no calories or sucrose. 

Stevia: This is a natural sugar substitute made form the Stevia plant (Stevia rebaudiana), which grows in tropical climates. This plant gets its intense sweetness from naturally occurring glycosides that are extracted from the leaf. It is free of calories and sugar, and tastes 100-300 times sweeter than sucrose. You can substitute it in baking (see table below), but it does not caramelize like sugar. Packaged stevia may contain erythritol, a sugar alcohol and "natural flavors" to preserve it in the shelf. The taste can be metallic and bitter to some, and I personally don't care for it too much.

Replacing natural sweeteners for white sugar:

So you have an old-fashioned chocolate chip cookie recipe that you want to reinvent with a different sweetener. How can you swap maple syrup for white sugar? Personally, I like to experiment with different sugars I have on hand, but here is a handy chart with some helpful replacements. 

Health Concerns about Sugar

So with all of these different types of sugar, how can you choose which one is healthiest or best for you? First, make sure to realize that all of these are still sugar, and eating too much is likely to lead to health problems. Some sugars are better for diabetics, who need lower glycemic sugars, while others might want to eat a whole foods diet with unrefined foods, including raw honey and pure maple syrup. 

Regularly consuming too much sugar can lead to obesity, type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, and cirrhosis of the liver. Overeating sweets highlights the overconsumption of unhealthy food in general. The sky is the limit on how much sugar, salt, and fat fast the food and snack food companies can wave in front of our faces, entice us with what our ancestral taste-buds crave. 

Most of us know that eating sugar isn't good for our health, but that doesn't seem to stop us from eating a chocolate croissant for breakfast or sprinkle just a bit in our coffee every day. Weaning ourselves off sugar sounds impossible, but after eating less and less sugar, the craving does subside. Try using some of the less sweet sugars, like coconut sugar and maple syrup. And sure, some of these alternative sugars are more expensive, though that may be the best factor in curbing our cravings of the stuff. Buy the really good expensive maple syrup and savor every liquid amber drop. Try some different, more unrefined sugars, and see how sweet life can become in other ways than other than in sprinkle form. Thanks for reading, you're so sweet!


And to finish, a short poem that may get to the core of the relationship with sugar that we have been cultivating since we were kids:

Candy Candy 

by Jerry Stevenson

Candy! Candy! Chocolate!

I can’t get enough.

I must stuff it in my mouth.

I got to have more.

There’s never enough.

Now!

Give me more.