There is a lot of debate around the consumption of sugar. This is because, among its many adverse health impacts, excessive sugar intake is linked to an increased risk of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. As such, there’s a growing fear around its consumption to an extent that many have completely stopped eating any form of sugar.
Rujuta Diwekar, a celebrity nutritionist, took to Instagram to address the issue and explained if we should skip it or not. “Yes, you should skip the sugar,” said the expert. But do we need to skip all sugars? “NO,” she added.
“The sugars which you must skip are the sugars that come from ultra-processed and packaged foods. Sugars that come from cereals, jams, biscuits, ketchup, nut butter, granola bars chocolates or cola, and sugars confectionary items,” she informed.
As per her, these sugars must be avoided. ultra-processed and packaged foods cause a lot of problems and sugar is just one of the ingredients. “If you consume sugar from these sources then you must skip it 100 per cent,” she added.
However, you should not skip sugars that come as a part of a healthy wholesome diet which includes local, seasonal and traditional diets. Also, you need not avoid home-prepared sweets (halwa, laddoo etc) during festive seasons and the sugar that you put in your tea, coffee, and sherbets. “You can continue consuming such sugars and still stay healthy, fit, and lose weight and also have good skin,” she said.
Then, why is there so much fear around sugar consumption? “We have so much fear about sugar because having fear about just one thing is healthy for the profits of the food industry and obviously of the weight loss industry,” she revealed.
The food industry tells us that sugar is harmful to us but at the same time, the industry comes up with sweeteners and sugar substitutes. “It reformulates the same sugar and brings it back in the market and you get both with and without sugar products.”
Are sugars addictive?
Many people fear that sugar is addictive. But, what is addictive is the designer molecules present in packaged and ultra-processed foods, she said. “These molecules which have never been a part of the human food chain come together in these packaged and processed foods. So, you have emulsifiers, colouring agents, stabilisers– what is typically called designer molecules. These are not food that is consumed by human beings but are added to enhance the taste, texture, longevity, or shelf life of the food. These are the molecules that make the product addictive and this is the reason why a person who drinks sugar-free cola will never have sugar cola,” explained Rujuta.
Do sugars cause cancer and diabetes?
Now, there is no cause-and-effect relationship between sugar and any kind of disease like cancer or diabetes, the expert said. “However, there is a link between the consumption of ultra-processed and packaged foods and obesity. And, obesity can make you prone to certain kinds of diseases.”
How much sugar should you consume?
The UK Diabetes Association, USA’s latest guidelines, and WHO’s guidelines recommend that you should not consume more than 10 per cent of your total calorie intake from sugar. In simple terms, typically, the consumption should be between six to nine teaspoons of sugar. “You will never reach the upper limit if you are sourcing your sugars through home-cooked foods. But, you may be close to that upper limit during the festive season but not going to cross it. So, you can safely eat your home-cooked sweets without any fear,” Rujuta said.
“We need to rethink and embrace our traditional food practices and eat sugar as a part of local seasonal healthy diets. Also, you need to exercise and sleep on time whether or not you have any kind of disease. So, healthy people and those who are currently working on their health can all just follow these basic commonsensical principles,” she added.
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