What is the best option between refined sugar, added sugar, and sugar substitutes?!
So what is the best option here?!
The answer to this is so boring that it’s easy to scroll past- because it DEPENDS!
We need to get past the rigid belief that sugar is bad for weight and bad for health without context or nuance. Sugar itself is essential to our survival, would we call our need for oxygen addicting or inflammatory even though it ages us all the same as sugar?
Our bodies have intrinsic systems in place to ensure we get what we need to survive, not too much and not too little. When we eat regularly, with balance, and enjoy food, it doesn’t matter how much sugar is presented to us because a desire for moderation becomes a natural phenomenon- not a constant and overt effort. Our best evidence suggests practicing eating behaviors that stabilize blood sugars, this does not mean to avoid sugars, it means to consume it consistently throughout the day and to enjoy it with other food groups. This has long made culinary sense, almost as if our innate preferences prefer balance anyway.
Sugar substitutes can be helpful or harmful all the same. It can be helpful if someone with diabetes really enjoys a soda, sugar substitutes can help manage blood sugar levels while also allowing them to derive pleasure from eating. It can be harmful if someone thinks just because it’s a diet-pop, they can have 12 of them a day.
Like with many things in life, there is a time and place for sugar substitutes and/or naturally occurring sugars. All foods have a function, it depends on what we need.
Where it can go wrong is if you start finding yourself avoiding all naturally occurring sugars entirely because people around you are telling you sugar is bad for your health, or if you start to only eat baked goods with sugar substitutes out of fear of calories, and so on. These behaviours don't make you a morally bad person, rather it is a starting point to take some time to process your relationship with food with some compassion and support.
When your choice supports your mental satisfaction, energy, preferences, medical needs, or even just a peace of mind, it is a valid reason for choosing that type of sugar. Your health and worth is not defined by the kind of sweetener you prefer in your coffee.
Disclaimer: the information provided is not intended as medical advice or to diagnose or treat a medical disease. It is strictly for informational purposes. Consult with your medical provider such as a dietitian before implementing any dietary changes, the information provided does not replace medical advice provided by your healthcare provider.
Written by Elaine Chan and Abby Hsiao, RD
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Work cited
https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/nutrients/sugars.html
https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-smart/sugar/added-sugars
https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/14/18/3182?utm_source=chatgpt.com
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8138992/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37637718/
https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/sweeteners-time-to-rethink-your-choices-2019022215967
https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/artificial-sweeteners-sugar-free-but-at-what-cost-201207165030
https://hms.harvard.edu/news-events/publications-archive/brain/sugar-brain
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK459280/
