White Sugar, Honey and brown sugar, differences explained and practical advice

White Sugar, Honey and brown sugar, differences explained and practical advice

When we want to loose weight or just trying to improve our eating habits, one of the first thing that we immediacy try to cut down  is the amount of sugar used everyday.

At first it doesn't sound too much, maybe few spoons everyday, but doing some simple math and multiplying these numbers in a whole month or year. it makes you realise the actual difference that such a small change can make.

So let's make a comparison between the most common options and the best alternative we can choose instead

The most used options:

- White sugar is made of Fructose and Glucose (half and half).
1 tablespoon contains around 50 kcal

- Honey contains more nutrients like minerals (magnesium and potassium) and antioxidants but the amount of calories are higher than white sugar so not the best alternative if your target is to loose weight and reduce your caloric intake.
1 tablespoon contains around 64 kcal 


- Real Brown sugar could be very expansive and is not easy to be found in the groceries, where you can find a fake version of that.

If you have any brown sugar at homeYou can check if it's fake or not with a simple test: 

Press a few grains of sugar with a spoon to break them in half and see inside, if the centre as well it's brown inside that means is not fake, but if it's white inside that means that was just covered with brown colourant and is just white sugar.

Fructose and Glucose (half and half) contained in Honey and Sugars will increase your glycemic index rapidly plus the craving of more sugar could increase during the day, like an addiction.

What's the plan?

We need time to make changes and get used to new habits, doesn't matter if you are having three or just one spoons of sugar in each of your drink, we have to think in the long term and for instance, in one month you have to multiply your daily sugar intake per 30!

So even if you reduce half of your usual intake just think about the huge improvements and savings at the end of the year.

• A practical example: if you reduce 2 spoons of sugar each day, at the end of the year could be more than 700 spoons less! but if you have more than a drink per day, at the end of the year you could save more than ONE THOUSAND SPOONS of sugar.

• Take your time to do that, your brain needs to get used to have less sugar because it's constantly asking for that.

•  Try to reduce half a spoon each month until you get almost sugar free, if you do it little   by little you will not even notice that.

If you already tried everything to reduce sugar or honey in your drinks and you can't drink it without, you have two alternatives:

1. Reduce the number of drinks as an extreme strategy to reduce sugar consumption.
2. Try Sweetener 

Alternatives to sugar lower in calories and low GI

The best option is to gradually reduce and stop with extra sugar in any drink, but what if you can't drink it without?

In this case: Let's find some alternatives low in calories and glucose and with a Low Glycemic index 

• STEVIA: this is not a brand, it is a plant from South America considered as a ZERO calories substitute of sugar, not made of chemicals like the other sweeteners since the sugar is obtained naturally from the leaves of this plant.

The only challenge could be to get used to this taste, but is just a matter of time until you will not notice any difference but you will save 300 or more spoons of sugars at the end of the year.

• YACON SYRUP: another plant-based 100% of natural product, there are actually interesting researches on how it helps to loose weight and avoid increasing the production of insulin and is beneficial against constipation. I would not recommend this only if you suffer from IBS, because high in FODMAP.

If you don't like at all the taste of Stevia you can try some sweeteners that have a similar taste like sugar but are lower in calories and glucose (but still higher compared to stevia):

• Xylitol ( lower in calories and can improve your dental health)
• Erythritol (taste exactly like sugar but more than 10 time lower in calories)

If you are interested on how to reduce further the sugar intake here some more practical advice:

Bulgur, what is it, where to use it and nutritional value

How to reduce Fructose in your daily intake if needed (due to intolerance or restrictions for instance) and fruit naturally high and low in fructose