Sugar

Sugar is a sweet byproduct of sugar cane, sugar beets, and appears naturally in fruit, honey, sugar maples and sorghum. Americans consumed an average of 153 pounds of sugar a year in 1999. 100 years ago we only consumed an average of five pounds every year.

Fast Facts

1. Also called: Sucrose
2. India: First production of sugar from sugar cane
3. Brown Sugar: Sugar crystals in molasses syrup
4. People with diabetes poorly metabolize sugar

Types of Sugar

1. White, granulated or table sugar
2. Brown sugar
3. Powdered or confectioners sugar
4. Superfine sugar
5. Raw sugar
6. Demerara sugar
7. Muscovada sugar
8. Turbinado sugar

Sweet Stuff

Sugar is the main ingredient in candy and some desserts. Creme Brulee is a dessert that has a traditional hard shell of sugar sealing in the pudding beneath. Caramel is simply cooked sugar, sometimes mixed with vanilla and butter.

Sugar Substitutes

Sugar has been replaced as an ingredient in soda and other processed foods and drinks by high fructose corn syrup. Sugar alternatives like sucralose, aspartame and saccharine are quite popular, as they have fewer calories than plain table sugar. However, studies indicate they may not be healthier than regular sugar overall.

Sugar and Health

Sugar has been implicated in tooth decay, obesity, and diabetes. In general, lowering sugar consumption is considered a healthy thing to do, and people who suffer from diabetes should be careful about their sugar intake, as they cannot metabolize sugar properly. For a guide on reducing your day-to-day sugar intake, visit Mahalo's page on How to Eat Less Sugar.

Categories