Sugar is natural

Sugars are a type of carbohydrate made by plants. Plants contain varying amounts of different sugars e.g. glucose, fructose, sucrose. Sucrose is made up of glucose and fructose. It is the most abundant sugar in plants. Sugar beet (a vegetable) and sugar cane (a grass) naturally contain particularly large amounts of sucrose.

The sugar that we add to tea and coffee and use in baking is almost pure sucrose. Sucrose is sometimes called 'table sugar' or simply 'sugar'. Table sugar contains no artificial preservatives, colourings or any other additives. The sucrose that we add to tea and coffee is exactly the same as the sucrose found in fruit and vegetables, and is used by the body in exactly the same ways.

Sugar may help people stick to slimming diets

Despite the array of dietary regimes available, success in losing weight and maintaining weight loss is rarely achieved.

Nutrition experts currently recommend being physically active, cutting back on fat and eating more carbohydrates as the best strategy for weight loss. One of the first items some dieters remove from their diet is sugar. Research, however, shows that people can continue to enjoy some sugary foods and still lose weight. In fact, eating sugar may increase their chances of success.

By including some low-fat sugary foods such as arctic roll, jaffa cakes, sorbets, fruit yoghurt, rice pudding, jelly beans and currant buns in their diet, slimmers can easily top up their carbohydrate intake, without adding too many calories. They will also find it easier to cut back on high-calorie fatty foods.

People are more likely to stick to a diet if they enjoy the foods that they eat. Including a little of what they fancy in the form of sugary foods reduces feelings of deprivation and may improve slimmers’ quality of life. As a result, they are more likely to comply with weight loss advice.

Sugar makes food taste good

We are born with a liking for sweetness, and most people continue to enjoy sweet foods throughout their lifetime. It would be a pity to forget that eating is also about pleasure!

Sugar improves the flavour of foods, and so widens the range of foods that people will eat. Without sugar, for example, many high-fibre breakfast cereals providing important nutrients would be inedible. Sour and bitter fruit also taste much better when sugar is added.

The Sugar Bureau