Brown Sugar or White Sugar ???

Myth or Fact: Brown sugar is healthier and more nutritious than white sugar

1. The difference between white sugar and brown sugar:

1.1 Physical differences

White sugar, also known as table sugar or sucrose is manufactured from sugar cane. When formed, it appears a little brown because of the presence of molasses. Sugar manufacturers will either refine the cane sugar or bleach the cane sugar to remove the molasses to give the sugar its white appearance.

Brown sugar is also a sucrose sugar product. However, it has a distinctive brown colour due to the presence of molasses. It is either an unrefined or partially refined soft sugar consisting of sugar crystals with some residual molasses content, or it is produced by the addition of molasses to refined white sugar. The molasses content in brown sugar can range from 3.5% (light brown sugar) to 6.5% molasses (dark brown sugar) based on total volume.

1.2 Sensory differences

The difference in taste between white and brown sugar is actually the taste of molasses. Brown sugar contains a sweeter and richer taste as compared to white sugar. Since brown sugar is naturally moist from the hygroscopic nature of the molasses, the sugar grains tend to clump together, thus it is often labelled as "soft which is different from the dry and grainy texture of white sugar.

1.3 Functional differences

White sugar can be used in a wide variety of food and beverages and is an important ingredient for baking. When making baked products such as pies and cookies, white sugar may be substituted with brown sugar to give it a richer flavour. Brown sugar can alter the colour of the baked products greatly, and its moistness can affect their overall appearances.

1.4 Nutritional differences

Many people believed that brown sugar is more nutritious than white sugar. However, the truth is that it has only marginally different nutritional values. White sugar is actually 99.9% pure sucrose, while brown sugar is 97% sucrose, 2% water and 1% other substances. The molasses in brown sugar contains a number of minerals, which include calcium, potassium, magnesium and iron. However, these minerals are found in very small amounts in brown sugar and will not significantly increase the particular mineral intake for the person. In addition, a teaspoon of white sugar contains 16 kilocalories, whereas one teaspoon of brown sugar has 17 kilocalories, thus showing that the energy value that both sugars provide is similar.

2. Why do people have the misconception that brown sugar is better than white sugar?

The fact that people often assume that brown sugar is more nutritional than white sugar, might be because the brown version of certain kinds of food, such as bread, rice and pasta that are made of wholegrain are more beneficial to health that the white version. In addition, brown sugar is usually higher priced than white sugar. Consumers often misinterpret that more expensive product is better/ healthier/ more nutritious than the cheaper version.

3. Conclusion

I personally disagree that brown sugar is more nutritious/ healthier than white sugar. To me, when I choose between both types of sugar, I would consider their functional and sensory properties (e.g. to the baked product) more than nutritional properties.

Nutritional Myths

Myth #1: Items bought in health food stores are better for me.

(Inspired by relatives at reunion dinner. That's what the general public believes in!)

Fact: Just because a product is sold in a health food store, does not mean it is good for you. Health food products are generally more expensive and offer no greater nutritional value than their supermarket counterparts. Also, terms such as “all natural” have no legal meaning. These products can contain preservatives, additives, cholesterol, and high amounts of saturated fat. For example, a granola bar advertised as “all natural” may contain a greater amount of saturated fat than a candy bar.

Myth #2: “Cholesterol-free” means a product is heart healthy.

Fact: With all the concern about cholesterol and heart disease, numerous companies are promoting their products as cholesterol-free. Blood cholesterol is a contributor to heart disease, but saturated and trans fat increase blood cholesterol levels more than dietary cholesterol.

Therefore, read labels carefully to see if “cholesterol - free” products contain any saturated or trans-fat. Foods such as crackers, cookies, chips, sports bars, and other snack foods often contain palm, coconut, or hydrogenated vegetable oils (which are even more saturated than butter). Look for labels that list the grams of fat and type of fat used. Don’t be persuaded by

misleading advertising.

Myth #3: Honey is better than white sugar because it is natural.

Fact: Many people claim that honey is better than sugar, when in fact they are almost chemically

indistinguishable. Although honey does contain small quantities of minerals, they are present in such tiny amounts that they have little nutritional significance.

The Truth behind Diet Soda

With regards to Lixuan's posting on "Vitamin Water Deception", there are also drinks which are claimed to be healthy but actually not the case. One example would be diet soda, which is said to save calories and lose weight. In a research published in American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, it indicated that while it is true that substituting a soda with artificial sweeteners for a sugary, high calories beverage can help lower calories intake, but there is no evidence that it helps one to lose weight in the long term.
In fact, 2 recent studies at the American Diabetes Association's (ADA) Scientific Sessions have linked drinking diet soda to weight gain and that artificial sweeteners in them could potential Type 2 diabetics. The study found out that aspartame- a calorie-free sweetener used in some diet sodas raised blood sugar levels in diabetics-prone mice.
In addition, a director of the Optimal Weight for Life Program at Children's Hospital at Boston believed that artificial sweetener in diet drinks stimulate our taste receptors for sweeteners, confuse the body's ability to determine calorie content based on sweetness and could cause one to increase hunger and food intake, resulting in weight gain.

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joanna-dolgoff-md/diet-soda-health_b_893625.html?ref=mostpopular
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39543011/ns/health-diet_and_nutrition/t/dieting-why-you-should-ditch-diet-soda/

Here are some points for all to ponder on?
1)On diet, so drinking diet soda? Do you want to continue drinking?
2) Does posting calories really change how people eat? As teachers, we teach our students healthy eating, how to read food labels and make better informed food choices. But will they really notice the calories content of the food before or when they purchase it? Or would they rather not know?
Which of the categories you belong to?