Sugar

Sugar is a sweet byproduct of sugar cane, sugar beets, and appears naturally in fruit, honey, sugar maples and sorghum. Crystalline materials made from the sugar cane juice that are edible and characterized by sweetness are commonly referred to as sugar. The main types are sucrose, lactose and fructose. Sucrose is also commonly known as table sugar can be found in honey, tree fruits, berries and melons. Lactose is commonly found in milk and fructose is found in many foods such as fruits.

Although we may add sugar to our recipes for sweetness, sugar naturally occurs in many foods we eat each day including all fruits and vegetables. Sugar is considered a carbohydrate and has 15 calories per teaspoon. Carbohydrates fuel the body’s brain power and muscle energy.http://www.sugar.org/consumers/healthy_living.asp

Although some sugar has been manufactured since ancient times, honey was easier to obtain. The people of India discovered how to crystallize sugar around 350 A.D. In 326, Alexander the Great saw sugar cane while conquering India. Once methods were discovered of turning sugarcane juice into crystals they were easier to transport. At that point, sugar became part of the trade routes. Arabians helped the spread of sugar cane as they brought it in their travels and conquests. Sugarcane cultivation and crystallization methods began to spread to China. Soon sugar became a staple in China and the Middle East. English Crusaders brought sugar back to Europe with them and sugar thus spread to the eastern part of the continent. By the late 12th century, Venice was producing sugar for export around Europe. Christopher Columbus brought sugar can from the Canary Islands to the Dominican Republic on his 1493 voyage.http://www.ethnoleaflets.com//leaflets/sugar.htm

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

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 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.

Americans consumed an average of 153 pounds of sugar a year in 1999. One hundred years ago we only consumed an average of five pounds every year. 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.