Refined Vs. Natural Sugar

Refined sugar, such as white sugar cubes, is not as healthy as raw sugar.

Although all sugar comes from the same source, not all sugars have the same chemical properties. There are chemical differences between natural sugars and refined sugars that are found in everyday food.

Origin

Raw sugar is straight from the sugar cane plant. Raw sugar comes from the juices of that plant and then dried to form sugar crystals. Refined sugar come from sugar canes, but is mixed with chemicals like phosphoric acid, calcium hydroxide, and sulfur dioxide. The process is supposed to remove any impurities from the sugars.

Differences

The body metabolizes both sugars differently. Natural sugars come with plant minerals and contains fewer calories. Refined sugar is higher in calories and contains many of the chemicals used to remove impurities.

Effects

On a health level, refined sugar is utilized in most foods, even non-sweet foods. The result has been, arguably, the increase intake of sugar over the last century by Western cultures. This has caused a rise in diabetes and obesity. Although large amounts of raw sugar consumption would cause the same health effects, having raw sugar in foods such as coffee is healthier than a typical diet of sweets or processed foods and drinks.

References

• Natural Organic Lifestyle: Raw Unrefined Sugar
• Healing Daily: Sugar's effect on your health
• Green Living Tips: White sugar vs raw sugar
• Iron Magazine: Natural Sugar Versus Refined Sugar