Regarding sugar, people often hear two opinions. One is that sugar is harmful to health and can be avoided for a lifetime; the other is that sugar is necessary for human health. Which one is right?
Carbohydrates are also called “sugars” and are the main source of human dietary energy.
But carbohydrates are a large family, divided into two categories: simple carbohydrates and complex carbohydrates. The former includes monosaccharides and disaccharides, and the latter includes oligosaccharides and polysaccharides.
The sugar we often say refers to simple carbohydrates, among which monosaccharides mainly include glucose, galactose, fructose, etc., while disaccharides mainly include lactose, sucrose, and maltose.
There are three main forms of carbohydrates in the body: glucose, glycogen, and sugar-containing complexes. The brain, nervous system, and red blood cells are almost entirely dependent on glucose in the blood for energy.
Therefore, the human body cannot do without glucose, but this glucose can come from starchy foods, such as grains, beans, potatoes and fruits, and not necessarily from sweet foods such as candies, biscuits, cakes, and sweet drinks.
In other words, as long as there is sufficient supply of starchy foods, it is perfectly fine not to eat these sweetened foods with sugar for a lifetime.
However, for many people, a lifetime of not eating sweets will lose a lot of fun. After all, sugar can activate the taste buds on the tip of the tongue, bringing us pleasure and a rich and boring life. In addition, in some bland dishes, once sugar is added, the color, flavor, and shape will be improved a lot.
For example, sugar can increase the umami taste of dishes, mask the original fishy, astringent, bitter taste, etc., and can also suppress the sourness produced during the cooking process and alleviate the spiciness;
After the sugar encounters high temperature, it will condense to form caramel pigment, and at the same time release a unique aroma, and can become viscous and tough, drawing, drawing, and even cooling and setting.
However, the harm caused by eating too much sugar cannot be ignored. For those who love to eat sweets, how should they choose?
In the food industry, there is a saying-dose determines toxicity. In other words, sugar can be eaten, but the amount must be controlled.
The World Health Organization recommends that the daily intake of added sugar per person should not exceed 25 grams, and the maximum should not exceed 50 grams.
25 grams is roughly equivalent to 6 cubes of sugar. You may have no idea about this. Let me give you a simple example.
Most consumers feel that sugary drinks with “moderate sweetness” have a sugar content between 8% and 12%. Calculated by an average of 10%, drinking a bottle of 500 ml of such a beverage will drink 50 grams of sugar. In other words, if you drink a bottle of sweet beverage, your sugar intake will exceed the limit.
In addition, people who love sweets can try sugar-free foods. For example, replace sugary beverages with zero-sugar beverages, but pay attention to the same other diet. This can not only enjoy the pleasure of sweetness, but also control calorie intake.
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