Narissa Thelo 
Did you know that starch, fiber, and sugar are classified as carbohydrates? Usually, carbohydrates are essential for our bodies, but refined sugar isn’t. As for macronutrients, sugar is not necessary. It’s a simple carbohydrate. It includes white sugar, brown sugar, icing sugar, and all the rest. Sucrose is another form of sugar, and it’s typically found in baked goods and sugary-sweet desserts. Natural sugars include lactose, fructose, maltose, galactose, and glucose. Now for the million-dollar question – is sugar good for you?
Contrary to popular opinion, sugar is necessary for the body. Our metabolism runs on sugar. Within the multifaceted, complex framework of the human body, our system converts carbohydrates from food into glucose. This is what fuels our bodies. If we remove healthy sugars from our diet, we do ourselves a disservice. Healthy sources of sugar include grains, dairy, and fruits. Naturally occurring sugar differs dramatically from added sugars. Sweet tea, maple-glazed doughnuts, candy, ice cream, and cakes are the main culprits. But so are sauces like ketchup, barbecue sauce, pink sauce, sweet and sour sauce, etc.
Processed Sugars Are Unnecessary
Much of the processed sugar we consume daily is unnecessary and harmful. That’s because processed sugars add no nutritional value to our diets. Sugar presents a veritable litany of problems, including obesity, insulin resistance, raised triglyceride levels, heart disease, tooth decay, type II diabetes, and beyond. None of that is necessary, and it’s all avoidable. There are sugar substitutes with no sugar, fewer calories, or none. Many different diets now cater to the ‘sugar-free’ eaters among us. We see these listed in keto diets or sugar-free diets.
Folks tend to get a little bummed out by healthy eating advice. It’s understandable since we are bombarded with sugar-saturated items in our grocery stores, restaurants, chocolate shops, candy stores, and well beyond. Healthy eating has done a poor job of marketing itself over the years. Fortunately, several social gaming companies have embarked upon a healthy eating blitz with top-rated games designed to perk up the taste buds for naturally sweet food sensations. One such option making its rounds is the Fruity Treats slot game. This Pragmatic Play production is home-grown in the digital realm of virtual sweetness, where fun and health awareness come together.
Incorporating the vibrant imagery of fruits like oranges, apples, and plums, Fruity Treats entertains audiences, and it subtly reminds players of the benefits of these healthy, natural sugars. It’s a Spin-a-Thon spectacular with scores of multiplier spots and multipliers with up to 5000X spin rewards. More importantly, it kickstarts the conversation about healthy eating with sweet oranges, tangy apples, juicy plums, and more. It’s bursting with flavors, colors, and healthy eating selections. Of course, it’s always mind over matter. This game might even entice players to make healthier eating decisions. With the Fruity Treats slot, fans will add zero calories to their entertainment diet.
Are you stocked up on virtual fruity treats? Now, it’s time to move the conversation to artificial sweeteners.
What About Artificial Sweeteners?
Artificial sweeteners are chemically created. Food engineers estimate these can be up to 700X sweeter than standard table sugar. While they are zero-calorie substitutes, they have no nutritional benefits. The FDA regulates all these food additives. There is a school of thought that believes artificial sweeteners are inherently unhealthy. However, there is no definitive proof that this is the case. As we circle back to the topic, it’s worth asking the question again: what’s the best sugar for your body?
Naturally occurring sugars in fruits are an excellent source of macronutrients for the body. As such, they must be included in your daily diet. It is disingenuous to cut out all carbs from your diet. Whole foods, including nuts, seeds, lean protein, dairy, whole grains, fruits, and veggies, are excellent in a daily diet. Any sweet beverage with excess added sugar, like frappes, milkshakes, energy drinks, and carbonated sugary drinks, is an absolute no-no. Raw cane sugar from sugarcane accounts for up to 45% of all sugar produced in the US. This naturally occurring product is used to sweeten pretty much everything imaginable.
Is Sugar Cane the Sweet Treat?
The chemical composition of regular sugar in sugarcane is identical. Therefore, consumption of too much sugarcane is detrimental. It’s healthier to sweeten food with whole fruits. For example, dates and bananas are superb substitutes for processed sugar. Artificial sweeteners include a host of options such as Saccharin, Sucralose, Sorbitol, Aspartame, Agave, Xylitol, and Acesulfame K. Regardless of the source of the sugar, it’s always better to consume less rather than more. Many advertisers describe their sugar substitutes as healthy alternatives, given the lower caloric content, but that’s not the only bellwether of healthy eating. There may be unwelcome side effects.
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