When it comes to health and wellness, sugar has always been a topic of debate. Some try to stick with a natural sugar diet, while others believe that cutting out all sugar is the best way to a healthy lifestyle. Today, it might seem difficult to cut sugar out of your daily life, considering that it seems to be an ingredient in everything. Before you narrow down your meal and snack options, here’s a guide on the differences between natural and processed sugar to make reading food labels a little clearer.   

Natural vs. Processed Sugar

Natural Sugar

Natural sugars consist of glucose and fructose. They’re found in carbohydrates, vegetables, and fruit and are used to fuel your body. While you need to have some added sources of energy, moderation is essential. If you have too much glucose, your body can overproduce insulin, forcing your blood sugar levels to drop. 

Processed Sugar 

Processed sugars are natural fructose and glucose sugars that have been processed and synthesized with other ingredients. Sucrose is a combination of glucose, fructose, and sugar cane commonly used for table sugar.

Another processed sugar that’s very popular with manufacturers due to the price and usability is high fructose corn syrup. High fructose corn syrup is made from fructose, glucose, and water, but the ratio of sugars depends on the manufacturer.   

What’s the Difference?

An apple is healthy because, while it does have fructose in it, that sugar is surrounded by other nutrients, antioxidants, and fiber. So when you eat an apple, the fiber prevents that sugar from entering your bloodstream too quickly. 

When you drink a glass of processed apple juice, most of the nutrients are squeezed out. The packaging label might say there are still vitamins and fiber in your glass, but it's not enough to slow down all the sugar entering your bloodstream at once. 

Are Processed Sugars Harmful? 

An overabundance of all sugars could be harmful to your body. However, processed sugars have little to offer in terms of nutrients and other benefits, particularly high fructose corn syrup. Eating a lot of processed foods and candies will induce a “sugar high,” causing your body to overproduces insulin, which will lower your blood pressure and causes the infamous “sugar crash.”

This crash can make your body feel as if it needs more food to bring your blood pressure back to normal and create a cycle of overeating in processed sugars. This can result in weight gain, diabetes, and other health and wellness risks.  

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