214 Diet Wise
It also seems to be liver toxic, at least in the form it’s served by
manufacturers. So you would not want to eat HFCS in any drinks (sodas),
in any food, ever.
Real sugar
Let us then return to the subject of real sugar.
Familiar cane sugar (white or brown) is in the grass family (grains)
and therefore a relative of wheat and corn. Beet sugar is available but, whereas
once you could be sure which was which by purchasing a specific label, that
is no longer true. Tate and Lyle once supplied cane sugar exclusively; now
they will buy whatever is cheap in the market on the day. The same is true
of other suppliers.
Beware of labeling tricks. Aware that people know raw brown sugar
has at least some nutritional benefits (a few minerals, is all), manufacturers
now make artificial “brown” sugar. It is white sucrose colored with dyes.
Avoid “soft brown sugar” or any similar labels; just look for authentic
names like Demarara or Muscovado, a British specialty brown sugar, which
is very dark brown and has a particularly strong molasses flavor.
A good tip I used give patients is to look for the “country of
origin”; if it says Guyana, Brazil, or some such, the chances are it is real raw
sugar. If it says “manufactured in Celveland, Ohio” or something similar,
the chances are that it isn’t.
Honey
A lot of people get dewy-eyed about honey. It comes from reading Winnie
the Pooh, I expect, rather than looking at science papers.
Let me state clearly: honey has no real health advantages over natural sugar
sources. It is sweet, sticky (rots your teeth) and contains about 80% sugar, as
follows:
- Fructose: 38%
- Glucose: 31%
- Sucrose: 1%
- Other sugars: 9% (maltose, melezitose)
In view of the remarks I made above about fructose, it is hardly a desirable
product, except as a very occasional treat. The same is true for natural
honeycomb. But it does taste very good, I must admit.