To sweeten your coffee or tea, you have several options: sugar, honey or even sweeteners, made with sweeteners. What is the best option, for your health? A nutritionist enlightens us on the healthiest choice.
Sweetening your coffee or tea comes naturally to many people. While many people opt for white sugar, there are other options like honey or candy bars, which can have artificial or plant-based sweeteners. What's the healthiest alternative? Registered dietitian Natalie Rizzo answers the question in Today magazine.
Our body needs glucose, reminds the expert
First of all, Natalie Rizzo takes stock of the needs of our body. “Sugar, in its simplest form, glucose, is not bad for the body. The body actually needs it to function. glucose fuels our brain, muscles, and organs to perform their daily functions. And beyond that, glucose also provides energy for our bodies to exercise” she notes.
Not all sugars in foods are equal.
The problem, “That is, just because sugar is present in every carbohydrate-containing food, that doesn't mean all of those foods are healthy.” recalls the expert. As a dietitian, Natalie Rizzo says she is in favor of natural sugar present in foods, but not added sugar, often present in processed foods.
To sweeten your diet, she therefore recommends using natural sugars, such as those in fruit. “You can add fresh strawberries to plain yogurt or a banana to oatmeal.” she cites as an example.
NO to diets, YES to WW!
Use white sugar, limiting the quantities
Which option should you choose, in your daily diet or to sweeten a drink? According to Natalie Rizzo, from a taste point of view, nothing beats white sugar. The expert recommends using it, but limiting its consumption to “six teaspoons a day for women and nine for men“.
Is honey a viable alternative?Honey and maple syrup might be a little healthier because of their trace minerals and plant compounds” notes Natalie Rizzo, but she doesn't consider them a good source of nutrients, due to the small recommended serving per day (about a tablespoon).
Finally, artificial or natural sweeteners are not an alternative to recommend, according to the specialist. She considers them “as a tool in the nutritional toolbox to help people reduce their sugar intake”. Ils “can be used or not, it remains specific to each individual“.
Finally, should we choose to no longer add sugar to our coffee?I would say for the average person, absolutely not.” she reacts. “It's just about not overdoing it. Just think about what else you're eating throughout the day and whether you're eating more added sugar than you need.”
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