Do we need sugar at all? No, not pure sugar - known as refined sugar. Sugar only contains empty calories, calories without any nutritional value. But the body indeed needs carbohydrate, which is also sugar but in a more complex form. Potatoes, rice, bread and pasta are all pure carbohydrate but with a big nutritional value! The body breaks down carbohydrates into simple sugar and then uses it for energy.

Does sugar make you fat? Yes, but only if you eat more than your body can handle - too much sugar will be stored as fat in the fat cells all over the body.

Are we already eating too much sugar? Yes, way too much! There is too much "hidden" sugar in food we eat each day - over 80% of the sugar we eat is hidden in "every day foods". Lets just take ketchup as an example. Ketchup contains far more sugar than most chocolate does! People eat in general around 100 grams of sugar every day - or 41 kilos a year!! That's two times more than we should!

What's the different between the sugar in fruit and refined sugar? Sugar in fruit will be absorbed more slowly by the body than refined sugar and will keep insulin and blood sugar stabile - refined sugar will make insulin and blood sugar rise very quickly!

Can sugar be dangerous then? Yes, because sugar is a mild form of poison - eating too much of it will affect the body in a negative way! Let me try to explain how:

- Sugar will disturb the natural bacteria flora in the stomach, which in turn can lead to candida!

- Just 100 grams of refined sugar can suppress the immune system significantly!

- Sugar slows down the absorption of calcium and magnesium!

- Refined sugar disturbs the balance of normal insulin production and a normal blood sugar level!

- It will change the metabolism so salt and water will be retained which will further lead to high blood pressure!

- Sugar affects the blood concentration of serotonin and beta-endorfin - a natural hormone in the body, which affects moods. That's why some people crave sugar - those people get "high" on sugar and are addicted to the daily "sugar-rush".

Another reason to cut back on sugar intake is if the food has a sugar content that is too high, it will replace the nutritional value of the food with those empty calories and a lot of important vitamins and minerals will be missing! So the bottom line is try to avoid too much refined sugar - if you want that sweet taste, then go for some of the sweet fruit out there. Just try to eat a banana, mandarin or an apricot, and your sugar craving will be gone for many hours!

Michael Russell

Your Independent guide to Food