Because of its molasses content, brown sugar does contain certain minerals, most notably calcium, potassium, iron and magnesium (white sugar contains none of these). But since these minerals are present in only minuscule amounts, there is no real health benefit to using brown sugar.
Contrary to common belief, they are nutritionally similar. Brown sugar contains slightly more minerals than white sugar but will not provide any health benefits. In fact, your intake of all types of sugar should be limited for optimal health.
Brown Sugar is rich in minerals like iron and calcium. It contains more iron than white sugar, which is an essential mineral that helps fight fatigue and maintain healthy blood cells and red blood cells. Brown sugar also contains calcium. Calcium is a mineral that helps build and maintain strong bones and teeth.
Brown sugar is definitely a healthier option than refined white sugar. It is processed in a completely natural way to maintain as much of the sugarcane's natural nutrition as possible, including vitamins and minerals.
Side Effects
Brown sugar when consumed in limited quantity is safe and well-tolerated by most healthy adults. However, if consumed in large amounts may increase the risk of weight gain, yeast infections and diabetes.
Heroin is a semi-synthetic derivative of the drug morphine. Pure heroin is a white crystalline powder and is referred to as 'white sugar' by abusers. When the quality of heroin is poor, its color is no longer white, but brown; this inferior quality is called 'brown sugar'.
Brown sugar contains anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial elements that help fight the bacteria and infections in the human body. Below-listed is the types of Brown Sugar: There are several kinds of this brown sugar, including demerara, turbinado, dark brown sugar etc.
Refined sugars
However, refined sugar, or white sugar, has zero nutrients.
Another study found that while all added sugars can increase your risk of type 2 diabetes and obesity, high fructose corn syrup may be the most harmful ( 24 ). What's more, fructose has been shown to increase the hunger hormone ghrelin and may make you feel less full after eating ( 25 , 26 ).
Brown sugar helps with weight loss
Being low in calories, brown sugar does not make you pile up weight like white sugar. So, you can consume dishes prepared with brown sugar. But, since this is also a type of sugar, it is better to limit the intake to stay healthy and fit.
Many people believe that alternative sweeteners like honey, brown sugar, or molasses are healthier than cane sugar. However, that's not necessarily true. Sugar is a type of simple carbohydrate that your body uses for energy. Honey, brown sugar, and other sugars have no nutritional advantages over cane sugar.
Brown sugar works well for adding moisture to baked goods, whereas granulated sugar will create a more aerated crumb and crispier texture.
On the glycemic index (GI), which measures to what extent certain foods increase blood sugar levels on a 0–100 scale, sucrose scores 65 ( 4 ). This means that both brown and white sugar increase blood sugar levels as much as foods like french fries, sweet potatoes, and popcorn.
Coconut sugar
Coconut sugar is made from the sap of coconut trees. It's often marketed as a healthier sugar alternative, even though its nutrition profile is very similar to brown sugar ( 2 , 3 ). You can easily swap coconut sugar and brown sugar in a 1:1 ratio.
For people with diabetes, the use of brown sugar has no healthier effects than white sugar. Users should note that any added sugars should be limited as part of a healthy, well-rounded diet. Excess sugar intake is strongly linked to the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and fatty liver disease.
Stevia, monk fruit, certain sugar alcohols, and allulose are much lower in calories than table sugar and do not significantly affect blood sugar levels, making them a smart alternative to refined sugar.
"Honey's advantages over sugar include a slightly lower glycemic index (i.e. it doesn't affect your blood-sugar levels as much)," Dr. Dixon says. "It also contains more vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, such as calcium, potassium, vitamin C, zinc, phenolic acids, and flavonoids."
Stevia has zero calories or carbohydrates and does not affect blood glucose or insulin response. It helps in weight loss as well, as it is all natural and has no harmful ingredients making it all healthy.
The AHA suggests a stricter added-sugar limit of no more than 100 calories per day (about 6 teaspoons or 24 grams) for most adult women and no more than 150 calories per day (about 9 teaspoons or 36 grams of sugar) for most men.
5. Which sugar is best for weight loss? If we consider calorie content, brown sugar has comparatively fewer calories than white sugar, making it a better option for weight loss.
Brown sugar contains higher amounts of carbohydrates, sugars, and calcium. On the other hand, honey is richer in vitamin C and manganese relatively. Honey has a lower glycemic index and calorie count. Both brown sugar and honey have negligible amounts of fats and proteins.
In fact, many foods containing natural sugars, such as fruits and vegetables, may be anti-inflammatory ( 37 ). Natural sugars include those naturally occurring in foods. Examples include fructose in fruit and lactose in milk and dairy products.
PURE MAPLE SYRUP
It's easy on the liver because of its low glycemic index score, and also has the potential to reduce inflammation in the body. We all know about inflammation and its harmful effects on the body and this bonus makes pure maple syrup one of my top picks as a sugar substitute.