Because of its molasses content, brown sugar does contain certain minerals, most notably calcium, potassium, iron and magnesium (white sugar contains none of these).
Talking about sugar being good for health, then natural sugar or stevia is the best. They have many health benefits to offer apart from weight loss. It has all the essential nutrients, vitamins, and minerals that are essential for your body. While stevia is also known to be the best sugar for weight loss.
"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."
The main difference between table sugar and brown sugar is the presence of molasses, which gives brown sugar its distinct color, flavor and moisture. The molasses used to make brown sugar comes from sugar cane, not sugar beets.
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 contains 380 calories per 100 grams (g), while white sugar contains 385 calories per 100 g. Brown sugar contains more calcium than white sugar, with 83 milligrams (mg) per 100 g compared to 1 mg per 100 g of white sugar. Equally, other minerals, such as iron, are slightly higher in brown sugar.
Sweeteners like fruit juice, honey, molasses and maple syrup contain natural sugar and have some nutritional benefits. Fruit has fiber, vitamins and antioxidants. Even raw honey and maple syrup can contain antioxidants and minerals like iron, zinc, calcium and potassium.
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.
Moreover, processed, high fructose corn syrup may be the worst type of sugar a person can consume. Some medical experts relate sugar to cocaine in the way it has addictive effects on the brain in humans and in animals and this notion is supported by research.
Free sugars are found in foods such as sweets, cakes, biscuits, chocolate, and some fizzy drinks and juice drinks. These are the sugary foods we should cut down on. For example, a can of cola can have as much as 9 cubes of sugar – more than the recommended daily limit for adults.
Refined or processed sugar should be limited
Eating these foods regularly leads to weight gain and other problems. “It means you are going to experience that sugar spike and if that happens consistently it can contribute to obesity, diabetes, heart disease and other chronic conditions,” Wohlford says.
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.
Brown sugar contains anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial elements that help fight the bacteria and infections in the human body.
In most baking recipes, you can substitute brown sugar for white sugar in a one-to-one ratio. So if your recipe calls for one cup white sugar, swap one cup brown sugar. The sweetness level will be exactly the same, but the brown sugar may change the texture of your baked goods.
05/9Aids weight loss
Although eating too much sugar is not a good idea, brown sugar has been shown to increase metabolism and satisfy hunger. Brown sugar is low in calories and helps to improve metabolism. As a result, it aids weight loss while maintaining a sense of sweetness in your life.
From a calorie and sugar content perspective, the differences between sugar and honey are minimal, however, overall, honey contains slightly more health benefits than table sugar from its potential antioxidant, antibacterial, antifungal, and anti-inflammatory properties.
Stop eating sugar and you'll lower your risk of heart disease dramatically because too much sugar in your diet heightens your risk of high blood pressure, obesity, and diabetes — three primary risk factors for heart disease and cardiovascular decline.
Though widely available throughout the world, in 1991 stevia was banned in the U.S. due to early studies that suggested the sweetener may cause cancer.
Brown sugar contains more minerals than white sugar but it will not provide any health benefits. Brown sugar has molasses and a little richer flavor. Intake of all types of sugar should be limited for optimal health. White sugar has no molasses and is just plain sweet.
It's a common misconception that raw sugar is more natural, and therefore more nutritious, than brown sugar. While it's true that raw sugar is slightly less refined than brown sugar, both provide about 15 calories per teaspoon, all of which comes from simple carbohydrates.
Brown sugar is often produced by adding sugarcane molasses to completely refined white sugar crystals to more carefully control the ratio of molasses to sugar crystals and to reduce manufacturing costs.