By the time you read this, you will probably have had some sugar already today. Maybe in your tea, your peanut butter sandwich, or in a piece of chocolate.

Yes, sugar can give us instant energy, but would it surprise you to find out that before the modern age, people hardly ate any sugar as we know it? Maybe a bit of honey, and perhaps a tiny bit of sugar can now and then, but the thing is – if you never ate any sugar again in your life, your body wouldn’t miss it.

That’s because your body can make its own glucose (which is what sugar breaks down into once you have eaten it) from carbohydrates, such as rice, potatoes, bread, beans, milk and peas. Glucose is the body’s main source of energy and it needs lots of it to function properly.

The pros and cons of sugar

So what’s the problem with sugar then? Why not just get our energy in the quickest way possible by eating sweets and drinking very sweet coffee? Sugar is easy and readily available everywhere and quite cheap as well – and it tastes nice.

“I have such a sweet tooth,” says Aashiqah Abdulla (23) who is studying to be a teacher. “I love fruit, but I also love pastries. I like snacking throughout the day, and healthier snack options can be more expensive and less available. Also, sugar gives me an instant energy boost.”

Unfortunately, too much sugar can negatively affect your body in many ways, according to WebMD. It can also spike your blood sugar levels very fast (and then dip again), unlike many other foods that provide a slower release of energy.
When we eat sugar, our brain releases a feel-good hormone called dopamine. Other foods, such as fruit and vegetables don’t give us a quick sugar rush, so your body starts craving sugar – especially if you’re feeling a bit down, reports WebMd.

And then you need more and more to get the same feeling, and pretty soon you can no longer get into your jeans. Because that’s the thing about sugar – it packs a punch when it comes to kilojoules, or the energy value in food.
“Sugary foods can be addictive – it gives us an instant lift,” says Aashiqah.

The kilojoules in sugar

100 g of sugar has 1600 kilojoules, whereas strawberries have 99, bananas, 376, grilled chicken breast without skin 774, white bread 1022 and raw cabbage 101. So for its weight, sugar has more kilojoules than many other foods. But, says Harvard Health, when a foodstuff provides only kilojoules, but very little vitamins, minerals or antioxidants that are of value to our health, it is said that that food has “empty calories”. (Calories are another way of measuring the nutritional value of foods).

A woman of 19, who weighs 75 kg, and who does a bit of exercise every day, needs about 12 000 kilojoules per day to maintain that weight. If more than that is consumed, her weight could increase.

Too much sugar in the diet could put you at a higher risk for heart disease, tooth decay, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity, says the World Health Organization. South Africa is a major consumer of sugar, and is the third most obese country in Africa, says the National Institutes of Health.

Added sugars in foodstuffs

It’s not just the sugar in your coffee and the sweets you eat that contain sugar – many other foodstuffs do too, such as salad dressings, sauces, tinned foods, and processed meats. Sugar can make food taste nice, and it is also a preservative. You can check for sugar content on labels: food manufacturers must indicate the contents of food in their products, and these sugars can be called any of the following: fructose, sucrose, maltose, dextrose, corn syrup, concentrates of juices.

“Generally I believe everything should be taken in moderation,” says Aashiqah. “So I make a point of not eating too much of it, because I know it can be bad for my health.”

Here are some quick ways of cutting your sugar intake:
– Avoid sugary drinks and sodas
– Reduce the number of desserts and pastries you eat
– Use herbs and spices to season your food rather than ready-made sauces
– Be aware that full-fat foods often contain less sugar than low-fat foods
– Avoid processed and tinned foods and cook using fresh ingredients
– Use artificial sweeteners in tea and coffee

Tell us: what role does sugar play in your life?