Why White Sugar is Bad for You in Alexandria City and Arlington County

It looks so pure and innocent, doesn’t it?

Refined white sugar, just sitting in a bowl, minding its own business, and ready to add just the right touch of sweetness to your morning coffee, that fresh batch of chocolate chip cookies, and everything else you might use it for.

But unless you’ve been living on a space station with no news from planet earth for the past umpteen years or so, then you already know that white sugar is something you need to cut way back on, if not eliminate entirely from your diet. Not just because it’s the trendy thing to do, but because white, refined sugar can cause all kinds of health problems, including these:

• Causes your skin to age and wrinkle
• Will land you more appearances in your dentist’s chair
• A contributor to osteoporosis
• Can lead to binging
• Can also bring about diabetes and heart problems while suppressing your immune system
• A known cause of cancer, ulcers and gallstones
• Raises your blood sugar level

And you know what? The list is a whole lot longer than what we’re showing you here. Take, for example, our nation’s current obesity epidemic. Yes, sugar is part of that problem, too. Sugar results in insulin secretion which, in turn, causes food to be stored in fat cells. You can learn more by visiting NewScientist.com.

So, what’s a body to do, especially one with a pronounced sweet tooth? Well, for one thing, don’t be fooled into thinking that that light brown, dark brown, or Kleenraw sugar are any better for you. They’re all refined sugars, just as white sugar is. The only different is that they each have varying amounts of molasses added to them once they go through the refinery. US law actually forbids you from purchasing raw sugar, which would be the best alternative of all.

In the meantime, here are a few truly healthy alternatives we encourage you to try until you find one or more that helps you kick the sugar habit:

For Coffee or Tea

• Honey
• Agave Nectar
• Molasses
• Fruit
• Stevia, the newest sweetener on the market

For Baking      

• Honey
• Maple syrup
• Molasses
• Corn syrup
• Refined fructose
• Fruit juice concentrates
• Stevia

Stay sweet, but not at the expense of your good health.