1. If you eat sugar in moderation and not overdo it then its consumption is not linked to increased risk of heart disease, cancer or obesity. Excess sugar consumption contributes to weight gain, obesity and other chronic diseases. So eat in moderation and stick to your daily calorie limit.
2. Eating sugar causes a spike in your blood sugar levels that drops quickly, this leaves you with a headache and feeling tired. So people consume more sugar to make them feel better and stabilise their blood sugar levels. This leads to sugar cravings and not addiction as addiction is a serious medical condition where people find it difficult to stop the use of a particular drug.
3. Consumption of sweeteners like sucralose, saccharin, aspartame is linked to a higher risk of metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart attacks, stroke and weight gain. They have a negative impact on your blood sugar, gut bacteria and your appetite.
4. Added sugar which is the “additional” sugar in food products are all bad sugars and should be avoided. Natural sugars of fruit or milk are packed with minerals, nutrients and vitamins. Fruits have fibre which slows down the absorption of sugar. So sources of “added” sugar should be avoided like packaged sweet food items, sugary drinks, desserts and foods like dairy (unsweetened yoghurt, milk) and fruits should be consumed without any worry.
5. Maple syrup and honey contain more nutrients and are minimally processed in comparison to white sugar. But all sources of sugar are the same to your body as the digestive tract breaks down all sugars into monosaccharides (simple sugars). Also, the calories from all these sugars are the same so all sugars are natural or processed and will have the same impact on your weight.
There is no need to cut out sugar completely. But our body does not need sugar so having less is better as it's all about moderation.