Good things about sugar (yes, there are some)

by Martha Edwards (Subscribe to Martha Edwards's posts)
Jul 26th 2007 9:56AM

In the healthy living community, sugar is on an equal plane with ... well, Satan. It's considered pure evil -- completely lacking in nutritional value and made up of nothing but empty calories. It's been associated with a slew of health problems, from obesity to diabetes. But sometimes we forget that our body is fueled by sugar, and if we watch how much we eat, it's not always bad for us. Here are some good things about sugar:

A teaspoon of sugar only has 15 calories. That's not bad if you don't overdo it.
Sugar is converted to glucose, which fuels your brain
Sugar makes otherwise bland things tasty enough to eat. Like? Grapefruit
Sugar help heal wounds by drying them
Sugar stops mold and yeast growth

So I guess sugar itself isn't evil -- but sugar in the hands of inactive people with not enough willpower to refuse the extra-large slice of chocolate cake is. Use with caution, folks, and you can have your sugar and eat it too.

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Comments (6)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

natala 7-26-2007 @ 10:17AM

I think the thing I would caution is about insulin. When you eat sugar your body does it's job, and sends out insulin, and it needs to attach itself to something. So when you have some extra sugar (even if a teaspoon) your body will release insulin as soon as it hits your tongue (taste buds at work!) :) and if it needs to attach to something - that is when you get hungry, and will crave more sugar. Even if it's just a little. This doesn't happen as much with natural - whole foods (fruits) and fruit has the same good effects :)
I should note that the insulin thing also goes for artificial sweeteners. Our taste buds do their job, and our body sends insulin out - looking for something to attach too, and when it can't find anything - we get hungry.

BaS 7-26-2007 @ 10:58AM

Grapefruit bland? Seriously? Wouldn't a better example have been oatmeal or cornflakes, something that's honestly bland.

Martha 7-26-2007 @ 11:00AM

Natala, thanks so much for your input!

BaS, you're right. Grapefruit is definitely not bland but for me it is inedible without a little sugar

FitClubScott 7-27-2007 @ 3:08PM

Also, don't forget that sugar is a good thing post- workout. The aforementioned insulin response serves its purpose by shuttling glucose, as glycogen, into muscles that need replenishing after a workout. Obviously, this has it's limits. If you only burn 100 calories working out, but consume 300 calories worth of smoothie, the excess calories must go somewhere and are stored as fat.

Crabby McSlacker 7-31-2007 @ 11:19AM

The best thing about sugar is that cupcakes just don't taste quite the same without it.

But when I saw the title I was hoping maybe there was some Huge Health Benefit I didn't know about--sugar cures cancer or builds bones or reverses aging. Sigh.

I mean, I'm glad it dries out wounds and all, but...

(Crabby, unfortunately, is always grouchy like this. When she's not here harassing people at That'sfit, she hangs out her own weird little health blog, http://crankyfitness.blogspot.com/, which you may want to avoid.)

Michele 8-02-2007 @ 11:43PM

Years ago I worked in a Nursing home and we used to treat pressure areas(bedsores)with powdered sugar and Betadine.The necrotic tissue would feed off the sugar instead of the live tissue,preventing it from getting bigger. Now they have new and better treatments and better beds, thank Goodness!From M. Beaver LVN in Houston, Tx.