Cane sugar - good and healthy?
I have chosen to use unrefined organic raw cane sugar to make my products as natural as possible. Sörgården Måla uses organic raw cane sugar for the good taste and for safety, also because we want to contribute to reducing the use of synthetic sweeteners, industrially processed ingredients and industrially processed food.
I have chosen to use unrefined organic raw cane sugar because I believe it is very unsafe and risky to use synthetic sweeteners. Synthetic sweeteners, such as aspartame, aid and abet the artificial sweet tooth and wreak havoc with the hormones that regulate our appetite. Since 1974, researchers have warned of the harmful effects of aspartame, on e.g. brain, liver and lungs, yet we have been assured that it is safe and instead encouraged to use it instead of sugar.
Cane sugar is produced from sugar cane and is produced by squeezing the sugar juice out of the cane between large rollers. The sugar juice is then purified by filtration and boiled. Raw sugar is then crystallized from the juice. The raw sugar is centrifuged, dried and packaged. It is thanks to the raw cane sugar not being refined that it retains minerals and flavors that would otherwise be lost. This first sugar consists partly of pure sugar, sucrose, but also of molasses. It is the molasses that gives the sugar its brown color and rich taste.
I'm sure you've heard a lot about how bad refined sugar is for your health - enough to think twice before putting a bag of white sugar in your grocery bag. Right next to the white sugar on the store shelf are some alternatives that seem a bit healthier. There are e.g. sugar cane juice. Or how about raw sugar? Are these "natural" sugars really better for you than refined white sugar? Or are they at least a little less bad for you?
Pure sucrose, or white sugar, is bland - above all, it's sweet, it doesn't have much flavor at all. Other less refined sugars have a warmer, richer flavor profile that many people enjoy. The color of the crystal is a good guide to how pronounced the molasses overtones will be.
Marketers claim that raw sugar retains more of the nutrients from the original plant. But sugarcane doesn't have many nutrients to begin with. Nutritionally, there really is no meaningful difference between any of the different types of sugar. While some are definitely less processed, they all provide the same number of calories, and when it comes to digestion and metabolism, your body can't tell the difference.
In other words, if you prefer a less processed, processed product (and you don't mind the premium price), raw sugar or evaporated cane juice are fine. But you still need to limit your intake of these natural sugars just as you would limit your intake of refined white sugar.