The two most common types of sugar are white sugar and brown sugar. There is a common misconception that brown sugar is a healthier sweetening agent as it contains water and molasses and was assumed to be sweeter than its white counterpart. But scientific studies tell us otherwise. Learn the truth about these sugars and discover which of them is actually good for your health.
- White vs Brown
In terms of color and texture, brown sugar is obviously darker in color and is chunky by nature. This is due to the molasses that it contains. Essentially brown sugar is unprocessed sugar that makes for its sweeter, richer taste. Brown sugar, when it undergoes the process, removes the molasses content resulting in white sugar. The texture of white sugar is grainy and dry and is less sweet than brown sugar.
- Nutritional Content
We all have this notion that brown sugar is significantly more nutritious when compared alongside white sugar. The truth of the matter is that these two types of sugar do not have that much difference when it comes to nutritional values.
White sugar is pure by nature as it contains 99.99% of sucrose, whilst brown sugar is made up of 97% sucrose, 2% water, and 1% of other substances.
For instance, if you consume one teaspoon of sugar, you get at least 16kcal, whilst you get 17kcal from consuming brown sugar. Although there is not much difference between these two sugars in terms of sucrose composition, brown sugar is more preferred due to its molasses content. Molasses alone is more nutritious in that it contains calcium, iron, magnesium, and potassium. These compounds are not present in refined white sugar. Although brown sugar contains minerals, it does not necessarily mean that it’s a healthier sweetening agent. This is due to the fact that these nutrients only come in minute concentrations- not enough to provide the adequate needs of the body.
So which one should you choose for consumption?
Based on the information we have provided earlier, there’s really not much difference between white sugar and brown sugar. At the end of the day, everything boils down to your personal preference. Brown sugar is preferred by those who want rich, sweet taste and those who want a plain and simple sweetening agent opt for white sugar instead. You may want to consider cutting back on sugar consumption altogether, as too much sugar can result in the development of disease such as diabetes Type 2, heart attack, and obesity among many others.
