Added Sugars vs. Natural Sugars: Key Differences and How They Matter

Sugar is, by far, the most controversial topic in the world of food health and sciences.

There are those who argue for it and those who argue that it can’t possibly be healthy, but most of us just aren’t quite sure which side of the debate to fall on because there’s so much about sugar that isn’t clear.

In this post, we’ll do exactly that: we’ll clear up the debate about sugar and give you a much clearer understanding of why sugar—particularly refined sugar, but all sugar—consumed in excess can be dangerous.

We’ll look at the differences between natural and added sugars, how they differ chemically, and how they affect our bodies differently. We’ll also look at how fiber, vitamins, and minerals impact the way our bodies use sugar, how sugar affects our health, and what diseases we risk by eating too much sugar.

But keep reading all the way to the end, because we’ve got a lot of highly valuable information on how to identify sugar in foods, how to spot hidden sugars, and how to manage your sugar intake the healthy way.

Why Sugars Matter: The Role of Sugar in the Body

Sugar is used by your body to produce glucose, your primary energy source.

Insulin, produced by your pancreas, encourages your body’s cells to absorb glucose, which enables those cells to function.

Excess glucose that your cells can’t use remains in your bloodstream, or may be stored in your liver (in glucose form) or your adipose tissues as fat.

What Are Natural Sugars? 

Natural sugars are monosaccharides and disaccharides inherently present in unprocessed foods.

Natural sugars include:

• Maple syrup;
• Honey;
• Fructose (the sugar in fruit and veggies);
• Lactose (milk sugar found in dairy products);
• Maltose (the sugar in sprouted grains).

All of these are naturally found in nature or in raw foods.

Certain foods can also be processed to produce what are considered "natural" sugars and sweeteners, including stevia, monk fruit, molasses, agave nectar, and dates.

What Are Added Sugars? Common Types and Sources

Added sugars are any sweeteners or sugars that are added to food or drinks during the production process.

For example, fruit drinks and fruit and vegetable juices made from concentrate typically contain added sugars. Sauces and condiments will also likely contain added sugars. And it goes without saying that cakes, candies, cookies, and other sweets are loaded with added sugars.

While natural sugars will naturally occur in foods and beverages, added sugars are included in the recipes of food and drink to enhance the sweetness of those foods and drinks.

How Natural and Added Sugars Differ Chemically

Let’s be clear: the chemical structure of both sugars tend to be made of the same building blocks. They’re comprised of fructose, glucose, and sucrose, and your body metabolizes them the same way.

The real difference, though, is in the nutritional differences between them and the impact they have on your body.

Nutritional Differences

Natural sugars found in fruits, veggies, honey, and grains will often be accompanied by a host of micronutrients like fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. These are not only critical for your bodily function, but they also slow down the rate at which the sugars are metabolized.

Refined and added sugars typically contain very little in the way of additional nutrition. They’re mostly pure sugar with no fiber, vitamins, minerals, or antioxidants. This makes them not only less nutritious and beneficial for your body, but more likely to have negative health effects on your body.

Fiber Content and Its Impact on Sugar Absorption

Soluble fiber bonds with water and other essential nutrients—including sugars, fats, cholesterols, and toxins—to form a gel-like substance in your intestines. This gel-like substance is harder for your body to break down and absorb, meaning the nutrients that bind with the fiber are either absorbed slowly or not at all (but sent on downstream to be eliminated).

In the case of sugar, high fiber intake can drastically reduce the absorption rate and prevent your blood sugar from spiking.

Naturally occurring sugar tends to contain a lot more fiber, while refined and processed sugars contain little to none.

Blood Sugar Spikes: Added Sugars vs. Natural Sugars

A "blood sugar spike" is what happens when your body absorbs a lot of glucose-producing nutrients (not just sugar, but also sugary carbohydrates) at once.

Your body absorbs sugar very quickly, but protein, fiber-rich carbohydrates, and fats all take time to break down and absorb.

Natural sugars are accompanied by other nutrients that slow the breakdown and absorption process. Added and refined sugars, however, have nothing to slow down their absorption rate and thus flood your bloodstream.

This rapid increase in blood glucose levels causes an energy spike. The pancreas detects the rise, releases insulin, and triggers cells to absorb glucose. Excess glucose is then stored as fat.

This flood of insulin often causes a drop or "crash" in blood sugar levels, which can trigger your body’s appetite and cravings mechanisms to encourage you to consume more sugar to balance blood glucose.

Frequent blood sugar spikes creating a "spike" and "crash" cycle can lead to poor metabolic health, insulin resistance, and a host of other problems. All of it is due to high intake of refined and added sugars with no fiber, vitamins, minerals, or antioxidants to slow down absorption.

Health Implications of High Sugar Intake

Sugar molecules affect how the body produces energy and regulates metabolism. Looking at their impact can help us understand the health risks of eating too much sugar.

Effects of Added Sugars on Health

Added and refined sugars can cause health risks in a number of ways:

• They encourage an increase in fat accumulation. Your body turns excess sugar that it can’t use into fats to store in adipose tissue. You end up gaining body weight and fat—particularly abdominal fat—that can cause serious metabolic disease and lead to weight gain and obesity.
• They impact insulin sensitivity. The constant "spike" and "crash" caused by high refined sugar intake can cause your body to grow resistant to insulin. Your pancreas will have to make more and more to try and control glucose levels, but your body stops sensing it. This can lead to Type 2 Diabetes.
• They contain no nutrients. Refined and added sugars provide calories that lack essential micronutrients and are therefore referred to as "empty calories" when consumed in excess.
• They increase your risk of tooth cavities. People who eat a lot of refined sugar are more prone to oral health problems like dental caries, plaque, and tooth decay.
• They can cause long-term health problems. High added sugar intake can lead to sleep problems, oxidative damage, decreased cellular function, slower metabolism, ADHD, fatty liver disease, and cardiovascular disease.

Eating a high intake of refined sugar will take a toll on your mind and body however, you can take action to help your system, now!

Natural Sugars and Their Role in a Balanced Diet

Sugars naturally present in fruits, vegetables, grains, honey, and milk are much safer than refined sugars.

They come with fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, which slow absorption and prevent blood sugar spikes. Instead of flooding your system with a quick burst of energy, they provide fuel at a steady, balanced rate.

You should still limit their intake to a healthy maximum, but you can eat them with full confidence that they are good for you.

Identifying Sugars in Foods

Packaged foods often contain more sugar than expected. The nutrition facts label reveals the total amount and helps consumers make informed choices.

Reading Food Labels: Spotting Added Sugars

Every food nutrition label (except those on sugars and syrups) is required to include not only the "Total Sugar" content, but also the "Added Sugar" content.

The formula is simple: Total Sugar = Naturally Occurring Sugars + Added Sugars. 

The ideal shopping goal is to find foods that contain very little added sugar. In soups, stews, sauces, condiments, and pre-packaged meals, look at the "Added Sugar" content vs. the "Total Sugar" content. If the Added Sugar accounts for a significant portion of the total sugars (more than 50%), it’s more than likely a food to steer clear of.

Review the percentage (%) next to the ‘Added Sugar’ label on nutrition facts; foods with a high %DV of added sugars (typically above 5–10%) may be less favorable choices. Meanwhile, naturally occurring sugars in whole foods are less concerning due to their fiber and nutrient content.

Hidden Sources of Added Sugars

The foods most likely to contain added sugars include:

• Breads and baked goods
• Pasta sauces
• Canned fruit
• Canned beans
• Soups and stews
• Yogurts, particularly flavored
• Breakfast cereals
• Protein bars
• Meal replacement drinks
• Granola bars
• Fruit juices
• Fruit juice concentrates
• Fruit drinks
• Sugar sweetened beverages
• Artificial sweeteners
• Anything containing high fructose corn syrup

Keep an eye out for anything with the name sugar in it—for example, white sugar, table sugar, cane sugar, brown sugar, malt sugar, or raw sugar.

Also check nutrition labels for anything labeled "syrup": malt syrup, corn syrup, cane syrup, or corn syrup solids.

The University of California San Francisco has a great list of 61 names for sugar that you can find on food products. Look for these as a warning sign that you’re getting high-sugar food!

Managing Sugar Intake

Classifying sugars helps us see the difference between natural and added ones in our diet. That’s how being mindful of sugar consumption can make a big difference in overall health – and we’ll summarize how in the paragraphs below.

Recommended Daily Sugar Limits

Sugar in all its forms—from honey, fruit, veggies, and whole grains—would ideally be less than or equal to 10% of your daily calorie consumption[1]. Ideally, that number would be less than 5%.

The American Heart Association recommends [2]:

• Fewer than 36 grams, 9 teaspoons, or 150 calories of added sugar per day for men;
• Fewer than 25 grams, 6 teaspoons, or 100 calories of added sugar per day for women.

Cutting back on your sugar intake will avoid a wide range of health problems and improve your body’s blood sugar control exponentially.

Tips for Reducing Added Sugar Consumption

The most effective tip for reducing added sugar consumption is to buy raw.

If you only buy raw ingredients and cook everything yourself (for example, making tomato sauce at home instead of buying pasta sauce), you will always know exactly how much sugar is present in your food. You have total control over your sugar intake and can avoid adding extra sugar.

You can begin by finding truly sugar-free alternatives to foods that might otherwise contain sugar. For example, switch out fruit-flavored yogurt for unsweetened plain yogurt, to which you can add berries or fruits.

Next, eat whole foods that contain enough sugar to be naturally sweet and don’t require extra sweetening.

Finally, read the labels of everything you buy to spot and avoid added sugars during processing or preparation.

Healthier Alternatives to Added Sugars

If you want to bring some sweetness into your healthy diet, you can always opt for natural sugars, such as:

• Honey
• Molasses
• Maple syrup (the natural syrup)
• Stevia
• Monk fruit
• Turbinado sugar
• Coconut sugar

These tend to be less processed, meaning they contain micronutrients that slow down absorption and prevent blood sugar spikes. They’re also healthier and less chemically treated.

A key rule of thumb is to not consume just something sugary, try and balance your sweet with a protein.

The Importance of Moderation

Sugar is a delight, and you can become addicted to it. Your body begins to crave sugary and sweet foods, and you can grow irritable or moody without them.

Eating a few small portions of fruits, veggies, and whole grains (including whole grain pasta, tortillas, and bread) that contain sugar will satisfy your body’s appetite for sugar without building cravings or creating dependencies.

Create a Balanced Eating Plan

The key to keeping sugar intake to a healthy minimum is to always know what you’re eating.

Follow the advice above to only buy raw ingredients and cook them at home—that goes for meals, soups, stews, even condiments. The more you cook yourself, the more control you have over how much sugar goes into your body every day.

Aim for 2-3 servings of fruit per day, as well as 1-2 servings of sugar-containing veggies (like carrots, sweet potatoes, or beets). Stick with natural whole grains that do not contain added sugar, only natural sugar, and balance them with plenty of healthy proteins and fats that are the core of a plant based diet. The fiber and nutrients they provide help moderate blood sugar levels.

Allow yourself the occasional indulgence (because who doesn’t love a good dessert?) and try to keep it to \once or twice per week and choose organic, healthy ingredients as much as possible!

The less sugar you eat—both natural and added—the less you will crave it. Over time, you’ll actually enjoy eating low-sugar, unsweetened foods and feel so much better for it!

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Frequently Asked Questions

Should I completely avoid added sugar?

If you can, yes. Given how prevalent added sugar is in our modern diet and industrial food production and packaging methods, it’s easier said than done. A healthy goal is to avoid added sugar as much as possible and reducing it where you can is still helpful to your health.

What is the unhealthiest sugar substitute?

Artificial sweeteners such as aspartame, sucralose, acesulfame potassium, saccharin, and erythritol have all been deemed "most unhealthy" by food experts [2]. Though the FDA does permit their use in food products, they have been linked to a wide range of health conditions.

Is maple syrup or honey healthier?

Maple syrup contains small quantities of natural fats, iron, potassium, and zinc. Honey also contains these minerals, albeit in smaller quantities, but has more Vitamin B6 and Vitamin C than maple syrup. Maple syrup has a lower glycemic index than honey and contains fewer calories.

Resources

Sugar 101

Natural versus refined sugar: What’s the difference?

Added Sugars on the Nutrition Facts Label

Are certain types of sugars healthier than others?

What’s the difference between added sugars and natural sugars?

Fiber: The Carb That Helps You Manage Diabetes