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Natural versus refined sugar: What’s the difference?

Technically, your body can’t tell the difference between natural sugar and added sugar. That means a scoop of table sugar, a squeeze of agave, and the lactose in that Greek yogurt is processed in your body the same way.

Sugar is sugar, no matter what name it has. But there is a difference in the foods that contain these sugars. Foods with natural sugars come with other healthy components, like fiber and nutrients, that offer your body well-rounded nutrition and help your body process sugar in a healthier fashion.

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 If you're not eating fruit because of its sugar, you're making a mistake

According to nutritionist Dr. Lisa Young, consuming natural sugar is completely healthy; it's added sugar you need to worry about.

Articles of Interest

Added Sugar vs. Natural Sugar: Can Your Body Tell the Difference

So, where do sweeteners like honey and maple syrup fit in here?! Technically, pure honey and maple syrup are naturally made up of sugar. They don’t have any added to them during processing. You may have even heard your favorite food blogger refer to them as “natural” sweeteners. I hate to burst your bubble, but these are NOT considered natural in the added versus natural sugar debate.

Natural and Added Sugars: Two Sides of the Same Coin

A potential alternative to the natural/added sugar labeling is traffic light labeling, popular in Europe and in limited use in the US. In this system, food and beverages are labeled by color, with green indicating the healthiest options, and yellow and red less healthy ones.

Natural Sugars vs. Added Sugars

If you’re trying to cut back on sugar in your diet, you will need to learn the difference between natural sugars and added sugars.

Natural vs Refined Sugar: Why the Difference Matters

Natural sugars are found in fruit as fructose and in dairy products, such as milk and cheese, as lactose. These foods contain essential nutrients that keep the body healthy and help prevent disease. Natural sources of sugar are digested slower and help you feel full for longer. It also helps keep your metabolism stable.

Natural vs. Added Sugars: What's the Difference?

As the name implies, natural sugars are those found naturally in foods. These sugars can take two forms: fructose or lactose. Fructose is the sugar responsible for giving fruits (and some vegetables) their sweet taste. Lactose is the sugar found in milk and dairy products; it’s why even unsweetened milk and plain yogurt contain some sugar.

Sugar 101

Naturally occurring sugars are found naturally in foods such as fruit (fructose) and milk (lactose). Added sugars include any sugars or caloric sweeteners that are added to foods or beverages during processing or preparation (such as putting sugar in your coffee or adding sugar to your cereal). Added sugars (or added sweeteners) can include natural sugars such as white sugar, brown sugar and honey, as well as other caloric sweeteners that are chemically manufactured (such as high fructose corn syrup).

The Difference Between Natural and Unnatural Sugars

These sugars occur in nature and are consumed in a minimally processed form. For example, fruit contains fructose, and dairy products have lactose. These sugars still have essential nutrients that can support overall health. Additionally, natural sugars are often paired with fiber, which helps to slow down the speed in which the sugar affects your blood sugar levels. As a result, the metabolism maintains stability, and you have a longer feeling of satiation after eating.

Understanding Natural Versus Added Sugars

Getting your sugars from natural sources like apples, bananas, low-fat milk, Greek yogurt, carrots, beets, and sweet potatoes will satisfy your body’s need for sugar while maintaining your blood glucose levels for longer periods versus the sugar rush, and subsequent crash, received from added sugars found in sugary breakfast cereals, candy and chocolate bars, jams and jellies, dairy desserts, and puddings.

What's the Difference Between Natural and Added Sugars?

We took a deep dive into the confusing world of sugar to decipher if our bodies digest the sugars in fruit, honey, maple syrup and other alternative sugars the same way as white sugar.