Have you ever thought of yourself as a victim of very successful marketing, which sells you a healthy alternative, which is not an alternative at all? Brown and raw sugar is advertised as a healthy sweetener, which has much more nutrients than white sugar, a public enemy no 1!
Brown and raw sugar is irreplaceable part of healthy living. Present in posh cafés and healthy food bars around the world. It is considered a better choice, an alternative, and a wise sweetener. But the truth is it might be even worse than white sugar.

What is brown sugar?

Brown sugar is simply white refined sugar with molasses (up to 10%). The added molasses is obtained from sugarcane. The natural, brown or raw sugar will have a specific color, taste, and smell that will originate from molasses. Due to molasses brown sugar will also be naturally moist and have bigger crystals than white sugar. Its shape is like wet sand. Molasses will also contribute to the content of nutrients so they can be considered healthier than white sugar. It has small amounts of potassium, calcium, magnesium, and B vitamins. However, the amounts of nutrients won’t be big enough to call brown sugar a nutritious sweetener. Brown sugar has the same calorific value as white sugar and a similar glycemic index.

Just a marketing gimmick

There is no scientific proof that would support the claim that brown sugar is better than white one. And yet is it considered a better option if you need to use any sweetener. It became so popular in healthy diets and recipes that it justifies the need for sugar use. While white sugar deserved its bad public, brown still remains as something good. The truth is that our perception has been misled by marketing gimmick and our overconsumption is constantly justified by false health claims.

So, no matter if it’s brown or raw, light or dark color, it’s simply sugar and better stay away from it!