Charger Blogger and Nutrition Sciences Major Talks Staying Healthy with Sugar

Bagels. Pasta. Bread. Freshly baked vanilla cake. Ice cream. All of these are examples of humanity’s best friend and worst nightmare:

Sugar.

If some of you are new, hey there, and welcome to the blog. If you’re not new, well, you know what to expect. Following the holidays, I’d imagine that we’ve all had our fair share of sugar: hot cocoa, cookies, French toast – alllllllll the good stuff, which is not a bad thing. The enjoyment of seasonal foods and treats is a hallmark of human culture, and should never be something to regret. That being said, sugar holds a rather negative reputation... but why?

Firstly, What Even Is Sugar?

This was the first question I harassed Google (and Google Scholar, his cousin) with. Given the vast amount of sources on the internet, it took me a while to narrow down a couple true answers. To put it simply, sugar is sucrose: the simple carbohydrate we love and that is produced naturally in all plants, including fruits, veggies, and even nuts (The Sugar Association). This would include foods such as carrots, walnuts, apples, blueberries, and even lettuce! Of course, the amount of sugar these foods contain will vary depending on their genetics (yes, your apples have DNA just like you do) but that’s something to not be super concerned about – and I’ll explain why later on. Aside from being found in everything carb-related, “Sugar’s chemical structure contains just two molecules: one molecule of glucose bound to one molecule of fructose” (The Sugar Association).

You, the reader: “So... sugar is more than just sugar?”

Me, a nerd: “Ohhhhhh yeah. Welcome to the monosaccharides.”

Monosaccharides (“mono” = “one”, and “saccharide” = “sugar”) are the molecules that make up disaccharides (“di” = “two”, “saccharides” = “sugar”). In the case of sucrose, you have one molecule of glucose plus one molecule of fructose. Other disaccharides include maltose (glucose + glucose) and lactose (glucose + galactose, another monosaccharide). For my bio people out there, I’m sure all of you have had a wonderful time learning about glycolysis and cellular respiration in energy production in plant cells. But that’s adenosine triphosphate (ATP)- an entirely different molecule than the one we’re talking about.

See, in the world of biology, glucose is the most basic form of sugar you can get. Plants make it from sunlight, and we get it from eating those plants – including fruits, which contain fructose (fruit sugar). Then, there are polysaccharides (“poly” = many, “saccharides” = “sugar”), which are found in starchy foods such as potatoes, and are made up of many glucose molecules.

And then you have mankind. Mankind didn’t want fruit and vegetable sugar anymore. Oh, no –

Mankind wanted donuts.

After discovering that the sugarcane plant could sweeten coffee and tea, many people started to wonder “Gee, what else could we put sugar into?.” This gave way to the many amazing and delicious foods that we have today.

Author, grabbing the mic: “For those who have never tried a cronut, please go educate yourselves. I know a guy.”

However, there is definitely a concern for having too much added sugar in the diet. While fruits and vegetables have a lot of health benefits, cronuts... well, they’re for the soul more than they are for the body. And I don’t mean the physical one. As stated in the article “Facts About Sugar and Sugar Substitutes,” published by John Hopkins, “...too much added sugar can lead to health problems, including high blood sugar, insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, dental issues such as cavities, increased triglycerides, obesity and type 2 diabetes” (Zeisel). Please know this is not me telling you that a donut, your favorite ice cream, or a waffle is going to make you unhealthy.

Buuuuuutttt a waffle, ice cream, and/or a donut every day, might.

Listen, this article isn't me telling you sugar is bad or that it’s good. Sugar is a carbohydrate in its most basic form, and it’s an essential molecule that we need to consume to live. That being said, there is a difference in the quality of carb found in a chocolate-chip sea salt cookie and that of a bowl of oatmeal, even if they are (somehow) the same in caloric density. As a woman, I have found that there are definitely some days where I feel like eating half a bag of popcorn, and there are others where I want protein all day. Listening to your body, understanding moderation, and understanding that food is never the bad guy is the kind of relationship that can build a healthy lifestyle that will last for years to come.

I hope this blog provides some clarity regarding sugar, as well as what it is. Of course, this is a rather condensed crash-course of what the molecule is without diving into its biological and chemical roles, but, hey, I hope you learned something new today.

I hope all of you are taking care, and that the start of the semester is treating you well. Remember that your best will always vary, and that it’s okay to have some chocolate sometimes.

All my hugs, and lots of love,
Bea

Beatrice Glaviano ’26 is a nutrition sciences major at the University of New Haven.