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Monday, 5 March 2012

The Truth About Brown Sugar

A few years back when I was about ankle-deep in healthful eating knowledge (I may just be up to my neck in it now...) I was surprised and disgusted to discover that the brown sugar I thought was so much better for my family was really just highly-refined white sugar with some molasses put back into it. So I started buying Demerara sugar. I had heard that demerara sugar was a less-refined cane sugar and better for you. THEN I discovered that the sugar I was using was actually just Demerara-STYLE (note the word style was not in bold on the packaging) and was, once again, just white sugar with more molasses and a coarser grain. It wasn't until then that I really started looking at packaging, researching sugars, and realising that there is more to sugar than I thought.

Brown Sugar: Common brown sugar is really highly processed and refined white sugar that has had the surface molasses syrup added back in, which imparts its characteristic flavor. -Small Footprint Family

www.levelground.com
When looking for a healthier alternative to white sugar, look beyond the "brown sugar" label and go for the less refined, "raw" sugars such as demerara, turbinado, muscavado and rapadura.

For years I have heard that less refined sugar is better for you but I didn't really know why. Sugar is sugar, and less refined sugar does not contain enough extra nutrients compared to refined sugar to make that matter. I had to spend some time finding out WHY there is some truth to it being less healthy.

Refined sugar has had a number of things done to it during the refining process. White sugar is bleached with sulphuric acid, is spun through a centrifuge to remove the outer coating, and has phosphoric acid and calcium hydroxide added to it which is absorbed and traps impurities. It is then put through a carbon filter to remove impurities, then crystallised by vacuum and dried.

Raw sugar is pressed, and the juice is mixed with lime to remove impurities. It is then evaporated and put through a centrifuge to separate the crystals. It is then dried.

See the difference? Much less has been done to it or added to it.

From a green perspective, the production of raw sugar uses much less energy, creates much less waste, and uses fewer chemicals.

Shall we make it greener? 80% of USA sugar is grown domestically. The sugar that is grown out of North America, however, is often grown in poor countries by impoverished farmers. Fair Trade Certified sugar must be grown and purchased following strict guidelines including fair wages, strict pesticide regulations and environmental regulations including ecosystem care and waste control. Don't buy non-domestic sugar that is not certified fair trade.

And even greener? Buy organic sugar. Most sugar fields have a high rate of pesticide usage. Pesticide use on certified organic sugar is strictly controlled. Sugar cane and sugar beet crops are now often from genetically modified seeds. Certified organic products are not genetically-modified, by regulation.

Honey in a honeycomb.
And of course there are other less-refined sugars that are even better for you such as honey and maple syrup.  Honey is arguably the least refined available.  It is not only delicious, locally-available and pure, but it offers antiseptic, antioxidant and cleaning properties.  Maple syrup is also very lightly refined.  Nothing is added or removed, and it is high in minerals and antioxidants.  Local maple syrup is also easily available. 

So now that I am self-proclaimed "up-to-my-neck in healthy food",  you will only find in my pantry organic raw sugar, fair trade turbinado brown sugar,  maple syrup and honey.  Quality, eco-friendly, organic and safe.  We just ordered our first batch of honey bees this spring and we hope to someday provide ourselves with our own sweetener on our little homestead. But that is a story for another day. 


This post has been shared on Homestead Barn Hop #53, Real Food Forager's Fat Tuesday, Green and Natural Thursdays Linkup, Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways and Natural Parenting Group Linky.







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13 comments:

  1. Erin Dorr6 March 2012 at 08:42

    This was a great read for me. Of course, now I feel a little guilty about not researching it more thoroughly before feeding brown sugar to my kids! Thanks for sharing...I'll be a more savvy shopper from here on out!

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    1. Free Range Mama6 March 2012 at 13:55

      No need to feel guilty! We are all made aware of things we need to change, at some point! That's the best time to change. I was there too.

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  2. String Theory6 March 2012 at 09:03

    trying to keep honey buying local is good too. There are some big concerns about the imported, grocery store stuff. It is like so many food choices, the more you look the more difficult choices there are. I try to strike a balance between being healthy and worrying about it all so much it makes me ill :-).

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    1. Free Range Mama6 March 2012 at 13:57

      Absolutely! There are "fake" honeys out there too... the bees are fed glucose instead of honey during the winter so that the bee farmer can collect the honey rather than letting the bees eat the honey which is their natural winter food. To do it organically and sustainably the bee farmer needs to not collect the honey the first year so the bees can survive on their own honey the first year.

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  3. Midnite Skys6 March 2012 at 10:06

    Don't you love green washing? But I get my Demerara sugar from Earth Fare (I don't have a Whole Foods near) from the bunk bins... Saves me money and is healthier!

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    1. Free Range Mama6 March 2012 at 13:58

      Sometimes it feels like it is all about who can deceive whom for the longest time is the winner...

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  4. Heather12 March 2012 at 03:22

    Interesting thoughts! I do have brown sugar in the house, we like it in our oatmeal, but I also buy local raw honey at the farmers' market, and have changed most of my baking to utilize honey (honey wheat bread, yes please!). I'm not sure I can find organic raw sugar...but maple syrup and honey seem to be in abundance in Maine, so maybe I should switch over completely. It would definitely mean cutting way back on our sugar intake due to the cost...and that would probably be a good thing anyways :-)

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  5. Michelle12 March 2012 at 08:34

    Thanks for the info. I was not quite sure what the differences between the sugars were either.

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  6. Elise13 March 2012 at 07:22

    We still use both brown and white sugar, mostly because it's cheap. But we're blessed to be able to also buy raw sugar in bulk for not too much more. We're also trying our hand at keeping bees. That one's not going too well, ha.

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  7. Naomi13 March 2012 at 11:37

    Like you, we strive to live more green and organic than not. I loved your post on the sugar. Its all true. :o) Tomorrow I am sharing a series on nontoxic cleaning in your home. Stop by and read. Thank you and have a blessed day. Found you through Apron Strings and Apple Trees.

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  8. April14 March 2012 at 11:22

    i recently bought turbinado and muscavado...i havent used them in baking yet, but day to day use they are very good(muscavado tastes yummy in baked beans!) We also have local raw honey.

    i have to admit we havent switched from white 100% but we are making an effort

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  9. Anonymous16 March 2012 at 05:55

    You might want to look into sucanat as a replacement for the raw sugar. Sucanat is sugar cane dried naturally. I believe it's the most raw unprocessed form of sugar cane. It is dark brown, like brown sugar, but dry. It takes some getting used to, but I've had success in using sucanat and honey in baking. :)

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  10. Anna (Green Talk)16 March 2012 at 21:41

    Great article. I actually use coconut palm sugar since it has a lower glycemic value to it. It tastes similar to brown sugar but not as sweet.

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