Sweet as they may be, “healthy” sugars are still just that: Sugar. Try as we might, and all outside advice aside, your body just doesn’t recognize an “all natural” versus “unrefined” or organic. No matter the type of sugar, or how you consume it, it can and will raise your blood sugar levels. An article in the Huffington Post confirms it.
So why can added sugars like agave nectar, raw honey or coconut palm sugar never really be deemed “healthy”? Because, as Dr. Marion Nestle, the Paulette Goddard Professor of Nutrition, Food Studies and Public Health at New York University, put it, “Sugar is sugar, alas.” Meaning: No matter what type of sugar you consume — whether it’s table sugar or maple syrup chock full of “vitamins” and “minerals” — your blood sugar goes up.
All sugars are made up of fructose and glucose. Whether it’s table sugar or another alternative, the sugar contains some ratio of the two. When we consume sugar, our bodies metabolic processes start the minute the sugar hits our tongue.
Enzymes from the stomach then convert the sugar into glucose, your body’s preferred energy source. While it can provide your cells with fuel, something your body and brain need for proper functioning, glucose can cause excess weight gain. It spikes your insulin and blood sugar levels, plus it’s absorbed and used up quickly.
More in the recommended article here.