Brown Sugar Vs. White Sugar

Who does not like sweets? Eating sweets is a treat for your sweet tooth. Be it a birthday or a wedding. We look for occasions to eat sweets.

The most common sweetener and a favourite for centuries is sugar. It is a naturally occurring ingredient consumed by humans for thousands of years. While there are many types of sugar, people tend to get confused between white sugar and brown sugar. 

Table of Contents

1. White Sugar And Its Types 

2. Brown Sugar And Its Types

3. Nutritional Differences: White sugar Vs. Brown Sugar 

4. What Are The Benefits Of White Sugar?

5. What Are The Benefits Of Brown Sugar? 

6. What Should You Choose?

7. Dietician’s Recommendation

8. The Final Say

9. FAQs 

White Sugar And Its Types

White sugar is the ordinary household sugar we use in our routine life. The common types of white sugar are:

Granulated Sugar: It is commonly used in sugar bowls for hot drinks and baking. 

Superfine Sugar: It is also known as caster sugar. It has smaller crystals and is ideal for making delicate desserts such as pudding and mousse.

Powdered Sugar: It is refined granulated sugar made from sugar that has been ground and shifted. It is used in desserts, whipping cream and icing. 

Fruit Sugar: It is made of smaller, more uniform crystals ideal for dry mixes and powdered drinks. 

Brown  Sugar And Its Types

Brown sugar clumps more than white sugar as it contains more moisture. Therefore, it is suitable for recipes that call for a moist and chewy texture. 

Light Brown Sugar: It is appropriate for baked sauces and goods.

Dark Brown Sugar: It has a darker colour than regular brown sugar. It is used in gingerbread recipes, baked beans and barbecued foods. 

Muscovado Sugar: It is unrefined cane sugar that contains its natural molasses. Therefore, the crystals are slightly coarser and stickier than regular brown sugar.

Turbinado Sugar: It has a blond colour and a milk flavour. The sugar is referred to as demerara and raw sugar cane. Turbinado sugar is more suited for streusel topping than baking. 

Nutritional Differences: White sugar Vs. Brown Sugar 

Both sugars are derived from either sugarcane or sugar beet. The primary difference between them is their colour and taste. 

In reality, most brown sugar is a blend of white sugar and molasses (a type of sugar-derived syrup). Molasses is responsible for their darker colour and slightly increase their nutritional value. Brown sugar contains more calcium, iron and potassium than white sugar.

The other noticeable difference between white sugar and brown sugar is their calorie count. According to a National Institute of Nutrition study, "white sugar and brown sugar has a few fewer calories, although the difference is minimal. For example, brown sugar comprises 15 calories per teaspoon (4 grams), compared to 16.3 calories for the same amount of white sugar." 

What Are The Benefits Of White Sugar?

Here are a few benefits of white sugar. 

• Sugar is an excellent source of energy. It converts into glucose when it goes into the blood. 
• Patients with low blood pressure should consume sugar to maintain their blood pressure.
• It helps the brain function. The brain does not function properly in the absence of sugar. 
• Sugar helps to cure depression. Chocolates help to increase mood and make mood light.  
• Sugar helps to heal wounds faster in comparison to medicine. But it requires the supervision of a medical doctor.

What Are The Benefits Of Brown Sugar? 

Here are a few benefits of brown sugar. 

• Brown sugar helps to aid digestive problems. 
• Consuming brown sugar help to fight period cramps. 
• You can consume brown sugar instead of regular sugar if trying to reduce some pounds. 
• Micronutrients like vitamin B6, niacin, pantothenic acid and minerals found in brown sugar act as an anti-ageing compound. 
• Brown sugar contains anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial elements that might help fight bacteria and infection.
• Brown sugar contains anti-allergic elements that might help asthmatic patients treat ill health.

What Should You Choose?

Choosing between white sugar and brown sugar is a personal choice. The main difference between both is taste and colour. However, sugar contributes to diseases like the obesity epidemic, type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Therefore, you should limit your daily sugar intake to 5-10% of your total calorie intake.  

They are identical in terms of nutrition besides these obtrusive variations. Their taste and colour are the essential variations between them. Although more research trials are needed in many areas of sugar consumption and health, there is little scientific justification for restricting sugar consumption below the reasonable upper limit recommended by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010, which is no more than 25% of calories.

Dietician’s Recommendation

Sugar is primarily used for flavouring, improving texture and taste, and as a preservative, with brown sugar and white sugar having different qualities but serving the same purpose. 

From a health standpoint, limit your sugar intake because it contains a lot of carbs and calories, which are bad for weight loss, diabetes, cholesterol, and so on.

The Final Say 

Brown sugar is usually just white sugar treated with molasses, even though their production methods differ, giving them distinct tastes, colours, and culinary purposes.

Contrary to popular assumptions, they are similar in terms of nutrition.

White sugar has slightly more minerals than brown sugar, but brown sugar has no additional health benefits. Therefore, you should limit your consumption of all sugars for optimum health.

FAQs

1. Why use brown sugar instead of white?

Brown sugar is naturally moist, so using it will result in baked goods that are softer and moister.

2. Is brown sugar sweeter than white sugar?

Sugarcane is used to make both brown sugar and white sugar. Brown sugar, like white sugar, contains molasses and water and has a slightly lower calorific value. However, because white sugar is sweeter than brown sugar, they are not interchangeable.

3. Which sugar is best for baking?

In some circles, granulated sugar is also called white sugar or "regular" sugar. This is because granulated sugar has all of the naturally occurring molasses removed. Sugar is the most commonly used ingredient in baking.

4. Is brown sugar natural?

The most widely available brown sugars in grocery stores are not naturally brown. Regular (refined) brown sugars blend white sugar crystals and cane molasses (cane syrups). As a result, they vary in flavour and colour based on the amount of cane molasses.

5. What type of sugar is the least harmful?

White sugar, made up of 50% glucose and 50% fructose, has a slightly lower GI. According to the GI database, agave syrup has the lowest GI value. As a result, it is the best option for blood sugar management than other sugars.

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