![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.mysteviasweet.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/08\/steviasweet-zucker-danger-lang-1024x366.jpg\")
<\/figure>How does sugar affect us and when is it harmful?<\/h2>
We asked nutritionist Stefanie B\u00fcrge about her opinion on the sweet food with a bad reputation:<\/p>
Our organs, muscles and cells depend on sugar as fuel. But sugar doesn\u2019t necessarily mean refined sugar: our bodies can easily draw the energy it needs from starchy products, fruits and some vegetables. Fat and protein are also converted to energy, although this process takes longer. We do not need sugar to survive. However, sugar does threaten our health when we consume it indiscriminately, unconsciously and in large quantities. <\/em><\/em><\/p> Pure sugar, such as the sugar in soft drinks, snacks or sorbet, causes blood sugar levels to rise rapidly. Insulin is then released to lower these levels. Insulin promotes the absorption of sugar into our cells, which is vital for life. Excess sugar is stored in the body. Large amounts of sugar mean large amounts of insulin. A rapid rise in blood sugar is followed by a rapid decrease, which means we then become hungry again. <\/em><\/em><\/p> I frequently talk to people who consume sugar-sweetened beverages between meals, including squash and fruit juices. This behaviour also causes blood sugar levels to rise and insulin to be released. The body constantly absorbs energy, but never depletes (fat) stores. In the long run, such ups and downs in blood sugar levels can lead to excess weight and make us ill.<\/em><\/p> Ingredient lists are often printed on product packaging in minute letters, with the ingredients listed in descending order according to the amounts the product contains. If sugar is listed as the first or second ingredient, the product largely consists of what can also be called \u201cwhite poison\u201d.<\/p>\n\n But the list does not always reveal how much sugar a food truly contains. Manufacturers like to use pseudonyms. Whether syrup, dextrose or whey powder: when different types of sweeteners are used in a food, the individual amount is often lower, pushing the ingredients further down the list. Hidden sugars mean that consumers do not always realise just how high their sugar intake is. <\/p><\/div><\/div> Sugar sometimes lurks where we least expect it. And even with well-known \u201cfattening foods\u201d we are quite astonished when we hear how many cubes of sugar a product actually contains. Ready for some sugary-sweet revelations?<\/p> Ketchup is the perhaps most popular accompaniment to chips. However, if you think that its red colour would imply that ketchup largely consists of tomatoes, you would be very much mistaken. A 500 ml bottle contains approximately 130 g of sugar, which corresponds to 43 sugar cubes!<\/p>\n\n An industrially produced fruit yoghurt would initially appear to be a healthy snack or a light breakfast. But this is not true: a 150 g cup of yoghurt contains up to six cubes of sugar (that\u2019s 18 g)!<\/p>\n\n Our delicious tip against hidden sugar: make your own fruit yoghurt \u2013 without sugar and perhaps with the natural sweetness of SteviaSweet<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n Every now and then, a muesli bar can help if we feel a bit hungry in the afternoon. At first glance, this would seem to be a healthy option. Right? However, if we look at the amount of sugar they contain, unfortunately not \u2013 muesli bars are proper sugar bombs! On average, one bar contains about three sugar cubes!<\/p>\n\n If you want to skip the sugar but not the delicious snack, we have the perfect product for you! Granola bar without added sugar with berries.<\/a><\/p>\n\n During winter, we like to indulge in red cabbage from a jar, while gherkins can take a summer barbecue to the next level \u2013 now who would expect a hidden sugar trap there? But be careful: a larger 700 g jar can easily contain 25 sugar cubes (77 g). Gherkins (in a jar weighing about 670 g) have 12 g of sugar per jar, which corresponds to four sugar cubes.<\/p>\n\n We therefore recommend controlled home cooking: try our delicious recipes for preserved vegetables and home-made pickles<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n Do you love pasta with tomato sauce? A 400 g jar contains about 25 g of sugar \u2013 that\u2019s eight sugar cubes. <\/p>\n\n Who doesn\u2019t like these colourful treats? But did you know that they are half sugar? 100 g of gummy bears contain 50 g sugar or 27 sugar cubes.<\/p>\n\n Okay, admittedly we would expect a chocolate spread to contain a lot of sugar. But it is still shocking to see 83 cubes \u2013 or 250 g \u2013 of sugar in a 450 g jar.<\/p>\n\n \u201cLife without chocolate is life lacking something important.\u201d \u2013<\/em> Frederic Morton<\/p>\n\n We wholeheartedly agree with this. Nevertheless, we know that another ingredient besides cocoa often comes into play when we eat chocolate: sugar. Unless we choose sugar-free products!<\/p>\n\n Half a litre of apple juice contains 50 g of fructose, but an easy trick will help you cut the sugar amount in half: simply mix the apple juice with water. After all, a spritzer tastes just as good as pure juice!<\/p>\n\n Fruit nectar only contains very little juice, but lots of water and sugar (both fructose and added sugar) \u2013 approximately 22 g per glass or seven sugar cubes. If you still want to enjoy something exotic from a bottle, why not add some more water to the nectar? The smooth flavour remains, while the amount of sugar is reduced.<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n Cola, Fanta, Sprite or industrially produced lemonade all have one thing in common. You can already guess \u2026 it\u2019s sugar! A 500 ml bottle can contain between eight and fourteen cubes of sugar. <\/p>\n\n![\"Living](\"https:\/\/www.mysteviasweet.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2022\/05\/zucker-1024x1024.jpeg\")
<\/figure>What does \u201chidden sugar\u201d mean?<\/h2>\n\n
Which foods contain hidden sugar?<\/h2>
Ketchup<\/h2>
Fruit yoghurt<\/h2>
Muesli bars<\/h2>
Pickled vegetables<\/h2>
Tomato sauce<\/h2>
Gummy bears<\/h2>
Nutella<\/h2>
Chocolate<\/h2>
Apple juice<\/h2>
Fruit nectar<\/h2>
Soft drinks<\/h2>
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