Sugar Selection: Brown or White?

Some people don’t drink plain coffee. Teenagers, young adults, and those who dislike the bitterness of plain coffee prefer to add some substances to make their coffee taste better. We call these substances as sugar.

Sugar, though, varies in some ways, too. In a limited range of society, one would find the majority of people who are more into white sugar, but it is not rare for us to find people who prefer brown sugar for their coffee. Still, they share the same function, so what makes them different?

They are obviously different in colors. During the process of production, molasses in white sugar are removed, hence the white color. In the other side, brown sugar are known as white sugar with molasses, though nowadays some brown sugar are produced by adding back the molasses into the mix. Brown sugar are said to be moister, so it is highly recommended to consider this fact if you were to bake some cake. If you want to simply add it to your coffee, though, it does not really matter.

So which one is the better substance to sweeten your coffee?

Although many people are of the opinion that brown sugar is a healthier option than white sugar, the truth is that they only have marginally different nutritional values. White sugar is actually 99.9% pure sucrose, while brown sugar is 97% sucrose, 2% water and 1% other substances. A teaspoon of white sugar contains 16 kilocalories, whereas one teaspoon of brown sugar has 17 kilocalories. The molasses in brown sugar contains a number of minerals, which include calcium, potassium, magnesium and iron, but since only very small amounts of these minerals are present in brown sugar, they do not bring any health benefit to the body. It is known that sugar has very little nutrients, and both white sugar and brown sugar do not do much to promote health. The choice between white sugar and brown sugar is a matter of personal preference. While some people prefer to consume brown sugar because of its rich taste, others like the plain sweet taste of white sugar. However, both types of sugar can be detrimental to the body if they are consumed excessively.

excerpt source: http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/nutrition/healthy-eating/myth-or-fact-brown-sugar-is-better-than-white-sugar.html#b 

main image courtesy of sodahead.com

Diazca Adizsa