There’s nothing that irks me more than hearing someone say “but isn’t there a lot of sugar in bananas?” All sugar is NOT created equal, and it is not all treated the same by your body.

What is Sugar?

Sugar is a type of carbohydrate. Carbohydrates are chains of rings, each ring made of a 6-carbons, with various side chains poking off of them. Sugars are digestible carbohydrates that we can use for energy in our bodies.

Simple Sugar

This is what most of us think of when we hear the term sugar. Simple sugars are very short chains of carbohydrates, or even single 6-carbon rings (like pure glucose), and these are digested and absorbed extremely quickly by our bodies, which is what makes them harmful to our health. Because it’s digested so quickly, it leads to blood sugar spikes that throw your body into a rush of trying to bring it back down with insulin. These spikes and crashes lead to weight gain and other health conditions, and simple sugar offers virtually no health benefits besides calories for energy. Simple sugar can go by many names: cane sugar, high fructose corn syrup, sucrose, among others. This is what makes up table sugar & sugar used in baking, and is found in candy, baked goods and most processed foods.

Natural Simple Sugar

“Natural” sugar like maple syrup, honey, and coconut sugar and metabolized the same way as simple sugar because they are still short-chain carbohydrates, but they are unprocessed and do contain other health benefits like vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, and are a much better sweetener alternative than cane sugar, but should still be used in moderation (like anything!).

Fruit Sugar

This type of sugar is digested completely differently from simple sugar because it’s paired with fiber, another type of carbohydrate. When paired with fiber, the sugar is digested significantly slower, and therefore enters your bloodstream at a more gradual rate, preventing a blood sugar spike and crash. Because it enters your blood so gradually, fruit sugar is a great source of sustained energy because it will keep your blood sugar stable for longer periods of time, keeping you full, energized, and focused. Not only that, but fruit is an absolute powerhouse of important vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and other nutrients that are absolutely essential to health and have been associated with less inflammation, lower weight, lower rates of all chronic diseases, and longer lifespans.

Next time you’re choosing whether or not to eat an apple, the answer is yes!