We have long been warned that eating too much sugar is bad for our health and our teeth.
But diet guru Professor Tim Spector has warned so-called ‘healthier’ alternatives such as honey and brown sugar are just a ‘gimmick’.
Speaking in a video on social media, he said the only difference between a squeeze of honey and a sprinkling of white sugar is the ‘steep price’.
Both products will cause your blood sugar to rise, teeth to rot and you to pile on the pounds, he adds.
Instead, the top nutrition expert and founder of the ZOE diet app suggests opting for traditional white sugar, which won’t break the bank.
Diet guru Professor Tim Spector warns so-called ‘healthier’ alternatives such as honey and brown sugar are just a ‘gimmick’
In the TikTok video, which has almost 6,000 views, Professor Spector claims that many alternatives to sugar are not any better.
He said: ‘Manufacturers are always trying to disguise the fact they’ve added sugar to our products with over 200 different names for sugar that we don’t recognise.
‘In the shops we are being given alternatives to sugar that people are telling us are healthier.’
But there is one difference and that is the price.
He added: ‘But I can tell you there are actual differences between sugar and these other modern alternatives, it’s their effective on your wallet.
‘Some of these are six or seven times more expensive.’
For example, a 340g bottle of squeezy honey costs about £3 in Tesco, but white sugar is £2.15 for 2kg.
Speaking in a video on social media, he says the only difference between a squeeze of honey and a sprinkling of white sugar is the steep price difference
‘Take any of these whether it is you coconut sugar, honey, maple syrup or these brown looking types of sugar, in all its different forms, molasses etc have no benefits in terms of your sugar peaks,’ he said.
That’s because even though the sugar is less processed in some of the products, the chemical sugar structure is identical.
This means it still counts towards your daily intake of free sugars and can lead to extreme blood sugar spikes and drops.
The NHS recommends adults do not eat more than 30g of free sugars a day — around seven teaspoons a day.
This includes white sugar and honey, but sugars found naturally in milk, fruit and vegetables do not count as free sugars, the NHS explains.
Eating any sugary food or carbohydrate can cause your blood sugar level to rise.
After you have eaten, your body breaks down carbohydrate into sugar molecules called glucose.
This is then absorbed into your blood and taken to muscles and cells in your body and used as energy, the excess is stored in liver, muscle or fat cells.
However, blood sugar spikes happen when your blood sugar rises and then sharply falls.
Although it is normal for your blood sugar to rise after you eat, if you regularly have large blood sugar spikes, your risk of developing heart disease and type 2 diabetes increases.
High blood sugar levels can also damage your blood vessels and lead to serious heart complications, according to Diabetes UK.
But, professor Spector admits there could be one good reason to buy more expensive honey.
He said: ‘There are some benefits of honey for example, but it’s not in that way it’s only when you take it to try and reduce your cough and all these other gimmicks are simply that.
‘If you want to save money and make things sweeter, stick to sugar.’
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