Yes, sugar is bad. No redeeming factors. Zero nutritional value. Zero vitamins. Zero minerals. And it is definitely not essential for life.

Sugar only became widely available in the 18th century so in evolutionary terms we are not prepared to process it at all.

But sugar is not just the white stuff you know from small packets in cafes or the granulated sugar you use when baking cakes. Sugar is everywhere: honey, molasses, high-fructose corn syrup, malt syrup, cane syrup, and there are 300 other varieties, so it’s very difficult to avoid. It’s cheap to make and people are addicted to it. According to the World Health Organization, the average global consumption of sugars is about 100 grams per day per person, roughly 10 times as much as your body can safely process. It’s big business ($150 Billions).

To make matters worse, sugars are part of the carb family, and all carbs have the same detrimental effect in the body. So, when you think you’re doing well by choosing products with “no added sugar”, the sugar has been replaced by some other cheap carb and you end up with more sugar than you are led to believe.

To truly limit sugar intake, you have to reduce your intake of all carbs including sugars in fruit, grains, and starchy vegetables.