The fiber helps keep blood sugar balanced.

Natural sugar will still impact your blood sugar levels, as any food you eat will. But when sugar is in its whole-food form, meaning it hasn’t been stripped of its fiber, it enters the bloodstream at a slower pace and doesn’t require so much insulin to process it all, so blood sugar rises a normal amount.

On the other hand, refined-sugar ingredients like granulated sugars and syrups don’t have that fiber, so it impacts blood sugar immediately. This is where it gets problematic, because as I mentioned, blood sugar imbalances are associated with a whole host of health conditions.

It comes with extra nutrition.

Refined sugars are generally present in processed foods, which typically are lacking in nutrition. Whole foods containing natural sugar bring with it important vitamins and minerals that help keep your body healthy and protect against disease and infection (more on that below). These nutrients also help your body in the process of digesting your food, so if the food you’re eating is low in nutrients, you are contributing to possible deficiencies.

Refined sugar is linked with cancer.

Refined sugars, on the other hand, have been associated with various cancers, as there really is no benefit to them nutritionally and it’s been found to actually fuel cancer cells that are present in the body

Vitamins and Minerals Commonly Found in High-Sugar Fruit and Other Whole Foods

Eating whole fruits and other foods containing natural sugar is a reward in itself simply for the delicious taste, but these foods come with plenty of incredible nutrients that make eating fruit (or other high-natural-sugar whole foods) worth it. Here are a few of the most important:

• Vitamin C: Our bodies aren’t able to make or store Vitamin C, so it’s very important that we get it from our diet (and not from ascorbic acid pills!) so that it can support our immune system. Citrus fruits are quite high in this vitamin!
• B vitamins: There are several kinds of B vitamins, but in general, they support our energy production as well as nerve function, hormone health, proper detoxification, and formation of red blood cells. You’ll find these vitamins in whole grains and legumes, as well as citrus, bananas, avocados, and cantaloupe.
• Vitamin A: This vitamin is fat-soluble, meaning it is more bioavailable when eaten with a good source of healthy fat. Vitamin A is found in many orange vegetables like carrots, sweet potatoes, and squash. Roast them with coconut oil to absorb more of their nutrients.

The best way to get in all of your required vitamins is to eat a large variety of different colored fruits and veggies.

• Antioxidants: Many fruits, especially the darker berries like blueberries and blackberries, are high in antioxidants, meaning they help fight off free radicals. Not a bad tradeoff for all that sweetness! Some of the vitamins listed above also have antioxidant properties, and you can also find them in whole grains.
• Phytonutrients: Phytonutrients are protective plant chemicals (naturally made). If they protect the plant, they’ll protect you too! For instance, onions, which are naturally sweet, have more phytonutrients the more pungent the flavor is, and tomatoes contain lots of phytonutrients within their seeds.
• Enzymes: Enzymes are what help us properly break down the carbohydrates, fat, and protein in the food we eat. They are absolutely critical for digestion and assimilation, making sure that we get all the nutrients we’re supposed to from our diet.

If you pick something up at the store and eye the nutrition label for the sugar content, make sure you check to see where it’s coming from so you can see if it’s from natural or refined sources, and decide if it serves your health.

3 Min Story That Will Change Your Life: www.bsuccessful.com