Natural Sugars

Natural sugars are usually found in nutrient-rich foods. Two popular examples we mentioned earlier were the disaccharide lactose in dairy and the monosaccharide fructose in fruit. Our bodies break down natural and refined sugars into identical molecules. However, natural sugars are usually in foods that have other beneficial nutrients. For example, apart from fructose, fruits also have fiber and a variety of vitamins, minerals, and other beneficial compounds.  Fiber helps to slow down the entrance of digested sugars into our bloodstreams. This makes us less likely to have blood sugar spikes after eating foods with natural sugars.

Similarly, lactose in dairy is naturally packaged with other nutrients like proteins and varying levels of fat which help to prevent blood sugar spikes.  So nutrient-rich foods make a greater contribution toward our daily nutrient needs than foods rich in refined sugars.