Good Sugars vs. Bad Sugars

If you're participating in our Sugar-Free Challenge, you'll probably want to know why exactly we are cutting added sugars from our diets. It's true that our bodies need sugar to survive, so why are we cutting it out? The truth is that there is a difference between good and bad sugars, and that we are only nixing the bad, or added, sugars from our diets.

Simple sugars from natural sources like fruits or veggies supply glucose that your body uses for energy. You also get vitamins, minerals, proteins, phytochemicals and fiber from simple sugars. But when you consume sugars that have been added to food during processing, cooking, or even at the table, you're also consuming calories with no nutrients or fiber. Read: empty calories.

The more added sugar you consume, the more at-risk you are for weight gain, Type 2 diabetes and heart disease, along with a slew of other medical problems.