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Sugar: Meethi meethi baatein

It is the time of cheeni kum…coz I see busy executives and all those white collared having either...

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Sugar Meethi meethi baatein

It is the time of cheeni kum…coz I see busy executives and all those white collared having either sugarless tea or with one pellet of say Sugar Free? Why has it come to this situation that the labourers still stick to their three/four teaspoons of sugar in a cutting chai and we say no to sugar? That’s why I say, the quantity of sugar in your tea (coffee) is inversely proportional to your status. 

Ever wondered what exactly sugar is? Sugars are simple carbohydrates, such as glucose, fructose, lactose, or sucrose, produced naturally and commonly found in fruit, milk, and sugar cane. Sucrose is the sugar that is commonly sold in the markets, as it is easily extracted from sugar cane. The juice of sugar cane is evaporated under vacuum, and crystallized. The remaining liquid is known as molasses. 

Sugar could be a life saviour when it comes to oral rehydrating or in intravenous solutions. Sugar gives us energy and what will be life without meetha? The gulab jamuns, barfis, pedas, laddoos, modaks, halwas…you can say let the sugar substitutes rule but not everything is possible with substitutes! How do you get the sugar coating on shakkar paras or how do you make sugar paste for cakes? Would jams and marmalades be possible without sugar? Sugar not only makes the jam a jam but also prevents growth of micro organisms and acts as a preservative. Another important function of sugar is that of stabilizing. Making meringue? Sugar has a stabilizing effect on egg white foam without destroying its structure. And well, Gujaratis would not be satisfied with some preparations if sugar (or gur) is deleted from them! 

Sugar is not just a sweetener. It has its own flavour and texture that makes soft drinks, cakes, tomato sauce, baked beans and confectionery what they are. Jaggery or gur is a form of sugar and so are the white and brown sugar cubes. You can get a variety of sugars:

  • Demarara (Brown) Sugar
  • Castor/caster Sugar
  • Icing Sugar
  • Muscovado Sugar
  • Powdered (confectioner's) Sugar

Excessive consumption of sugar has been associated with increased incidences of type 2 diabetes, obesity and tooth decay. I say, get your doctor or dietician to give you an upper limit for your daily quota of sugar and then stick to it! 

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