Not all sugars are the same

Not all sugars are the same, especially because the foods that contain them have different impacts on dietary balance. For weight management, the priority is to reduce sugary drinks and sweet products.

Focus on weight management

To lose weight, the sugar that should be limited first is not that of whole fruits, but mainly that of sugary drinks, biscuits, cakes, candies, and ultra-processed products. On Instagram, Dr. Jean-Michel Cohen reminds that these products can encourage sugar cravings and easily increase caloric intake.

Understanding free and added sugars

The real issue: free or added sugars. Saying that "not all sugars are the same" does not mean that there would be a magical sugar on one side and a forbidden sugar on the other. At comparable quantities, sugar provides energy. The difference lies mainly in the food context: sugary drinks, biscuits, whole fruits, sweet dairy desserts, or ultra-processed products do not have the same place in the diet.

Public health recommendations

Public health recommendations primarily target free or added sugars. These are found notably in sodas, fruit juices, pastries, biscuits, candies, and numerous ultra-processed products. They often add to foods already dense in calories, easy to consume quickly, and which can take up a lot of space in the day.

Key targets for reduction

In practice, the first targets to reduce are therefore: the sodas and other sugary drinks; the fruit juices, even without added sugars, should be limited rather than consumed as water; the biscuits, cakes, pastries, and candies; the sweet ultra-processed products, often associated with high caloric intake.

Whole fruits should not

On the contrary, whole fruits should not be avoided. They provide essential nutrients and fiber, which support a balanced diet and help regulate sugar intake.