If you are focusing on a healthy diet, it is hard not to think about sugar. You do not have to cut out sugar altogether. The key to a healthy sugar intake is to know the difference between natural and refined sugar.

Natural sugar is sugar that occurs in a food source without additives. Naturally recurring sugar is found in food such as dairy products, fruit or carbohydrates. When we think of sugar our first thought includes fruit, but natural sugar occurs in starchy vegetables, brown rice, whole grain pasta and cheese.

Refined or processed sugar should be limited. It includes sugar-enhanced products such as candy, cookies, sodas and smoothies.

According to dietary sources, the daily consumption amount of sugar for a 2,000-calorie diet is 37 grams for men and 25 grams for women. This translates into six teaspoons for women and eight for men.

Added sugar is not in food naturally and is added in products that include soda, yogurt, smoothies, candies and cakes. The problem with added sugar is the increased calories without nutritional benefits. Almost half of the added sugar in the daily diet comes from sweetened beverages, sodas and fruit drinks. Added sugar can also be found in the ingredients on food labels and some of them include brown sugar, corn syrup, sugar, syrup and molasses. Foods with added sugar should be eaten in moderation.

While sugar is not considered to be carcinogenic (cancer-causing), over-consumption of sugar and processed added sugar can add additional caloric intake which contributes to obesity. Obesity is considered a primary risk factor for cancer. There is no evidence that sugar makes cancer cells grow faster. Sugar stimulates the production of fatty acids in the liver. With digestion, fatty acids can contribute to compounds that trigger inflammation. There can be occurrences that cause inflammation such as fatigue, weight gain and body pain to name a few.

The overabundance of sugar can have long-term effects on the body which can include obesity, tooth decay and diabetes. Tooth decay is frequently caused by sugar because bacteria that cause cavities use sugar as a catalyst. Drinking sugary drinks adds a lot of calories but does not result in feeling full. Candy, cookies, cakes, other processed sweets, and sodas can contain approximately 30 grams of added sugar which is over the recommendation for daily consumption.

Artificial sweeteners may seem healthier because they do not contain sugar but they are more likely to make you hungrier and eat more throughout the day. The worst artificial sweeteners are sucralose, aspartame, and saccharin because the sugar substitutes are manufactured in a lab. Other sweeteners to avoid include high fructose corn syrup, brown rice syrup and agave.

The best alternative sweeteners are honey, coconut sugar and maple syrup. Honey is a healthy alternative because the liquid is made from bees visiting flowering plants.

Raw unpasteurized honey contains trace amounts of B vitamin and the minerals, iron, manganese and potassium.

Another benefit is that the taste is sweeter with a lesser addition to satisfy the taste buds.

Maple syrup comes from the sap of maple trees and adds antioxidants of trace amounts of manganese and zinc. Coconut sugar is made by boiling down and dehydrating the sap of coconut palm flowers.

Drinks containing high volumes of sugar are Mountain Dew (20 ounces or 18 and one-half teaspoons of sugar), Icee (74 grams), Coke (65 grams), sweet tea (42 grams).

Live, love life and enjoy sugar in moderation.