If you love to make your morning coffee into a sweet treat every morning, you probably have a preferred form of sweetener that you reach for regularly. While there are many options to choose from, a lot of those options can unfortunately negatively impact your health, especially if you consume them on a regular basis. When it comes to some of the worst options out there, health experts warn against both refined sugar and artificial sweeteners in particular.
To learn more about how these popular options may be contributing to weight gain and other health issues, we spoke to Rachel Scott, co-founder and medical practitioner at National TASC, and Krutika Nanavati, registered dietitian and nutritionist. Find all of their expert insight below.
Refined sugar
Many people love adding a spoonful (or two, or three) of good old-fashioned refined sugar to their morning cup of joe. However, Scott warns that this (along with other harmful coffee ingredients) can have major negative effects on your overall health and should especially be avoided if you're trying to lose weight.
"Refined sugar is those that came from natural sources but underwent processing to strip off other healthy ingredients and left only with the sugar part," she explains. In addition to granulated white sugar, corn syrup is another example of one type of refined sugar.
When you consume this type of sugar, Scott explains that the spike in blood sugar it induces can lead to weight gain over time. "The bad thing about refined sugar is that the body is able to metabolize and break them down rapidly so it causes a spike in blood sugar levels," she tells us. "In turn, there is an overproduction of insulin. If this continues, your body will have insulin resistance which can lead to diabetes and other heart diseases. This can also cause you to have a hard time in losing weight." For this reason, it's best to limit your intake of refined sugar as much as possible.
You can learn more about what too much sugar can do to your health here.
Artificial sweeteners
If you're looking to cut out sugar, you may think that artificial sweeteners make a healthier option. Unfortunately, Nanavati tells us that this isn't necessarily true. In fact, artificial sweeteners can add to fat accumulation in their own ways.
"One of the most significant effects of artificial sweeteners is inflammation and weight gain," Nanavati notes. She explains that this can have a negative impact on your metabolism and lead to belly fat over time: "By increasing the amount of glucose in the blood, these sweeteners can cause the body to store more fat, leading to an increase in weight."
In addition to this direct effect, it's also worth noting that artificial sweeteners can increase your cravings for sweet food (including kinds with real sugar), which means you're much more likely to overindulge on unhealthy treats—and we all know that can seriously thwart your weight loss goals.
Find more info about the health risks of artificial sweeteners here.
The bottom line
At the end of the day, we're only human, and we all have our cravings—it's only natural to get a hankering for a sweet treat every now and then. However, if you're trying to lose weight, it's important to choose healthy, whole, natural foods. And that means cutting back on refined sugar and artificial sweeteners as much as possible. Luckily, there are plenty of natural options to choose from; take a look at some of the best ones here.
READ MORE: Why Women Who Eat These Foods Have A Slower Metabolism
