In life, we are familiar with various types of sugar, such as brown sugar, white sugar, and rock sugar. Sugar plays a significant role in our lives and can be found in many foods. However, each type of sugar has its own benefits and uses.
1. Brown Sugar
Brown sugar is unrefined sugar that retains most of the nutrients of sugarcane. It also contains rich trace elements such as iron, zinc, manganese, and chromium.
(1) Warm the body and nourish the stomach
Brown sugar is unrefined and contains iron, which helps restore energy. When you catch a cold or feel fatigued, both men and women can drink some brown sugar water, but the daily intake should not exceed 15 grams.
(2) Nourish the body
Elderly people often have a cold body, weak constitution, rough skin, and decreased hematopoietic function. From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, brown sugar is warm in nature, sweet in taste, and enters the spleen. It has the functions of invigorating Qi, nourishing blood, tonifying the spleen, warming the stomach, relieving pain, promoting blood circulation, and resolving stasis. It is a suitable supplement for the elderly. Moreover, brown sugar is unrefined and retains more vitamins and minerals such as iron, zinc, and manganese. The elderly have an increased demand for various trace elements and vitamins and should pay attention to supplementation in their diet to maintain normal metabolic functions and delay aging. In Okinawa, Japan's longevity prefecture, the elderly have a habit of drinking a cup of brown sugar water every day.
However, brown sugar is warm in nature, so people with a hot constitution should use it with caution as consuming too much may cause dampness and heat. It is also not suitable for young children. In the four seasons, brown sugar should be consumed less in spring.
2. Rock Sugar
In contrast to brown sugar, rock sugar is cool in nature. If brown sugar is suitable for summer and winter, rock sugar is suitable for spring and autumn. In spring, when the weather slowly becomes hot, many people are prone to dry cough and internal heat. If the cough is dry without phlegm, rock sugar can be used. It can clear internal heat and moisturize the lungs. In spring, we have more opportunities to use rock sugar compared to brown sugar.
If you usually like to drink brown sugar water, you can reduce the amount in spring. As brown sugar is warm in nature, it may cause internal heat.
It is not advisable to consume excessive amounts of rock sugar for the general population. Those with high blood pressure, arteriosclerosis, coronary heart disease, pregnant women, and children should consume it in moderation. Diabetic and hyperglycemic patients must avoid it.
3. White Sugar
White sugar is the most common type of sugar that we encounter every day. It is easy to use and inexpensive. It is commonly used as a seasoning, but because white sugar is refined, it contains very few nutrients and mainly serves as a flavoring. Additionally, white sugar contains a large amount of sugar, and excessive consumption can affect health. Sometimes, in dietary health care, we may also use white sugar because it has certain lung moisturizing and heat-clearing effects. However, rock sugar is more effective in clearing lung heat and is the preferred choice when stewing soups.
Hope the above analysis can help you. However, regardless of the type of sugar mentioned above, individuals with high blood sugar or diabetes should avoid consumption.
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