People have been advised to disregard the view that honey is an alternative to sugar as honey contains the same amount of sugar that could be found in processed sugar.
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A clinical nutritionist at the Federal Medical Centre, Idi-Aba, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Dr Okunola Oladimeji has warned against excessive intake of sugar, stressing that honey is not an alternative to sugar.
In an interview with a Punch correspondent, Oladimeji, said the carbohydrates food people consume contained enough sugar necessary for the body and there was no need for additional sugar.
“As an adult, when you are over 40 years of age, it is not advisable to be consuming processed sugar either in raw form or inside soft drinks.
“Consuming more sugar than what the body needs can cause added weight, abdominal fat and can also lead to obesity", Oladimeji said.
The clinical nutritionist noted that since carbohydrates contains enough sugar for the body, consuming more could cause excessive damage to the liver.
On the assumption that honey could be used instead of sugar, Oladimeji advised people not to be deceived, stressing that honey contained the same amount of sugar that could be found in processed sugar.
“Some honey in the market even contain more sugar and some people would want to believe that when they take honey, they are using it as an alternative to sugar, this is wrong,” Oladimeji stressed.
He said that people could consume fruits if they must take something to change their taste buds.
“Another problem with processed sugar is that it makes people to be addictive. Some people cannot do without adding sugar to their tea, some even go as far as adding sugar to beans while cooking because they have become addicted to processed sugar.
“If you must take something sweet, fruits can serve as an alternative,” Oladimeji submitted.