When choosing an ingredient to add sweetness to your recipes, you'll find a wide array of options. In addition to artificial sweeteners, you can use different types of sugar to enhance flavors in baked goods and other recipes. Among the options are turbinado, or natural brown sugar, and cane sugar, which is a type of white sugar made from sugar cane. While these two types of sugar are different, their nutritional profiles are quite similar.
Calories
Turbinado and cane sugar have very similar calorie contents, but the former is more calorie-dense. A teaspoon of turbinado contains 20 calories, while an equal-sized serving of cane sugar contains just 15 calories. While this difference is unlikely to be significant when you consume the sugars in such small quantities, it can be significant when you're making a larger recipe. For example, one cup contains 48 teaspoons, so a cup of turbinado provides 240 more calories than a cup of cane sugar, an amount that can be significant.
Carbohydrates
The difference in calories between turbinado and cane sugar lies in the respective carbohydrate content of the two varieties of sugar. Each teaspoon of turbinado provides 5 grams of carbohydrates, while a teaspoon of cane sugar contains 4 grams of carbohydrates. If you're trying to follow a reduced-carbohydrate diet -- which research from the February 2006 edition of "Archives of Internal Medicine" suggests may produce quicker weight loss than a low-fat diet -- turbinado would be the better choice.
Fat
Neither turbinado nor cane sugar contain any dietary fat. Dietary fat is the most calorie-dense nutrient, as each gram contains nine calories; carbohydrates and protein each provide four calories per gram. Dietary fat helps your body absorb vitamins, fuels activities lasting longer than 20 minutes and provides nutrients that aid in blood clotting and brain development.
Protein
Turbinado and cane sugar also lack protein. Protein is another vital nutrient for health, as it contains structural components of cells and tissues known as amino acids. These acids aid in the synthesis and repair of your body tissues and also aid in hormone and enzyme function.
References
- "Archives of Internal Medicine"; Effects of Low-Carbohydrate vs. Low-Fat Diets on Weight Loss and Cardiovascular Risk Factors: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials; A.J. Nordmann et al.; February 2006
- MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia; Dietary Fats Explained; October 2010
- Harvard School of Public Health; The Nutrition Source -- Protein
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