Neurosurgeon warns shifting from sugar to jaggery or honey doesn't make food safe: ‘All spike sugar the same’
Sugar substitutes such as jaggery and honey can mislead people into thinking they're healthier, according to Dr Katakol. He stresses that they are not.
Sugar is often highlighted as the enemy by those who promote the trend of eliminating it completely from their diet to achieve a healthy lifestyle. In such cases, sugar often gets replaced by ‘natural ingredients’ such as jaggery, dates or honey. But are they the lesser evil?
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According to Dr Prashant Katakol, a neurosurgeon with over 33 years of experience in neuroscience, most people don’t have a sugar problem; they have a justification problem. He highlighted that if we convince ourselves that something that comes from a ‘natural’ source is harmless, it doesn't make it safe.
The dangerous truth about sugar alternatives
In a December 10 Instagram post, Dr Katakol highlighted that no matter the sugar alternative you consume, your metabolism doesn’t care about marketing, culture, or comfort. It only cares about the load you place on it, every single day.
“For years, we’ve replaced sugar with jaggery…jaggery with honey…honey with dates…and somehow believed the story that each one is ‘healthier.’ Here’s the uncomfortable truth: If your blood sugar is still spiking, you’ve only changed the narrative, not the outcome. Your body is not fooled by substitutions. But we often are,” he wrote in the caption.
According to Dr Katakol, if we think that shifting from sugar to jaggery is safe, then we are terribly mistaken. He explained, “Here is the part most people miss: sugar, jaggery, honey, and dates are all concentrated sugars at the end of the day. Your body breaks them down into glucose quickly, almost in the same way.”
He highlighted that all these sugar alternatives have a high glycemic load, high calorie intake, and a spike in sugar that is almost the same. “Dates may look healthy, and jaggery may sound traditional, but both are the same as sugar. Switching away from sugar does not give you the freedom to eat these in excess,” he added.
Here's what actually helps you
1. Limit concentrated sources of sugar.
2. If it is dates, keep it to one a day.
3. If it is jaggery or honey, keep it to less than one teaspoon a day.
4. Eating sweet in its whole-food form.
5. Respecting portions, even when the food looks ‘clean.’
6. Understanding glucose, not labels – removing emotional loyalty from ingredients.
Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.
This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.
