Health Differences Between Raw Sugar Cane & Refined White Sugar

In his report "The Raw Facts on Sugar," ABC's John Stossel found that there is little nutritional difference between raw and refined sugar. The main differences lie in how each is made and marketed.

How Raw Sugar is Made

• According to Michele Foley, a food and cooking expert at Chow.com, both types are made from sugarcane. The cane juice is extracted and then boiled until all the liquid evaporates, leaving molasses-rich crystals behind. These crystals are sold as raw sugar.

How Refined Sugar is Made

• To make refined sugar, Foley writes, these crystals are then dissolved in hot water to make syrup, which is filtered to remove excess plant materials, or molasses, turning the syrup clear. Then it is boiled, evaporated again and spun dry. The result is smaller, white crystals, or granulated sugar.

Health Benefits of Molasses

• Raw sugar contains molasses, which have iron, potassium, magnesium and calcium, but not in significant amounts, according to Stossel. He writes that we would have to eat nine teaspoons of raw sugar to get as much iron as we'd get from one slice of whole-wheat bread.

Caloric Differences

• Calorically, both types of sugar are about the same. In a New York Times article, Anahad O'Connor writes that raw and brown sugars contain 17 calories per teaspoon, and white sugar contains 16 calories per teaspoon.

Environmental Benefits

• Raw sugar may be healthier for the Earth, because less processing means less energy used, fewer waste products and fewer chemicals returned to the environment.