SUGAR

SUGAR: Most of us can’t get enough of it! It’s in many of our favorite foods as an added: white granulated, white powdered, or sometimes liquified substance. It is also naturally-occurring within whole, or semi-whole, minimally-processed foods. Obtaining naturally-occurring sugar within minimally-processed foods (from a human health perspective) is a much better choice! More about that later.

Looking for ways to cut your sugar intake without sacrificing sweets? Make an appointment with our Nutritionist. Click here to learn more or call us at 1877-773-8485.

Defining what sugar is:

Sugar is a refined or simple carbohydrate. It contains 4 calories per gram and 14.4 calories per level teaspoon. Sugar is used to sweeten foods and beverages, but is also naturally occurring in foods, such as milk and fruit. Our bodies need carbohydrates, or sugars, everyday but it is important that we get them most often in healthier foods such as whole grains, whole fruits, and low-fat dairy products and less often in foods such as sodas, french fries, and desserts.

In the food industry:

Sugar as a processed substance is a sweet crystalline or powdered substance, white when pure, consisting of sucrose obtained mainly from sugar cane and sugar beets and used in many foods, drinks, and medicines to improve their taste. Also referred to as table sugar.

Chemically speaking:

Sugar is categorized as any of a class of water-soluble, crystalline carbohydrates, including sucrose and lactose, having a characteristically sweet taste and classified as either: monosaccharides ( simple sugars) , disaccharides ( complex sugars consisting of 2 monosaccharides bonded together as a macromolecule – often consumed in the human diet ), and oligosaccharides ( which are also complex sugars typically consisting of 3 to 10 monosaccharides bonded together as a macromolecule). [ 11 or more monosaccharides bonded together is considered a complex carbohydrate. ]

The basic chemical structure of a simple sugar is usually written as C6H12O6.

Common sugars in our diet:

Monosaccharide

Fructose ( fruit sugar, high fructose corn syrup )

Glucose ( naturally high content in: grapes, grape juice, bananas, mangos,

and in many refined grain-based foods, such as: white rice, white wheat flour white, white rice flour, brown rice flour )

Galactose ( in milk sugar )

Disaccharides consisting of Monosaccharides:

Sucrose ( table sugar, cane sugar, beet sugar ) Glucose & Fructose

Lactose ( milk sugar ) Galactose & Glucose

Maltose ( malt barley) Glucose & Glucose

Glucose

Glucose sugar is essential to the human brain & body, but too much may be harmful!

Our bodies do need some essential sugar or glucose for proper functioning & energy production within each cell. Glucose is the form of simple sugar that travels in your bloodstream to fuel the mitochondrial furnaces (in each and every cell) that are responsible for muscle movement and brain (neuronal cell) communication. Glucose is the only fuel normally used by brain cells. Because neurons cannot store glucose, they depend on the bloodstream to deliver a constant supply of this precious fuel.

General consensus in the medical & nutritional community state that blood sugar should ideally be obtained & broked down from natural, whole food, plant-based complex carbohydrates. These include (in order of slowly digesting but also reasonably digestible carbohydrates): vegetables, grains, legumes, and fruits. (The only animal foods containing a significant amount of carbohydrates are dairy products.)

Complex vs. Simple Carbohydrates:

Complex carbohydrates are like ‘time-released capsules of sugar’. Simple carbohydrates are more like an ‘injection of sugar’.

Complex carbohydrates tend to be in natural whole or semi-whole foods – and have long chains of sugar molecules that the liver gradually breaks down into the shorter glucose molecules the brain uses for fuel. In natural, minimally-processed foods, the cell walls are made of cellulose fiber that resists digestion, slowing the breakdown and the subsequent release of sugars into the bloodstream, kind of like the way a time-release capsule works. Examples are: whole grains: i.e., brown rice, millet, quinoa, whole wheat; legumes: i.e., black-eyed peas, black beans, green peas, pinto beans, lentils; vegetables: i.e., broccoli, cauliflower, kale, summer & winter squash, etc.

Simple carbohydrates ( sugars) are found in most processed or refined foods and some natural foods. These carbohydrates have short-chained sugar molecules, and because they break apart quickly, enter the bloodstream quickly. Sugary foods–including corn syrup, fruit juices, and honey–contain glucose that is absorbed directly through the stomach wall and rapidly released into the bloodstream, almost as quickly as if delivered by syringe

Low vs. High Glycemic Carbohydrates:

What is the Glycemic Index?

Not all carbohydrate foods are created equal! In fact, they behave quite differently in our bodies. The glycemic index or GI describes this difference by ranking carbohydrates according to their effect on our blood sugar (glucose) levels.

The ranking goes from 1 to 100, with 1 being the lowest effect in raising our blood sugar and 100 being the greatest effect in raising our blood sugar.

Glycemic index of foods [1]

Classification	GI range	Just a Few Examples:
Low GI	55 or less	Fruits : apples, berries, cucumbers, and tomatos (yes, they are fruits!)Vegetables:asparagus, bok choy, broccoli, cauliflower, celery, cucumber, kale,Grains: wild rice; quinoa; whole grain, high fiber(4gms. (+) per serving) hot cereals, i.e.: whole or steel-cut oats or groats, whole barley, etc.;Legumes/pulses: aduki beans, black beans, black-eyed peas, lentils, soybeanDairy:plain milk, plain yogurt, cheese (most)Nuts/Seeds(most): almonds, flaxseeds, pumpkin seeds, walnutsSweeteners: green or white stevia, lo han, xylitol
Medium GI	56–69	Grains: bran (all types), buckwheat grouts, whole grain medium or long brown rice, millet, teff (from Africa)Grain Products: whole wheat pasta, rye bread, pumpernickel breadVegetables: sweet potatoes, yams,
High GI	70 and above	Fruit: bananas; dried fruits, i.e. dates, raisins; melons, i.e. cantaloupe, watermelonVegetables & Vegetable juices:beet juice, carrot juice, white potatoes,Grain products: rice cakes, corn flakes, Rice Krispies, other refined cereals, croissants, wheat bread (was considered lower, before new findings), white bread, white rice, other (low or no fiber)refined grain productsSweeteners: straight glucose (100), high fructose corn syrup, honey, white sugar, brown sugar

Choosing low GI carbs and possibly medium GI carbs ( for athletes & active individuals) – the ones that produce only small to moderate fluctuations in our blood glucose and insulin levels – may be the secret to long-term health – possibly reducing your risk of heart disease and diabetes and may be the key to sustainable weight loss. Choosing high GI carbs may have the opposite effect.

Looking for some recipes for great low-glycemic desserts? Try Guilt Free Desserts.

How to Switch to a Low or Medium GI Diet

The basic technique for eating the low GI way is simply a “this for that” approach – ie, swapping high GI carbs for low to medium GI carbs.

Use breakfast cereals based on whole grains and/or concentrated bran cereals (all types)
Use breads with whole grains, stone-ground flour, sour dough versions
Reduce the amount of potatoes you eat & if you juice carrots &/or beets ( consume in moderation (&/or) mix w/ low GI green juices)
Choose low to med. GI fruit and vegetables
Try to switch from high GI grains to low or medium GI grains: i.e., switch from white bread or white rice to wild rice, quinoa, whole grain brown or Basmati rice, or buckwheat groats
Choose moderate protein, high fiber, and low or no sweetened: packaged products, i.e.: cereals, snack bars, breads
Eat plenty of ‘watery’ or salad vegetables ( i.e.: celery, cucumbers, tomatoes) or salad vegetables with an olive oil / lemon juice (or) vinaigrette dressing

The Problems with Sugar

Too much sugar or refined carbohydrates at one time can actually deprive your brain of glucose as your pancreas, its appropriate release of insulin, & other organ systems try to deal with the excess of blood sugar. This temporary but damaging state of excess sugars can deplete the brain of energy supply and compromise your brain’s power to concentrate, remember, and learn.

Too much sugar or refined carbohydrates can also undermine other bodily systems, including: one of the primary blood sugar regulators in the body, the pancreas. When blood sugars are too high it can cause a state in the body called, hyperglycemia or too much sugar in the bloodstream. Eventually this can lead to ( one of our nation’s worst modern degenerative diseases) Type II diabetes [non-insulin dependent, verses Type I which is usually genetic & requires insulin injections daily.]. Sometimes a person can eat too much sugar & rotate between hyperglycemia and then hypoglycemia ( or too low of blood sugar). Often this over-consumption of sugar can cause a ‘roller-coaster’ pattern in unstable blood sugars. [ Sometimes too high of blood sugar & sometimes too low.] Eventually, this can also lead to pancreatic stress & insulin problems and eventually again to Type II diabetes.

*Many other poor states of health &/or degenerative diseases have been associated with or linked to the excessive consumption of simple sugar ( including all kinds, but especially white refined table sugar); too high of blood sugar; and sugar diseases, (i.e., diabetes). ( Nancy Appleton, PhD, author of the book Lick the Sugar Habit [2] , contributed an extensive list of the many ways sugar can ruin your health from a vast number of medical journals and other scientific publications. ) These include: inflammation ( which may be at the root of other diseases); gastrointestinal imbalances & problems; body fat production; feeding cancer cells; raising: Total & LDL cholesterol; raising triglyceride levels; lowering immunity; along with many others.

Amount of added glucose (sugar) needed &/or allowed in an individual’s daily diet:

Glucose is essential in humans and an RDA has been set at (the low safety end) of at least 50 grams per day. The Brain needs 80 grams of glucose per day. So, some of the brain’s needs would be coming from a process called, gluconeogenesis the body’s breakdown of glucose from amino acids & fatty acids from tissue . [3] That said, most of us need more & desire more than the minimums [ which is very close to starvation or temporary fat-burning mode for energy called, ketosis, ( i.e., as in The Atkins Diet)] Therefore, the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for carbohydrate is set at 130 g/d for adults and children based on the average minimum amount of glucose utilized by the brain. This level of intake, however, is typically exceeded to meet energy needs while consuming acceptable intake levels of fat and protein. The median intake of carbohydrates is approximately 220 to 330 g/d for men and 180 to 230 g/d for women. [4]

Ideally, to choose a more appropriate intake of sugar for optimal health, [ while in non-ketosis or non-fat burning mode], one should begin with total food calories needed/day + lifestyle.

So What’s Your Caloric Limit?

You need to have enough calories every day in order for your body to have the nutrients it needs. How many calories that actually amounts to depends on a variety of factors including your:

Age
Sex
Size
Activity level
Whether or not you are a pregnant or breastfeeding woman
Whether you have a chronic illness

The National Academy of Sciences recommends the following average calorie categories: [4]

1,600 calories – Sedentary women and some older adults

2,200 calories – Children, teenage girls, active women and many sedentary men.

2,800 calories – Teenage boys, active men and very active women

Women who are pregnant may need around 500 calories more per day and an additional 300 calories for breast-feeding.

How Much Can You Feed Your Sweet Tooth?

Sugars found naturally in fruits and milk are not a problem. It’s the added sugars that need to be limited because they provide calories but few vitamins and minerals. You will find sugar-laden food at the top of the Food Pyramid. Added sugars can be found in soft drinks, candy, jams, jellies, syrups and table sugar we add to coffee and cereal. Added sugar can also appear in sweetened yogurt, soups, spaghetti sauces, applesauce and other items where you wouldn’t suspect it unless you check the list of ingredients.

Here are some guidelines for added sugar based on calories in the daily food choices: [4]

1,600 calories – Limit sugar to 6 teaspoons per day or 22 grams per day
2,200 calories – Limit sugar to 12 teaspoons per day or 44 grams per day
2,800 calories – Limit sugar to 18 teaspoons per day or 66 grams per day

So if the food label on your sweetened yogurt says a one-cup serving contains 22 grams of sugar, and your meal plan has 1,600 calories a day, you have eaten your day’s allotment of sugar!

Conclusion: Yes, sugar or more specifically glucose is an essential dietary nutrient either consumed in the diet (and/or) broken down by our body tissue . It is needed by our brain & muscle tissue for communication, energy, & movement; but an excess ( which is common in the S.A.D. { Standard American Diet} can cause and/or exacerbate a variety of health imbalances! As I have mentioned above, there is a variety of factors that go into determining how much & what type of sugars that one should consume in their diet and the dangers of consuming too much!

Probably the healthiest way to consume sugar in the diet is to :

1) Limit the total amount of sugar consumption (especially refined sugar) per day

2) Choose the lower glycemic, higher fiber types of sugar-containing foods or carbs and always add quality protein and ‘good’ fats (i.e. olive oil, omega 3′s) to every meal or snack.

3) Incorporate, perhaps, some of the safer, natural alternative sweeteners (below ) into your diet; and in moderation, some sugar alcohols, which occur naturally in small quantities in fruits and other whole foods. Some examples are: maltitol, sorbitol, and xylitol . These sugar alcohols are metabolized slowly and are not completely metabolized (and therefore also contribute fewer calories to the diet). That is good & bad news! The good news is that they do not raise blood sugar levels significantly; the bad news is that while moving down the intestinal tract, they may cause gastrointestinal discomfort, gas, & possibly diarrhea in higher amounts.

4) *Avoid the non-nutritive, artificial sweeteners, such as: aspartame, acesulfame k., saccharin, sucralose.

*What are non-nutritive, artificial sweeteners?

The use of non-nutritive sweeteners began with the need for cost reduction and continued on with the need for calorie reduction. Since the 1950s, non-nutritive sweeteners have become a weight-loss wonder that allowed us to have our sweets without the calories and cavities. These sweeteners are also referred to as intense sweeteners, alternative sweeteners, very low-calorie sweeteners, and artificial sweeteners. The celebration and consumption of nonnutritive sweeteners came to a halt in the ’70s when cancer ( and other health problem) connections were discovered. To this day, there is a great deal of controversy surrounding the safety of non-nutritive sweeteners. For every compelling positive argument in favor of using these sweeteners, there is an equally compelling negative argument opposing their use. [5]

Natural alternative ( low or no glycemic effect ) sweeteners to ‘refined’ sugars:

Stevia is a highly sweet herb derived from the leaf of the South American stevia plant, which is completely safe (in its natural form). [6]
Lo han (or luohanguo) is another naturally-derived sweetener, but from a fruit. [6]

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References:

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glycemic_index

[2] Appleton N. Lick the Sugar Habit (1996) Avery, 2nd Ed. 272 pp.

[3] http://docdiabetes.com/diabetes-type2/kidneys.html

[4] http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10490&page=265

[5] http://www.medicinenet.com/artificial_sweeteners/page4.htm

[6] http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/04/20/sugar-dangers.aspx