HEALTHY LIFESTYLE ARTICLE

FEATURED ARTICLE:

THE SHAKEDOWN ON SUGAR!

It’s not your fault you love sugar so much!! Did you know that humans are born with an innate taste for sugar? Though it comes back to get us later, there is a good reason for this design. Sugar is made up of mono—and disaccharides, which are the most basic carbohydrates that provide fuel for our cells. In other words, our cells do use these sugars as their main source of fuel. However, the problem lies in how much our cells truly need. Since these sugars are contained in any food that contains carbohydrates, this includes not only fruits or foods with added sugars, but also bread, pasta, and other grains. Even vegetables have some carbohydrate in them. Carbohydrates are converted into the simplest sugar, glucose, and then circulated to all of our cells. Excess glucose is converted into glycogen and stored for later use in the liver and muscles. When glycogen stores are full, glucose is instead converted to fat. This is a simple explanation of how eating or drinking too much sugar, even in the form of complex carbs, can make us fat. These fat stores are then only used as reserve fuel, when there is no glucose or glycogen for the body to burn.

There is a difference in types of carbohydrate, however. Simple carbohydrates are made up of one or two sugar molecules linked together, and are broken down and absorbed by the body quite quickly. These include sugars that end in the suffix—ose such as sucrose (table sugar) and lactose (milk sugar). Simple carbohydrates include any foods with added sugar such as baked goods or foods made with white flour, such as white pasta, bread, or crackers. Eating simple sugars causes a sharp spike in blood sugar levels, which can provide a boost of energy, but often lead to mood swings or energy “crashes”. It is important to read labels to look for added sugar, which can be labeled in many different ways. Some names you might find on a food label include sugar, raw sugar, cane juice, sucrose, glucose, lactose, maltose, fructose, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, molasses, brown sugar, maple syrup, maple sugar, honey, levulose, or dextrose. Some sugars are believed to be “healthier” than others, such as honey or maple syrup. It is true that these sweeteners may be slightly more nutritious because they contain some other nutritious properties, but the bottom line is that the sweet parts of these products break down to simple sugars all the same, and can contribute to excess weight gain and spikes in blood sugar just like table sugar. Fruit contains high amounts of fructose, but is a little bit better because the fiber in the fruit slows the absorption of the sugar.

High fructose corn syrup has been especially controversial lately. It is a concentrated sugar syrup extracted from corn that contains two times the amount of calories per tablespoon as a tablespoon of regular table sugar. Corn is also one of the biggest commodities in our food system, and is highly subsidized by our government. This means that the government pays corn farmers to grow more corn, thus pushing the value of corn way down. This then causes a great excess of cheap corn in our market, and forces the food industry to look for alternative ways to use up all this corn. Since it is cheap, it is the perfect sweetener to add to almost any processed food. There are many commercials on TV lately touting that HFCS doesn’t contain artificial ingredients. This may be true in the most basic way, but the process of making it does cause it to come in contact with artificial ingredients, so whether it does or doesn’t contain them at the time of consumption is questionable. The process of making HFCS involves raising the fructose level of regular corn syrup. There is question about whether a diet high in fructose could lead to leptin resistance, which is a hormone in the body that helps to control appetite. The jury is still out on whether this sweetener is especially detrimental to our health, or if we just consume way too much of it since it is the main sweetener in regular soda and many other processed foods.

A complex carbohydrate is made up of many sugars linked together and is usually thought of as a “starch” in the diet. These include such foods as whole grains, whole grain bread and pasta, beans, nuts, sweet potatoes and other starchy vegetables. Complex carbohydrates contain other substances such as nutrients and fiber, which slows the digestion of these carbs. Fiber is also a carbohydrate, but is indigestible to the human body, so mainly serves as a bulking agent, helping you feel full longer and assisting in regularity. Fiber also slows the digestion and absorption of sugar, thus keeping blood sugar levels more stable. Therefore, these carbohydrates are the better choice to include in your diet, because they are naturally occurring in foods along with many vitamins, nutrients, and fiber.

There are also many alternative sweeteners on the market today, luring us in with their promise of a sweet taste without the calories. Two types of alternative sweeteners are sugar alcohols and non-caloric artificial sweeteners. Artificial sweeteners (key word: ARTIFICIAL!) include saccharin, aspartame, acesulfame-K, and sucralose. They are synthesized sweeteners originally created as a sugar substitute for diabetics. However, they are used today by so many people trying to avoid the calories of sugar. Calories may be avoided, but some believe that the artificial sweetness satisfies the taste buds, but leaves the brain unfulfilled and craving more sweetness. There is also many questions about the long-term chemical safety of these sweeteners.

Sugar alcohols are newest on the market today and include sweeteners that end in the suffix—ol. They are naturally occurring sugars in fruits and vegetables that are now being used as alternative sweeteners. They include maltitol, sorbitol, xylitol, mannitol, erythritol, and isomalt. These do contain calories, but less so than regular sugar because they are absorbed by the body slowly and incompletely. Therefore, they do not cause the spike in blood sugar that regular sugar does. However, side effects of sugar alcohols include gas and abdominal discomfort. Some people experience laxative effects from them as well. Stevia is also being used a lot as an alternative sweetener. It is a shrub from South America that has been used by natives for centuries as a sweetener. Stevia is practically calorie free and is much sweeter than sugar. However, it is currently only sold as a dietary supplement and is not approved as a sweetener by the FDA due to concerns about possible toxicity when consumed in very large amounts.

So which sweeteners are best? Should we cut out sugar from our diets altogether? Is this even possible? What about the cravings? What about that birthday party? Well, the answer isn’t cut and dry since some people seem to have a better tolerance for sugar than others. Moderation is probably the key to eating sugar, but some people find it hard to be moderate with sugar consumption. Probably the best situation would be to consume all sugars as part of complex carbohydrates included in a healthy diet, and not eat any added sugars whatsoever. Since excess sugar in the diet contributes directly to excess weight gain, cutting out soda or other sugary products from the diet can have a profound impact not only on weight, but also contributes to better and more even energy levels, cuts down on tooth decay, and lowers risk for diabetes and other obesity and diet-related diseases.

To get you started here are some tips to help cut down on sugar cravings:

• Drink lots of water.
• Eat balanced meals with sufficient protein and include healthy snacks so you never get too hungry or end up with low blood sugar.
• Cut back on caffeine, which can trigger a drop in blood sugar.
• Get regular exercise.