The benefit of living in an
industrialized society like the USA is that we do not have to hunt or gather
our food, like our ancestors did. We rely on major food industries to provide
items to fulfill our daily energy intake requirement, hopefully with our best
interest in mind. Driven by our inherent and intense desire for a palatable
meal, our food supply has been shaped to satisfy our needs. Interestingly, it
appears that we are “preprogrammed” to have a sweet tooth as studies involving
infants show they prefer a sweeter meal versus a bland or bitter one. One way
the food industry has responded to our innate food preferences is through the
realm of processed foods. Processing food has its benefits and drawbacks;
however, food companies typically consider their financial gain in front of
human health. Therefore, they create foods that will sell and entice people to
crave more. One way they have successfully done this is give us what we
inherently want: Sugar.
Although it
may not be apparent, sugar is found nearly in every food. When people think of
sugar they typically think of that white granulated substance in the kitchen
cupboard. Although this is true, sugar comes in many forms and is digested
differently depending on the form. In essence, all carbohydrate is sugar.
Specifically, complex sugars from the diet are made up of long strings of
glucose molecules, which is the most basic and abundant sugar found in the
body. Complex sugars are typically found in many whole, unprocessed products
such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and whole wheat. On the contrary, table
and milk sugar are considered simple sugars because they only contain 2 linked
molecules instead of many as in the complex form. Simple sugars are typically added
to many foods including soda, candy, cereal, and yogurt. Because of the structural
differences, complex sugars take more energy (burn more calories) and time for
the body to completely digest and process compared to simple sugars. Therefore,
consuming 40 grams of simple sugar (such as the sugar in one 12 oz can of soda)
compared to 40 grams of complex sugar (such as in a medium sized potato) will
require less energy from you (in calories) and time to digest. Although you burn
more calories eating complex compared to simple sugar, this is not a weight
loss solution. The main reason I mentioned the energy requirement and
processing time regarding simple and complex sugar is to set up my next point
about its implications in health and disease.
Since the
time it takes to digest and process simple sugar is significantly shorter than
complex ones, simple sugar becomes available to your body at a much quicker
rate. This leads to a significant increase in blood sugar concentrations over a
short period of time. On the contrary, complex sugars take longer to process
resulting in a progressive increase in blood sugar levels. Interestingly, our body
has a number of mechanisms set in place to regulate blood sugar concentrations,
especially when there are spikes in simple sugar consumption. However, these
mechanisms can only be taxed for so long before the body begins to fail at
controlling blood sugar concentrations. As we all know, one of the most common
and debilitating diseases affecting the world’s population is diabetes. In the
case of type 2 diabetes, our body loses its ability to maintain proper blood
sugar levels typically due to lifestyle factors such as diet. As stated
previously, our diet is shaped by our inherent desire for a palatable meal
which in turn leads producers to create foods we will buy. Most of the foods we
all love are processed and contain a ton of added simple sugars. Processing in
itself removes complex sugars, including fiber (yes fiber is an indigestible
sugar), leaving more simple forms. Thus, our food supply has been shaped to not
only provide more calories per serving but also provide an avenue to promote
greater fluctuations in blood sugar. Although this creates a major problem for
individuals with issues controlling blood sugar concentrations, such as those
with diabetes, people without diabetes are not in the clear. Diabetes
(specifically type 2) takes years to develop; therefore, monitoring what you
eat as a preventative measure will help limit your chances of developing
uncontrolled blood sugar concentrations.
So then the
next question you may ask is: what should I eat to limit my simple sugar
intake? The easiest way to reduce your simple sugar intake is to eat more
unprocessed foods such as fruits and vegetables. Although it is fairly cliché
to state this, this is one of the many reasons whole, unprocessed fruits and
vegetables are good for you: no added sugar. Moreover, most unprocessed animal
products do not have added sugar (not including cold cuts and some ground
meats). Also, increasing your intake of whole grain and whole wheat products will
help as they are less processed and refined (i.e. they have more fiber and
complex sugars). In my personal opinion, it is nearly impossible to escape
added sugar. I also do not believe that people should drive themselves insane
by restricting themselves to bland, unpalatable foods and stray away from
processed foods. However, if you have a decision among certain processed
products, here are my suggestions. If sugar has been added to the product,
which is most likely simple sugar, it will be listed on the ingredients label
provided by the manufacturer. The higher it is on the list, the greater the
amount was added to the food. The total sugar content listed on the label in
grams may not be accurate because food naturally contains sugar (i.e. milk
sugar) and may not be a proper gauge for added sugar. If a food item has a
whole grain or whole wheat alternative (i.e. rice or bread), try to select one
of these instead of a more processed one (i.e. white rice or white bread). Lastly,
if you are reluctant to change habits or do not like the taste of alternative
products, try to consume your high sugar products with a meal. Due to reasons I
will not delve into, consuming a mixed meal will help reduce the drastic
changes in blood sugar levels when these products are consumed alone (i.e. soda
or candy).
Please let
me know if you have any questions or would like anything explained further. If
you have a question, others most likely have the same one so don’t be shy.
Also, let me know if there is a topic that you would like me to cover next.
Till next time…
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