People tell me that they do not use add sugar to their drinks anymore, that they avoid juice and fizzy drinks …But where is all the sugar coming from?
Most people eat sugar in the form of carbohydrate. This can lead to problems like gaining weight, poor diabetes control, overeating, sugar cravings, binge eating.
Let’s star saying that all food contains different amounts of macronutrients meaning proteins, fats and carbohydrates. The carbohydrates get broken down into molecules of glucose, fructose and galactose. These molecules are absorbed by the body and moved from the guts to the blood causing a spike in blood sugar levels.
The most common sources of carbohydrates in our diet are rice, pasta, cereals, flours, food made of flours like bread, fruit juices, fizzy drink, fruit and vegetables.
So the brain identifies the source of the carbohydrate (bread, pasta, rice, cereals, energy bars….) but the body cannot tell the difference. Whether it is a man-made carbohydrate (cereals, pasta ,…) or a natural one like honey (honey is roughly 80% sugar), the body will break it down into glucose, fructose or galactose causing a spike in blood sugar levels.
The take home message is, unless the carbohydrate has a large amount of fibre (non-soluble carbohydrate, stays in the guts and does not get into the blood ) they are likely to cause a spike of blood sugar levels.
This is a problem if you have a sugar addiction or diabetes. In sugar addiction, carbohydrates poor in fibre are more likely to stimulate the brain reward system and override self-control. They might cause cravings. overeating and binge eating. For example, many people find it very difficult to stop eating bread once they start or moderate the consumption of rice, pasta or cakes.
In diabetes overconsumption of carbohydrates can lead to a poor diabetes control, meaning that no matter how much medication patients take , their blood glucose levels are likely to remain high.
If you would like to find out more on the sugar content of food check the Public Health Collaboration sugar infographics https://phcuk.org/sugar/
For a list of vegetables with a high fibre content and less likely to raise sugar levels https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/high-fiber-foods
