As a biochemist (BYU Professor Emeritus), I would like to make a few comments about simple sugars: sucrose, fructose, and glucose. Specifically, I would like to address the question of When is it bad to eat these simple sugars and when is it okay? Eating sugar (Ill not keep saying simple sugars.) as a natural part of whole food is usually good. This is because sweet, whole foods (namely, fruits like grapes and watermelon) also contain vital nutrients and fiber. Eating sugar that has been artificially added to refined foods, like pastries, soda, and kids breakfast cereal, is usually bad, because you get calories but without the nutrients and fiber. The problem isnt just a matter of too many calories; its a matter of having a fast influx of sugar into the blood stream, causing an abnormal rise in insulin concentration, which then drives the blood sugar level down, and leaves you wanting more sugar. Furthermore, the fast influx of sugar can cause a reaction in the brain that leads to addiction-like symptoms. All of this can make you want to eat more sugar, potentially leading to obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and other health problems. All this means that the intake of candy, cake, ice cream, and other non-whole sweet desserts, and sugary drinks is unhealthy. So should we NEVER eat dessert again? Occasional small desserts are generally not a problem. But, as a recovering sugar addict, I try to avoid such desserts completely. I do, however, occasionally indulge, but I try to take a small helping and then get back to my WFPB diet. If you eat a small dessert, say, once or twice a month, and otherwise stick to a WFPB diet, you should have not problem. What about so-called hidden sugar, as found in some spaghetti sauces, salad dressings, stir-fry sauces, salsas, catchup, and so forth? Some people try to completely avoid these sugars also, which is admirable. I dont. Heres an example and an explanation of why: For dinner tonight, I made stir-fry vegetables with my favorite stir-fry sauce, which has added sugar. Is this a major health problem? No. Heres why. I ate a relatively small amount of the stir-fry sauce as part of a large helping of brown rice and mixed vegetables. With so much nutrients and fiber in the meal and such a low level of sugar, there was no spike in insulin. In fact the rate of uptake of sugar into my blood was lower than if I had eaten some grapes or a banana, and the nutritional value was probably even better. I am not recommending that you eat sugar-added sauces and salsas for every meal. I am simply saying that, if you consume a small amount of sugar with a large helping of whole grains and vegetables, the downside to you health is negligible. What about so-called natural sugars, such as honey, agave, and maple sugar? You should treat those just like you do table sugar. Why? Because although they contain a small amount of vitamins and other nutrients, the vast majority of the calories comes from simple sugars, to which your body reacts the same as it does table sugar. The bottom line is this. Simple sugars are not good or bad per se. Taken in high concentrations, however, they are unhealthy. Taken in low concentration as small part of whole, plant-based food, they are not unhealthy. Sweet dreams.
Posted on: Mon, 29 Sep 2014 02:31:07 +0000
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