Sugar

Sugar, Sugar, Baby

Types of Sugar

If you didn’t get the ‘Ice, Ice, Baby’ reference from the title, I am either officially too old or you are uncultured.

I’m kidding…kind of. Anyways, the title says it all. This blog is ALL about sugar! No, not kisses – I know it’s close to Valentine’s Day and all, but we’re talking about the substance that makes everything in your diet a little sweeter.

Our Nutrition Specialist Laney Bishop brings her A-game every time she brings one of her nutrition topics to the table, and I couldn’t help but share it here.

Why is this blog beneficial to you? Well, Laney breaks down the scientific aspect of sugar so you can make your own decisions about your diet instead of just going with what doctors or the internet says. She wants to equip you with the knowledge to make decisions on your own for your body!

3 Groups of Sugar

Fructose

Natural fructose examples include fruit and vegetables. Unnatural fructose examples include candy or anything with high fructose corn syrup.

Fructose being present in fruit is different because of the fiber and nutrients that cause your body to have a different response to the fructose in terms of blood sugar.

Fructose in candy will have a different reaction in your body because of the additives that are in the product.

The unique thing about fructose is that it is stored in the liver. This means it isn’t absorbed into your muscles or blood stream.

Fructose

Fructose does not affect your insulin; however, it does affect your liver. If fructose is not used it is stored in the liver to create fatty acids and lactate. This can cause fatty liver which can lead to diabetes, high blood pressure, and obesity.

One common misconception is that fructose in fruit and other products like candy are different. This is a grey area because they are different in terms of bodily reactions and ‘healthiness’. However, the molecule fructose is the exact same in fruit and candy.

The big takeaway I want you to see here is fruit has extra nutrients that we need to live and thrive because that’s how God intended it, candy does not.

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Glucose

Glucose is mainly bread, carbs, white bread, white rice, white potatoes. This just means there is glucose in these items – it’s not their entire makeup.

Glucose is stored in your muscles and goes through your blood stream. It metabolizes as energy – one of the biggest differences between glucose and fructose.

Glucose also affects your insulin levels. This spikes your blood sugar the most which is why many diabetics can’t have glucose. It has the highest blood sugar response you can have – 100 on the glycemic index.

Bread

In the grand scheme of all the bad diseases and health problems you can have – diabetes, high blood pressure, cancers, etc., – both glucose and fructose in high amounts lead there eventually.

Let me say that again, in HIGH amounts, not moderation. If you consume these in moderation it’s not going to spike you to becoming a diabetic.

Glucose will get you there through blood sugar response and insulin resistance.

Fructose will get you there through fatty liver and high blood pressure.

The main problem we face as Americans is that we consume excess amounts of these sugars in our foods daily.

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Sucralose

This is a 50/50 makeup of glucose and fructose. The most common example is table sugar.

My biggest recommendation when it comes to sugar is to steer clear from added sugar. Get your sugar from natural sources – fruit and carbs.

Table Sugar

Many people eat added sugars in every meal – not just a sweet treat – throughout the day which adds up over time.

When you indulge in a sweet treat, try using natural sweeteners like cane sugar, honey, or maple syrup.

Overall, just watch your sugar intake. Moderation is always key which can be hard because we live in a world where there’s additives in EVERYTHING!

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So, this will take some effort to cut out the sugars where you can. BUT, now you are equipped to make your own decisions about sugar and when you should cut some of it out.

If you enjoy talking nutrition and would want to talk with Laney personally, I have great news for you. When you join Steel, nutrition calls with Laney are included!

Vestavia