A bit about Sugar

When you eat complex carbohydrates like whole grains, vegetables, beans or lentils, or simpler carbohydrates such as fruit, the body does exactly what it is designed to do. It digests these foods and gradually releases their potential energy. What is more, all the nutrients that the body needs for digestion and metabolism are present in those whole foods. Such foods also contain a less digestible type of carbohydrate, classified as fibre, which helps keep the digestive system running smoothly. All forms of concentrated sugar - white sugar, brown sugar, malt, glucose, honey and syrup - are fast releasing, causing a rapid increase in blood sugar levels. If this sugar is not required by the body it is put into storage, eventually emerging as fat. Most concentrated forms of sugar are devoid of vitamins and minerals, unlike the natural stores such as fruit. White sugar has around 90 per cent of its vitamins and minerals removed. Without vitamins and minerals our metabolism becomes inefficient, contributing to poor energy and poor weight control. Fruit contains a simple sugar called fructose, which needs no digesting and can therefore enter the bloodstream quickly, like glucose or sucrose. However unlike them it is classified as slow releasing. This is because the body cannot use fructose as it is, since the cells run only on glucose. As a result the fructose first has to be converted by the body into glucose, which effectively slows down this sugar's effect on metabolism. Lactose, milk sugar, is similar. It is made up of a glucose and galactose. The glucose is fast releasing while the galactose is slow releasing. Some fruit, such as grapes and dates, also contain pure glucose and are therefore faster releasing. Apples, on the other hand, contain mainly fructose and so are slow releasing. Bananas contain both and therefore raise blood sugar levels quite speedily. Refined carbohydrates such as white bread, white rice and refined cereals have a similar effect to refined sugar, while oats are more complex and their release of sugar is slower. The process of refining or even cooking starts to break down complex carbohydrates into simple carbohydrates called malt (offically maltose), in effect predigesting them. When you eat simple carbohydrates you get a rapid increase in blood sugar level and a corresponding surge in energy. The surge, however, is followed by a drop as the body scrambles to balance your blood sugar level.