The Sweet Truth of Sugar

I once was talking to an elderly man who was recently diagnosed with type II diabetes. While he wasn’t my patient, he proceeded to tell me about his diabetes diagnosis and how it would forever impact his diet. While that outlook is true, what he said next really threw me for a loop. He proclaimed, “I’ll NEVER get to eat an orange again!” It kind of blew my mind that this man, believed that an orange would be the devil in his diabetes management and sabotage any chance he had at regulating his blood sugar. This is just one of the many instances I’ve observed in the confusion around sugar and foods high in sugar.

So let’s breakdown sugar! There are sugars that naturally occur in foods and sugars that are added to foods (think processed, packaged, baked, etc). When it comes to sweeteners that are added to foods, those are broken down to nutritive (table sugar, honey, agave, corn syrup, etc) and nonnutritive sweeteners (alternative sweeteners that provide little to no calories: aspartame, sucralose, stevia, etc). While things may already be sounding complicated, I’m going to keep this short, SWEET, and straight to the point.

Sugar intake is best consumed in foods containing it naturally. For example, let’s take a banana. A medium banana has ~14g of sugar. If you took that number and matched it up to two fun size candy bars (it’s Halloween time, so just creepin it real), you could find similar amounts of sugar. However, that is where the similarities end. The banana, is packed with potassium, fiber, and other antioxidants. The fiber helps slow the digestion of sugar, keeping your body fueled with steady energy. The fun size candy bars on the other hand, offer little to no additional benefits and only provide you with a spike (and crash) of energy. The differences between these two foods and how they affect blood glucose levels is known as glycemic index (GI). The higher the GI, the greater the spike in blood glucose. So while Halloween candy is delicious, the sugar content of a banana shouldn’t be a reason to choose Halloween candy instead. Enjoy your candy but know it is a treat, not food that is going to fuel you in any way. I’m a firm believer of making all my favorite foods fit into my lifestyle, so balance is key.

I wouldn’t be a realistic nutrition coach if that is where I ended this post. I eat added sugar and I’m sure you do too. Depending on the day, you likely have heard one form of added sweeteners is better than the other. Personally, I’m guilty of indulging in all of them from time to time. The key is moderation! When it comes to the sustainable energy we were discussing, agave syrup scores with a much lower GI vs table sugar. Honey and maple syrup are on the higher middle range for GI, but still lower than table sugar. However, I share this with caution! Even though these more natural alternatives may be more gentle in regards to blood sugar spikes, at the end of the day they are all “added sugar.” It's definitely not a free pass to load up your tea with honey, pancakes with maple syrup, or oatmeal with agave—- just because it’s not table sugar. They all are around the same calories and offer no additional nutrients or antioxidants. When consumed in excess, you are still putting yourself at risk for obesity, diabetes, or other health issues— much like anything in excess.

The best advice I can give is to be mindful of the amount of added sugar you are eating or adding to your foods. Start small if you are one who is already in the habit of consuming copious amounts of sugar filled foods. Read labels of your packaged foods, like cereal or protein bars, and be mindful of choosing options that have less added sugar. Try giving up soda, reducing the amount of sweetener you add to your coffee, or cutting back to one sweet treat per day. Little changes can make a big impact! This will ultimately, help you maintain sustainable energy, regulate your blood sugar, and manage your weight. You can do it!