SHOULD YOU QUIT SUGAR?

No doubt about it, eating large volumes of sugar on a daily basis is a one-way ticket to health problems.

But does that mean you need to ‘quit’ all sugar, altogether? We don’t think so. Rather, we suggest understanding the impacts of different sugars on the body, and the quality of the ‘food package’ in which they appear.

Here are a few key concepts that will help you to understand sugars a bit better:

Quality of the sugar - Glycaemic index (GI)

GI is often used to rank the ‘health value’ of a sugar. It is a measurement of how quickly a sugar, or food containing sugar, is absorbed into the bloodstream after eating. Sugars that are low GI, with a score of <55, are absorbed slower into your bloodstream, keeping your energy levels stable over a few hours, and prevent sugar cravings later in the day. High GI sugars, with a score of >65, have the opposite effect – they send your blood glucose levels skyrocketing. In response, your pancreas releases insulin, which brings your glucose levels right back down, in an almost ‘rollercoaster effect’, wreaking havoc on your mood and energy levels. High GI sugars can also trigger the release of cortisol, a stress hormone, that together with insulin can encourage body fat storage.

Fructose (aka fruit sugar), has a low GI score of 23. Lactose (aka milk sugar), has a low GI score of 42. Coconut sugar is on the borderline with a GI of 54. Refined sugars such as rice malt syrup and white sugar have high GI scores of 99 and 65 respectively.

Quality of the ‘food package’

Rarely do we eat sugar in isolation. Sugars are usually consumed as a naturally occurring component of food, or added to food via cooking or manufacturing. In addition to looking at the quality of the sugar (i.e. the GI), other nutrients within this food (or lack thereof), the percentage of total sugars compared to other ingredients, and the degree of processing the food has undergone, can help to dictate whether it is a healthy option or not.

For example, fructose, when consumed as a piece of whole fruit, can offer you fibre for gut health and lowering cholesterol, vitamin C to ward off winter colds, potassium to lower blood pressure, and antioxidants for overall wellbeing. However, despite being low GI, processed fruit straps containing concentrated fruit sugar (fructose) - and little else from the whole fruit - offer little nutritional value. Processed fruit juices are another example of fructose in an ‘less healthy’ context, with over 10 teaspoons of fruit sugar and under 1g of fibre per glass.

And as for the refined sugars (i.e. granulated sugars and syrups), we know that foods containing large amounts of these typically aren’t ‘healthy’. But when these sugars are only minor ingredients, such as in a bran cereal containing fibre, protein and complex carbohydrates, the overall benefits may outweigh the negatives. In fact, a bran cereal might be a ‘better sugar choice’ compared to that fruit strap we mentioned earlier, even though there are some ‘high GI’ sugars involved. The same can be said for adding a teaspoon of maple syrup to a bowl of rolled oats for breakfast.

So, should we quit processed foods high in refined sugar?

Not necessarily. Your body can handle small, infrequent serves of foods high in refined sugar, in the context of a healthy, wholefood diet. So, the sweet biscuit you enjoy with afternoon tea, or the dessert you have on a Sunday night with the family will not harm you!

In fact, a little bit of sugar might be ‘good’ for your health – your mental health, that is. For example, it’s your birthday, and your colleagues have baked you a beautiful cake that likely contains white sugar. Everyone is tucking in. Would you feel deprived and miserable turning away your own birthday cake, to get an apple instead?

What’s the bottom line?

Consistent higher intakes of refined, high GI sugars can be harmful, especially when it replaces healthy food choices. But, low GI sugars, especially from whole food sources, and nutritious foods with small amounts of refined sugar, can be enjoyed regularly. And remember, food is more than just a tool to feed your physical body – it is a source of enjoyment, and a basis for socialising with friends and celebrating traditions. It is also a way to nurture yourself, and sometimes, the best way to do that is with a square of chocolate!

By: Samantha Stuk, Dietitian