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Since dietary management of diabetes is mostly centered around sugar, I will be including a few posts on this topic this month. Sugar is found in many of our foods. It is one of the body’s main energy sources so we need to include some sugar as a part of a healthy, well-balanced diet. So how do you decide which forms of sugar are better than others?

Ask yourself these three questions and this will hopefully help with an answer:

1. What other nutrients will you be getting? 

   Using oranges as an example – they contain natural sugars called fructose and are also packed with fiber, vitamin C, water and other nutrients. Looking at orange juice – we only get sugar, water and vitamin C, without fiber and other essential nutrients. Using orange cordial – it is high in sugar but does not contain any other nutrients.

2. How much sugar will you be consuming? 

   An orange can be quite satisfying as a snack – it contains about 3 teaspoons of natural sugar as well as fiber and other nutrients. A glass of orange juice – uses about 4 oranges which is about 12 teaspoons of sugar with minimal fiber. Absence of fiber in juice makes it easier to drink large amounts which would lead to excess calories and sugars which are rapidly digested and absorbed.

3. Is the food liquid, solid or processed?
   
   This is important because it influences how much we eat and how quickly the sugars are consumed. Having large quantities of sugar at a time will lead to spikes in blood sugar levels. These spikes are then followed by rapid drops in blood sugar. A response is then triggered off by the brain for more sugar which results in an increased craving for sugar. Whole fruits and vegetables are complex carbohydrates. Our bodies find it harder to access natural sugars from these so we get a slower release of sugar in our blood streams which keeps you satisfied for longer.

The conclusion is to consume sugar in its natural form i.e. fruit, vegetables and dairy, and limit any processed foods.

Think of processed foods as already being predigested so your body has less work to do to access the sugar which is not a good thing. [/vc_column][/vc_row]