good and bad sugars

logiesmom

Does anybody know where you can find a list of good sugars and bad sugars? Like specific foods to eat and stay away from?

logiesmom

Does anybody know where you can find a list of good sugars and bad sugars? Like specific foods to eat and stay away from?

songbyrdsweet

I wouldn't really classify sugars as 'good' or 'bad'. Fruits are simple sugars, but few people would classify them as 'bad'. You'd want to limit candy because it's nutritionally empty, but there are plenty of natural foods that contain simple sugars.

melisay

The sugar in fruit and vegetables isn't the problem. Although you could potentially consume too much sugar if you eat nothing but fruit. The real problem is in processed foods where sugar has been added.

Check labels carefully. 'Reduced sugar' doesn't mean 'no sugar'. If there's more than 10g sugar per 100g according to the nutri-panel then it's a high sugar product. 'Diet' and 'low fat' products such as a Slim-Fast bar are notoriously high in sugars, for example. (Slim-fast shake powders are 50% sugar) Even some products that appear to be savoury can have hidden sugars.... 'glucose', 'fructose', 'corn syrup', 'sucrose'...

The way forward is to try to eat more whole foods (the sort you may have to cook or prepare for yourself) and fewer processed foods. Refined sugar isn't evil, by any means... but you have to know where it is if you don't want to eat too much of it.

gone2gym2befit

A simple guide for deciding which sugars are better to eat is the glycemic index of foods. Just type glycemic food index into your computer search engine. Foods that are high on the glycemic index have "sugars" that are released more rapidly into your blood after digestion than those w/ a low glycemic index. For example, a white potato has a higher glycemic index number than a sweet potato.