Sugars :(

GiaMonster

I can't stop going over, but I do not drink soda or eat sweets... Are there good sugars? Also, What exactly turns into the fat? I know sugar does, what about sodium or carbs ? I sound dumb but I just want to understand better of what and which thinks effects your body in a good way and bad. Hopefully what I'm asking isn't completely confusing. Lol

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

What's the source of your sugars if you don't eat sweets? If it's fruit I wouldn't worry too much, just focus on the calorie goal unless you have reason to believe the sugar might be hurting your goals. Sorry I'm not a nutrition expert so I can't answer your other questions, but I think there's quite a bit of debate about whether there's a difference between natural and refined sugars or not. It might be hard to find a straight answer but you can try the search function.

issyfit

From studying the South Beach Diet--sugars that occur naturally in food--like lactose and fructose (not high fructose corn syrup) are better than "added sugar"--read the ingredient list. Whole grain carbs are better than refined and processed carbs, Sweet potatoes are better than white potatoes. The reason has to do with slowing digestion and insulin production and keeping your blood sugars even through out the day.

lulabox

Simplified biochemistry lesson - you might know a lot of it:

Carbohydrates vs. Sugars
- A sugar is a simple molecule shaped usually like a hexagon (sometimes a pentagon). Glucose and fructose are made of one hexagon, while lactose is made of two hexagons attached to each other. A carbohydrate is a long chain of hexagons attached to each other.

Basic Metabolism
- Your body runs on glucose, a simple sugar. When you breath air, glucose is converted in energy and CO2.
- Glucose is stored in big long chains called glycogen in the muscle (and also the liver). These are attached together differently than carbohydrates so it's not the same thing.
- Excess glucose is made into fat for storage (when there is no space left to store it in the muscles/liver).
- Excess protein is also made into fat for storage.
- Extra fat, as you know, is stored also.
- Sodium does not turn into fat. Sodium is a major chemical for cellular and body function, and in excess it can be bad, but we need it to function.

It's better to lower fat intake, especially what is called saturated fat (more compact fat like butter rather than olive oil), because when it circulates in the blood stream before it is stored, it can catch onto the arteries and with the years, that can lead to cardiovascular disease. Excess protein is rarely a problem unless you are on Atkins for example with poor health.

Enzymes
- Your body doesn't react the same way when you eat sugar vs. carbohydrates. Sugar is digested straight away because it is a simple molecule that is absorbed through the gut.
- Carbohydrates need to be broken down by enzymes first. The enzymes cut the link between the hexagons to release simple sugar (e.g. glucose). After that, the sugar is absorbed through the gut as above.
- This is why it takes longer to digest carbohydrates: they are released more slowly so you feel fuller for longer. It also doesn't trigger certain hormones like sugar intake does, which is implicated with diabetes and other problems.

Refined carbohydrates (white bread, pasta etc) have been processed and that makes it easy for the enzymes to convert them quickly into sugar, and it can lead to a big peak of sugar in your body that doesn't last long. That's why it's recommended to eat unrefined carbs: they are take longer to digest because it's more difficult to break them down into sugar, so they are slowly released in your gut and abosrbed. It means you're fuller for longer and it doesn't create a big hormone rise either.

There is naturally occurring sugar in all fruits usually in the form of fructose. If you are going over your sugar limit because you are eating a lot of fruit, I wouldn't worry: they come packed with fibre and vitamins. If you are going over your sugar limit because you eat a lot of fruit juice, I would cut down to no more than 1-2 glasses a day. Fruit juice is very sweet and all the fibre has gone, so it's not much better than drinking soda.

Also, look at the labels for ingredients like sucrose, fructose, glucose etc. That's added sugar. Only fruit has natural sugar.

If anything's unclear, let me know.

GiaMonster

Wow thank you, very helpful. I deff have a better understanding. I really appreciate your responses!!!! One more question, I have an idea and know of bad carbs, but what would be good ones and other bad ones? Also, lulabox, in the article( very helpful) to much protein can turn to fat? Is that what I read correctly?

GiaMonster

Amber, thank you. My source is most fruits and some fruit drinks. I was concerned it was to much over and would affect my goals. But now I don't think my sugars are a concern not as much as I thought though.

lulabox

Too much of anything (fat, carbs, or protein, but also alcohol) can be stored as fat. Protein isn't an issue because it's very hard to eat too much of it. Imagine eating 20 chicken breasts to reach 3000 calories... Probably impossible!

A rule of thumb on carbs -

Avoid WHITE (refined) carbs: white bread, white pasta, cake, pastry, biscuits etc.
Eat BROWN (complex/non refined) carbs: brown bread, brown pasta, brown rice etc.

Avoid SUGAR except in fruit.

Vegetables are also made of carbs: starchy vegetables and pulses (potato, yam, sweet potato, beans, chick peas etc in moderation) and green vegetables (broccoli, spinach, green beans, lettuce etc. eat as much as you want.

lulabox

Amber, thank you. My source is most fruits and some fruit drinks.

Only drink juice without added sugar if possible (100% pure juice) and I wouldn't recommend personally more than 1-2 glasses of fruit juice a day. Better to swap for fruit as they are more slowly digested and have lots of other nutrients as I explained above.

lulabox

Also, lulabox, in the article( very helpful) to much protein can turn to fat? Is that what I read correctly?

Oh and glad you think so... I studied biochemistry so I get quite excited about these things, then I worry that I am overloading others with too much information.