Page 42 - Robeson Living Spring 2021

By Dr. Ryan Beck

Who else gets excited when they see the fresh fruit stands start Natural sugars are a type of carbohydrate that is found natu-
to pop up around town? I know my family does. My daughter rally in whole unprocessed foods, such as fruits. They can also
would eat a full bucket of those fresh and delicious strawber- be found in some vegetables and dairy products such as milk.
ries in just one sitting if I let her. Which made me wonder how When looking at a food label, you can find these types of sug-
much sugar is she consuming? I would never let her sit down ars listed as glucose, fructose, galactose, sucrose, lactose and
and eat an entire box of cereal. But were talking about fruit or maltose. Fruits and vegetables vary in how much sugar they
here- can it really be that bad? contain so you need to be careful when you chose. In regards
to lowest sugar content try choosing fruits and vegetables such
Sugar is a type of carbohydrate, a macronutrient that the body as avocado, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, water-
converts to glucose and uses for energy. Inside the body, sugar melon, honeydew, pineapple, kale, spinach, arugula, celery,
is a major source of energy and helps your cells to perform cucumbers and mushrooms. The best way to consume simple/
vital functions. Your body obtains sugar by breaking down natural sugar is by limiting it to moderation and choosing the
carbohydrates during digestion. As natural sugars enters your right fruits/vegetables.
bloodstream they offer a steady supply of energy to your cells
with a slow breakdown process. On the other hand, added sug- Added sugars are sugars and syrups that are added to foods or
ars enter your bloodstream very quickly and isn’t used for cell beverages when they are processed or prepared. They add cal-
energy until it is broken all the way down to glucose. This ories without adding any nutrients. Some examples of added
can lead to a dangerous spike in blood sugar for diabetics, so sugar names you may see on a food label include: brown sugar,
be careful. The American Heart Association suggests “Added corn sweetener, corn syrup, dextrose, high-fructose corn syrup,
sugars” consumption should be no more than 100 calories per molasses, and raw sugar. Soft drinks, fruit drinks, flavored yo-
day (about 6 teaspoons or 24 grams) for most women and no gurts, cereals, cookies, cakes, candy, and most processed foods
more than 150 calories (about 9 teaspoons or 36 grams) for are the top sources of added sugars for most Americans.
most men. However, I was unable to find any recommenda-
tions for natural sugars. In this article I am going to try and The American Heart Association reports that American kids
help you understand the differences so that you can make consume 81 grams of sugar per day, equaling over 65 pounds
healthier sugar choices. of added sugar per year. While American adults consume an
average of 77 grams per day, about 3 times the recommended
So what is the difference between natural sugars and added amount. High amounts of sugar overload the liver and the liver
sugars? metabolizes sugar by converting it to fat. Over time, this can

Page 42 Robeson Living ~ Spring 2021