BEAUTY

THE BITTERSWEET

OF SUGAR

WRITTEN BY JULIE BURTON

Everyone knows a candy bar or soda is not “good” for you. They’re what some call “empty calories”—food or beverages that do not contain any nutritional value because they’re full of sugar. It’s fair to say sugar has a bad rap.

But the truth is sugar comes in all kinds of forms, and some are even healthy for you. Dr. Steven Flanery of Flanery Chiropractic Clinic breaks down the good and bad of sugar and how you can make better choices when it comes to added sugar in your diet.

What is sugar?

Sugar is just a carbohydrate. Carbohydrates, along with fat and protein, are macronutrients that provide the body with energy. Sugar can be broken into two basic categories: simple and compound. Dr. Flanery explains, “You’ll find simple sugars in food in its natural form. They’re always best for you. Foods such as whole fruit and honey. Compound sugars are things like table sugar, soda, and processed foods. These refined sugars undergo a massive processing endeavor that includes bleaching. It’s this type of processing that spikes your blood sugar levels in unhealthy ways.”

Exactly how “bad” is compound sugars?

“There are some supportive studies that show compound sugars are as addictive as alcohol and drugs. Consuming sugar and carbs are essentially a dopamine hit,” Dr. Flanery says. “Our blood sugar spikes and then we build a tolerance to it.”

Side effects of too much sugar in your diet can be things as simple as tooth decay, or more serious effects like insulin (hormone) resistance, type 2 diabetes, obesity, heart disease, pancreatic disease, and circulating inflammation.

Dr. Flanery explains, “Inflammation in your gut is like a sunburn on your skin. If you continue to get repeated sunburns on your skin, it blisters and destroys your skin.

That’s what’s happening to our arteries with added sugar. And remember, you can still have diabetes and be a healthy weight. Sugar can be behind massive health issues. It’s a bigger deal than most people think.”

All carbohydrates circulate as glucose. It’s the body’s preferred energy fuel. Problems occur when you consume too much added sugar, or compound sugar. Once you hit your storage limit in your muscle and liver, it’s stored as fat. This is why marathon runners carb up before and even during a race. The storage limit is higher due to the number of calories being burned. It takes more fuel for a long-distance runner.

Where does sugar hide?

Added sugar is in nearly everything: milk, yogurt, crackers, spaghetti sauce, and bread. “The trick is to read labels on things you wouldn’t expect,” Dr. Flanery says. “It’s in weird stuff you wouldn’t think.” If you can decrease your sugar intake, you can even reverse insulin resistance.

Dr. Flanery also says to be wary of natural 100 percent fruit juice. The reason 100 percent fruit juice is not as good as you think is because juice is all the sugar squeezed out of the fruit. You could be drinking up to 10-16 oranges in one glass. The equivalent of eating an orange versus drinking 100 percent fruit juice is not equal. This is what makes a juicing diet not ideal. Therefore, eating a piece of fruit filled with fiber and extra nutrients is a better dietary choice.

How do we decrease sugar in our diet?

The American Heart Association suggests that women consume no more than 100 calories (about 6 teaspoons) and men no more than 150 calories (about 9 teaspoons) of added sugar per day. That is close to the amount in a 12-ounce can of soda.

When cooking, swap out granulated sugar in recipes for something like coconut sugar or honey. Look for drinks made with stevia (a plantbased sugar substitute). These types of natural sugars are not as likely to spike your blood sugar.

“I tell my patients to add one good thing a week or subtract one bad thing a week. That way you have 52 weeks of good decisions,” Dr. Flanery suggests. “Sugar is not all bad for you, especially if we stick to natural sugars.”

Read labels and choose simple sugars when you can.

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