A Sweet Story About Sugar
Hi everyone. Welcome back.
I’ve got a special treat today from a great friend of mine.
Sean Bissell runs a new up and coming nutrition blog called Forgotten Nutrition and he’s been so very kind to do a guest post for us all today.
It would appear that a little story about sugar is in order, because a lot of this was actually eye-opening news to me, too.
Personally, I don’t even use sweetener except for a little organic honey in my oatmeal or all-fruit spread on my yummy cottage cheese oatmeal pancakes but for anyone that needs their sugar on a regular basis, this is a very worthwhile read.
Thanks Sean!!
Quit Trying to Cheat Sugar
-Sean Bissell
OK, you probably have heard a million times about the “evils” of high fructose corn syrup. How it’s in everything from soda’s to bread, and almost everything in-between the grocery aisles.
And while high fructose corn syrup is obviously bad for you, the ugly truth is that high fructose corn syrup is no better for you than any of the “alternative” natural sweeteners like evaporated cane juice, beet sugar, table sugar, or even honey.
Before you start freaking out defending your raw, organic, unheated, local, unprocessed, and sticky goodness honey that you get from the local farmers market, you have to take a step back and really examine the science and chemistry behind sweeteners.
Almost 100% of all sweeteners are simple a combination of glucose and fructose. Table sugar has about 1 part glucose and 1 part fructose. They are simply connected together on a chemical level, and as soon as they hit the spit inside your mouth, they start to break apart. By the time they’re in your stomach they’ve basically already broken apart within seconds. Now you have separated glucose, and fructose. And that’s it.
High fructose corn syrup is somewhere around 55% fructose, and 45% glucose, evaporated cane sugar is about 50% fructose and 50% glucose. In fact, almost all “sweet” things are about 50/50 in chemical composition. (Honey is actually a little more fructose than glucose.)
What does that ultimately mean for you? Well, it means that if you’re going out of your way to avoid high fructose corn syrup and grab the food with “cane sugar” instead… you’ve basically done nothing good, or bad for yourself in the way that it metabolizes in your body.
I know, I know… You probably hate me right now, but that’s the honest to god truth, and you can look it up anywhere, ask any chemistry professor, or even reputable dietician. It’s just about the same no matter what. Sorry.
So what’s the big deal about high fructose corn syrup anyway, and why does everyone think it’s so bad?
Truthfully, it is bad, but so are almost all other sweeteners. The problem with high fructose corn syrup is that it is so cheap, and so easy to add into foods, that it is almost everywhere we look. And it’s hard to avoid. That’s the real problem.
But then what’s the big problem with sweeteners in general?
Remember how most sweeteners are basically 50% glucose and 50% fructose? It’s fructose that’s the big problem with sweeteners, and here’s why…
Fructose acts very similarly to a toxin in your system. Glucose can be absorbed directly in your bloodstream, and can be used by your organs, muscles, brain, etc, right away. Fructose can’t be absorbed by your body right away, in fact it has to be shuttled directly to your liver to be processed. (Just like a toxin.)
I won’t go into extreme detail here, but fructose (especially in large quantities all at once) overloads your liver, and turns into some bad things. Some of it turns into glycogen in your liver (which you can use for energy later) but in that process it creates a bunch of “junk” proteins which are not natural to your body and are confusing, they ultimately bind to strange parts of your body and can cause accelerated aging.
In the process of metabolizing fructose, about 33% of the sugar gets converted directly into fat (in the form of triglycerides) and also creates some very low density LDL (which has been shown to be a huge factor in heart disease.) The process of converting fructose into a usable energy source also has been shown to contribute to insulin resistance. That leads to diabetes, and makes it harder to lose fat. In addition, fructose forgets to trigger a hormone called leptin which lets you know you’re full. So the more fructose you eat, the hungrier you may get.
So let’s recap really quickly.
Fructose goes straight to your liver, creates “junk” proteins that make you age faster, overburdens your liver, converts into bad fat, contributes to insulin resistance, and makes you stay hungry longer.
Glucose on the other hand does not have nearly as many of those detrimental effects because it can be absorbed by your body before it slams your liver directly. Glucose is also the natural sugar in your blood, and is the fuel for your brain.
If you don’t get glucose from your diet, your body will make it from your protein, that’s how important glucose is. Your body will never create its own fructose, it doesn’t need it.
So which sweeteners are the best?
Well now we know that high fructose corn syrup, table sugar, evaporated cane sugar, beet sugar, and honey are all just about the same… I personally would avoid them, or at least drastically cut down on them.
But the absolute worst I’ve personally seen is Agave nectar which can be as high as 90% fructose. (Don’t be fooled by its low Glycemic Index. It has a low Glycemic Index because it goes straight to your liver, bypasses your insulin, and gets converted to fat.)
The best is probably corn sugar, which is almost pure glucose. You may have a hard time getting your hands on it, but it’s available most of the time at local home brew shops, or cake baking shops. That’s because they use it for making beer, and for cake fondant.
So the next time you think you’re doing yourself a favor by skipping the table sugar, and reaching for the honey… Think again.
Get yourself some corn sugar.
Or better yet. Skip the sweetener all together.
Thanks again Sean! That was extremely informative and I’ll bet everyone enjoyed it as much as I did!
Remember, you can find more of Sean’s terrific nutrition knowledge and information over at:
http://www.ForgottenNutrition.com.
He’s just getting it ramped up so be sure to subscribe to his RSS feed or bookmark him so you don’t miss future interesting posts. I’m already subscribed!
*clears throat*
OKAAAAY!!! NOW….!!! Here’s an even bigger special treat!! Seeing as Sean honoured us with a guest post today I suggested I put HIS favourite workout song up as today’s Workout Song of the Day. So … do not blame me for this one!! HAHA!! I even gave him a 2nd chance to change his mind but he says this is his favourite workout song… so here goes!!
But hey! Even though it doesn’t run to MY personal tastes, I can see why it would be a great workout song, the thing is chock FULL of energy!! Enjoy!!
Weird Al Yankovic – White and Nerdy
HA HA!! Thanks for the giggle, Sean… laughter is good for the soul!
That’s it for today!! Have a great, fit and fun day and we’ll see you again very soon!!
Girlwithnoname
September 10th, 2009 at 11:32 am
Hey hey!
Thanks for giving me the honor of guest blogging on your awesome site.
It was fun :)
If your readers enjoy it half as much as they enjoy your incredible view of the Vancouver Bay then I’ll be a happy guy :)
-Sean
September 10th, 2009 at 11:34 am
you and your lovely wife are welcome to come sip wine on my patio and enjoy that view again anytime you get another urge to wander through town!! :-) Thanks again for a great post. I love tapping into others’ knowledge here for all to learn from!! You didn’t disappoint!!
September 11th, 2009 at 2:56 am
I have never been a fan of artificial sweeteners. Though I have a big sweet tooth, over the years I have been able to curtail my cravings for sweet things. I have been using wild mountain honey and it is awesome. Will try and see if I can get corn sugar.
Great post Sean. Thanks!
September 11th, 2009 at 8:57 am
Wow- great guest post Sean! I had no idea about how good corn sugar really is.
P.S – love your song pic, classic choice
September 11th, 2009 at 10:06 am
Thanks Shrinath!
I’ve never been a big fan of artificial sweeteners either.
I don’t think they do the same harm as fructose does in regards to metabolism. But I do think they have their own risks associated with them.
I have a friend who’s parents are in the “soda bottling” business. They have lots and lots of soda, but won’t let the kids drink the diet stuff.
What do you think *they* know?
Well… *they* should also know about HFCS, and fructose in general too… so maybe that’s not such a good point after all :)
But the bottom line is that sweeteners aren’t the best no matter how you look at it.
I still use them, but I really watch my intake. And I use Corn Sugar whenever possible.
Best of luck in finding some Corn Sugar yourself! :)
-Sean
September 11th, 2009 at 10:11 am
yeah, Sean… where do you find that stuff? I’d never heard of it before this post (and considering my rabid need for making sure I eat all the most healthy foods I’m shocked at myself! LOL)
September 11th, 2009 at 11:02 am
It’s lots of places, but it’s a big more “technical” than lots of diet/exercise books go into.
Plus I don’t think that everyone wants to “go there” because taking away someone’s sweets is a “no no” that probably won’t help sell books…
If you want a really good indepth explanation of it here’s an awesome video (About an hour and a half long though.) Done by the University of California.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM
It goes into the whole process of metabolizing glucose/fructose and alcohol.
I don’t agree with 100% of everything (especially the fiber part.) But you can’t really argue with the way glucose, fructose, and alcohol physically react in your body.
It’s a great lecture,
-Sean
September 11th, 2009 at 11:05 am
Robyn,
Hahaha, thanks!
And yea, gotta love Weird Al. Awesome songs, and one of the best concerts I’ve ever been to. He puts on a great show :)
Although I don’t think I’ve ever actually worked out to that song… :)
-Sean
September 11th, 2009 at 11:07 am
uh. yah. so I’ve been duped then have I? You said it was your favourite “workout song”… ya rat!! LOL
and I meant… where do you get the corn sugar!! haha. I’ll have to check out Capers. Although, no, what am I saying? I don’t USE sweetener… so I guess I can skip it! haha
September 11th, 2009 at 11:15 am
Hhaha,
Well if ya don’t *use* sweetener then there’s probably no point in getting it.
But it’s right here: http://pages.pacificcoast.net/~dansmall/beer.html
Dextrose (corn sugar) 2.00 a kg.
I think they’re close to you in Vancouver BC.
-Sean
September 11th, 2009 at 11:16 am
thanks Sean!