From newspaper headlines about its role in chronic disease, to fad diets that endorse cutting it out completely, sugar gets a lot of bad press.
However, as with most things in nutrition, the story is more complicated than what we’re led to believe. Far from being the bad guy, sugar in certain forms is important to our health and exercise performance. As someone who was also once fooled by the hype, I’m hugely passionate about freeing my clients from the confusion. Now it’s your turn; read on as I help you understand the facts about sugars.
Critical carbs
When we talk about ‘sugars’ what we tend to really mean are ‘carbohydrates’. Carbohydrates are long chains of sugar units found in a variety of foods; everything from carrots to chocolate contains carbohydrates. These get digested by a series of bodily enzymes into their constituent smaller sugar units to be absorbed into the bloodstream.
Carbohydrates come in different forms but all serve the same purpose; they are our body’s preferred source of energy. Therefore, to function at our best, we need to consume enough carbohydrates to fuel our busy days and exercise regimes. Current government guidelines recommend 50-55% of our total energy should come from carbohydrates.
When we don’t consume enough, we become lethargic and experience ‘brain fog’. Moreover, our personal bests in the gym become harder to obtain, especially if we’re undertaking high intensity exercise. I often see this in my private practice; many clients come to me wanting to ‘go keto’ or ‘cut sugar’. However, not only do they find this approach unsustainable, they also find it makes their bodies feel worse; not better. For this reason, I highly advise against eliminating an entire nutrient from a healthy individual’s diet.
It’s only natural
That’s not to say there are some forms of carbohydrates which we should consume in moderation; for example, those found in processed foods such as cakes, cookies and biscuits as well as sweets and chocolate. The carbohydrates in these foods are rapidly digested, and consequently cause a rapid spike in our blood sugar. This can lead to cravings in the short term and put us at potential risk of type 2 diabetes in the long term.
In contrast, starchy carbohydrates found in wholemeal bread, pasta and rice as well as potatoes, cause a more gradual rise in blood sugar when they are digested. These slow-release carbohydrates provide more sustained energy throughout the day. Fruits and vegetables are another food group that are a good source of slow-release carbohydrates and natural sugars our bodies need to function.
Intrinsically good
Some foods contain smaller chains of carbohydrates, or sugars, which our bodies don’t need to break down. These sugars come in two main forms; intrinsic and extrinsic. Intrinsic sugar is the stuff found in fruits and vegetables; it’s locked up within the cells and therefore doesn’t get absorbed and released into our bloodstream quickly when we eat these foods. This type of sugar isn’t something we have to worry about (unless of course we’re eating whole orchards of fruit or turning them into juices; a process which releases sugar from the cells).
Extrinsic sugar is not bound up in cells (hence it is also referred to as ‘free sugar’) and is the sugar that people refer to when they talk about metabolic disease and tooth decay. Extrinsic sugars include not only table sugar, but also ‘trendy’ maple syrup, honey and agave, as well as fruit juices and purees. We should all try to limit our intake of this type of sugar to 5% of our total energy per day.
Carbohydrates are an essential macronutrient that should make up half of our daily intake to fuel our body’s core functions and to boost our workouts. However, the type of carbohydrates we chose is essential; select slow-release carbohydrates in starchy foods or sources of natural, intrinsic sugars such as whole fruits and vegetables as opposed to processed extrinsic sugars. My favourites include oatmeal with blueberries for breakfast, beans on baked potato for lunch and a veggie chilli with quinoa for dinner. What’s your favourite way to get enough carbohydrates in your diet? Please head to my social media pages to share, comment and ask questions!
Feature from Thrive Magazine Summer 2021
Lizzy Cole holds an MA in Natural Sciences from the University of Cambridge and an MSc in Nutrition from Kings College London, and is now taking on new private clients. Visit www.nutritionbylizzy.com for details.
