Sugar 101

Sugar is a readily accessible and cheap source of energy; it is also one of the most commonly used ingredients for flavoring. The word sugar evokes images of fine crystalline packed with sweet flavor sprinkled generously over deserts and beverages; or a powdery substance coating pastries and other baked goods. But what exactly is sugar? Is sugar limited to these forms? And how do we measure the content of sugar in our food?

What is Sugar?

Sugar is generally known or referred to as table sugar, a white crystalline solid with sweet taste. In reality, sugar is a carbohydrate. There are 2 kinds of carbohydrates: simple sugars and complex carbohydrates (starch and fiber).
The simple sugars are:

Monosaccharides - single unit sugars; monosaccharides commonly found in food are glucose (blood sugar), fructose (fruit sugar), and galactose (milk sugar); and

Disaccharides - two units of monosaccharides linked together; disaccharides commonly found in food are: sucrose (table sugar; glucose and fructose) lactose (milk sugar; glucose and galactose),and maltose (malt sugar; glucose and glucose)

Measuring Sugar

The Food Guide Pyramid prescribes that total added sugars should not exceed 6 teaspoons or 24 grams for a 1,600 calorie diet;12 teaspoons or 48 grams for a 2,200 calorie diet; and 18 teaspoons or 72 grams for a 2,800 calorie diet. Ideally, we should only consume the right amount of sugar to ensure that our bodies function normally but recent surveys have revealed that there is a significant increase in our consumption of added sugar, with 2/3 of the added sugar coming from soda beverages. So how do we measure the content of sugar in the food we eat?

The Glycemic Index (GI) The glycemic index measures the absorption rate of carbohydrates by the bloodstream; it ranks food according to the speed it raises the body’s blood sugar level. Pure glucose is the standard used for the GI index, with a rating of 100; the closer a particular food is to 100, the higher its glycemic index. A food with a GI of 70 and above is considered within the high GI range; a GI index of 56 to 69 places a food within the moderate range; and a GI of 55 or less mean a low glycemic index rating.

The GI does not measure sugar content per se but it can be a basis for determining sugar content since foods with high GI are tend to have high sugar content. Some of the factors that determine GI content are sugar content, fat content, processing method, fiber content, and the combination of eaten foods.

The Glycemic Load (GL) - The common problem of medical and health experts have with the GI system is although it may tell you how quickly blood sugar level is raised by a particular food, it does not reveal the amount of sugar in the food.

The glycemic load is derived by multiplying the glycemic index with the amount of carbohydrate of a particular food serving, and dividing the product by 100. In effect, the GL index provides a ranking of how certain amounts of foods raise the body’s blood sugar level. A GL of 20 is considered high, a GL of 11 to 19 is considered moderate, and a GL of 10 and below is considered low.

The glycemic value of food are affected by cooking processes and fiber amount; fat, acid and vinegar tend to lower glycemic value.

Make the food label your best friend - All manufactured foods are required by law to provide a nutrition panel on the food label; the grams of added sugar per serving of food are usually listed under total carbohydrates and usually make use of the following terms:

Sugar Free: Less than 0.5 g sugar/serving.
Reduced Sugar: The sugar content of the product has been reduced by at least 25%.
No Sugar Added: No sugar or any other ingredient containing sugar added to product.

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