{"id":2185,"date":"2025-02-18T06:47:11","date_gmt":"2025-02-17T19:47:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/movewithnicole.com.au\/blog\/understanding-simple-sugars-identification-and-sources.html"},"modified":"2025-02-18T06:47:12","modified_gmt":"2025-02-17T19:47:12","slug":"understanding-simple-sugars-identification-and-sources","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/movewithnicole.com.au\/blog\/understanding-simple-sugars-identification-and-sources.html","title":{"rendered":"Understanding Simple Sugars: Identification and Sources"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>When you\u2019re starting a healthy, satisfying eating plan, it\u2019s important to know the outsized role sugar plays in your overall health. It\u2019s in everything.<\/p>\n<p>While you may have heard it separated into complex and simple sugars with varying degrees of evil assigned to the latter, the truth is more complicated than that.<\/p>\n<h2>What Are Simple Sugars?<\/h2>\n<p>A simple sugar is a form of carbohydrate, or saccharide. Different forms of carbohydrates are classified by the number of sugar molecules they contain: single, double, or multiple.<\/p>\n<p>Simple sugars, which are more quickly metabolized than their complex counterparts, contain one or two sugar molecules.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCarbohydrates are large chains of single sugars,\u201d says\u00a0Krista Linares, RDN, MPH, a registered dietitian nutritionist in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. \u201cThe term \u2018simple sugars\u2019 usually refers to these single sugars, or sometimes pairs of sugars, outside the context of a larger carbohydrate.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The following sugars are classified as simple carbs:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Monosaccharides:<\/strong> These single-molecule carbohydrates are the simplest sugars and are the building blocks from which all carbs are made. Examples include glucose and fructose.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Disaccharides:<\/strong>\u00a0These form when two monosaccharides combine. An example is sucrose, a.k.a. table sugar.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The following sugars are classified as\u00a0complex carbs:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Oligosaccharides:<\/strong>\u00a0This form of carbohydrate contains three to 10 single sugars.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Polysaccharides:<\/strong>\u00a0Generally, these carbs contain more than 10 monosaccharides. Common polysaccharides include starch and cellulose found in grains, tubers, vegetables, fruits, and other\u00a0foods high in fiber.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>What\u2019s the Problem With Simple Sugars?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p>Simple sugars \u2014 especially added ones \u2014 burn fast, potentially spiking blood glucose levels and setting you up for a quick crash.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSimple carbohydrates such as cakes, white rice, and ice cream break down quickly once inside the body,\u201d says\u00a0Carrie Lam, MD, DABFM, a physician in Loma Linda, California.\u00a0\u201cThis causes rapid spikes in blood sugar levels and subsequent valleys when the sugar is absorbed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That invariably leaves you craving a hasty resupply, which is what often leads to weight gain (among other potential problems).<\/p>\n<p>For most of us, Lam says, foods containing simple carbs can be detrimental to our health.<\/p>\n<h3>\u201cSimple sugar\u201d vs. \u201cadded sugar\u201d<\/h3>\n<p>While often one and the same, there\u2019s an important difference between the terms \u201csimple sugar\u201d and \u201cadded sugar.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Simple sugar can occur naturally in food but may also be added to packaged and processed foods.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s this distinction that can dictate how a simple sugar is metabolized by the body.<\/p>\n<p>For example, simple sugar is a natural component of fruit, which also contains fiber.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s the fiber that helps slow the release of these sugars into the bloodstream, making them less likely to spike blood glucose levels and, therefore, less harmful to our metabolism.<\/p>\n<p>So it helps to take the whole food into account when evaluating its sugar content.<\/p>\n<h2>How to Spot Simple Sugars<\/h2>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-166195\" src=\"https:\/\/bod-blog-assets.prod.cd.beachbodyondemand.com\/bod-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/10152300\/simple-sugars-600-cereal.jpeg\" alt=\"Open Box of Sugary Cereal | Simple Sugars\" width=\"601\" height=\"451\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<p>Added sugar lurks in places you\u2019d never expect \u2014 including some whole-wheat breads, pasta sauces, and low-fat products like flavored yogurt and ice cream.<\/p>\n<p>During the low-fat craze of the \u201980s and \u201990s, food manufacturers removed fat from products but had to retain flavor.<\/p>\n<p>Guess what they chose as a substitute?\u00a0On nutrition facts labels, sugar has many aliases.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCommon names for sugar you may see include cane sugar, cane juice, corn syrup, fructose, glucose, sucrose, and turbinado sugar,\u201d says Linares.<\/p>\n<p>Common sources of simple sugars include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Table sugar (sucrose)<\/li>\n<li>White rice<\/li>\n<li>White flour and white breads<\/li>\n<li>Processed breakfast cereals<\/li>\n<li>Baked goods like cakes, cookies, and pastries<\/li>\n<li>Soda<\/li>\n<li>Honey<\/li>\n<li>Chocolate<\/li>\n<li>Fruit juice<\/li>\n<li>Jelly and jam<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>To spot these simple sugars, always\u00a0check the nutrition facts label, even if you\u2019re buying a product you think is healthy.<\/p>\n<p>Choose one with little or no sugar and as much fiber and as few ingredients as possible.<\/p>\n<p>Food manufacturers are required to specify added sugar amounts on a separate line, so keep an eye on this number.<\/p>\n<h2>Should I Cut Out Simple Sugars Completely?<\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-166196\" src=\"https:\/\/bod-blog-assets.prod.cd.beachbodyondemand.com\/bod-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/10152305\/simple-sugars-600-table-sugar.jpeg\" alt=\"Isolated Image of table sugar | Simple Sugars\" width=\"600\" height=\"367\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<p>As explained above, naturally occurring sugar from whole foods is perfectly normal to consume.<\/p>\n<p>But added sugar can be detrimental to your health and should be consumed judiciously.<\/p>\n<p>The\u00a0FDA\u2019s dietary guidelines\u00a0say you should limit added sugar to 10 percent of your daily calories.<\/p>\n<p>To put it visually: The American Heart Association\u00a0recommends\u00a0that men consume no more than 9 teaspoons (36 grams) of added sugar per day and that women limit themselves to 6 teaspoons (24 grams) or less.<\/p>\n<p>The reality: the average American consumes about\u00a017 teaspoons (around 71 grams) daily. That\u2019s partly because many of us don\u2019t realize just how much sugar lurks in sweetened beverages and\u00a0seemingly healthy foods.<\/p>\n<p>A single can of regular Coke contains\u00a039 g of sugar. One cup of apple juice has\u00a024 grams. And one 5.3-ounce cup of nonfat Chobani strawberry yogurt contains\u00a014 g of sugar. (As opposed to just\u00a05 g of sugar in their plain yogurt.)<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe risks of added sugar are the same as the risks of too many carbohydrates in general, namely excess sugar without protein, fiber, or fat,\u201d says Linares. \u201cThis doesn\u2019t mean that people need to cut sugar out of their diet completely. Instead, I recommend pairing sugar with protein or fat to slow down your body\u2019s absorption of the sugar.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For example, you could pair a few squares of dark chocolate with a tablespoon of almond butter, or use honey as a topping for plain Greek yogurt.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When you\u2019re starting a healthy, satisfying eating plan, it\u2019s important to know the outsized role sugar plays in your overall health. It\u2019s in everything. While you may have heard it separated into complex and simple sugars with varying degrees of evil assigned to the latter, the truth is more complicated than that. What Are Simple [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2186,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2185","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fitness"],"blocksy_meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/movewithnicole.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2185","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/movewithnicole.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/movewithnicole.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movewithnicole.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movewithnicole.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2185"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/movewithnicole.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2185\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2187,"href":"https:\/\/movewithnicole.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2185\/revisions\/2187"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movewithnicole.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2186"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/movewithnicole.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2185"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movewithnicole.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2185"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movewithnicole.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2185"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}