Sugar is a nutrient that can take your blood sugar levels on a roller coaster ride. Sugars are a form of carbohydrates, which are present in the foods you eat. Whether a sugar is complex or refined, it can raise your blood sugar level to a similar extent, but at different rates. Sugar is not the only factor in your diet that can elevate your blood sugar; starches, which are also carbohydrates and found in breads and grains, impact your body in the same way as sugars.
Complex versus Simple Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are classified as sugars, starches and fiber. All foods that contain carbohydrates are turned to sugar during the digestion process and can result in an increase in your blood sugar levels after eating. Carbohydrates were once only grouped into two main categories: complex or simple carbohydrates, determined by the length of their carbohydrate molecule, according to 2011 information from the Harvard School of Public Health. For example, starch and fiber, which are found in breads, breakfast cereals, rice and fruits, have a long molecule making them complex carbs. Sugars, whether found naturally in fruits or milk or processed sugars like table sugar, honey or molasses, have a very short carbohydrate molecule and belong to the simple carb category. A new system, called the glycemic index, ranks carbohydrates based on how quickly and how high they boost blood sugar compared to pure glucose, or sugar.
Complex Sugars
Because all sugars are made of mono and dissaccharides, which basically means that they are made of a molecule containing 1 to 2 sugars, they are considered simple carbs. Starches and fiber, which contain more than 3 molecules of sugars linked together, are considered complex carbs. The only sugar-containing food that naturally contain fiber and could, therefore, be classified as a more complex form of sugar is fruit. Fiber is removed from fruit juices, so it is best to consume whole fruits, fresh or frozen, and ideally with the peel to have more fiber in your diet.
Refined Sugars
Refined sugars must undergo processing as they are not naturally present in nature. Honey is probably the only natural source of sugar, processed by bees. However, high-fructose corn syrup, white sugar, brown sugar, molasses, maple syrup, agave nectar, raw sugar and all other forms of sugars need to be extracted, processed and refined. All refined sugars contain an average of 12 to 15 g of sugars, or carbohydrates, per tablespoon, whether they are part of the ingredients of the products you buy or whether you add it yourself to your foods.
Complex versus Refined Sugar
All sugars have the property to elevate your blood sugar levels peak and cause weight gain you consume them in amounts that exceed your body's ability to process them. Sugar does not constitute an essential nutrient and most sugar-containing foods do not provide anything more than empty calories. Satisfy your sweet tooth with whole fruits, as much as possible, because in addition to containing fiber, which can help slow down the increase in your blood sugar levels and help you feel fuller, fruits also provide an array of health-protective nutrients. All other sweeteners, whether natural or refined, may contain small traces of minerals, but do not contribute to your nutritional requirements.
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