Fructose, Sucrose, and Fruit Itself
The difference between FRUIT sugar (fructose) and refined sugar
(sucrose) is as follows.
Fruit sugar is something known as FRUCTOSE
"Fructose is broken down by the body slowly and is converted into
SUCROSE and GLYCOGEN. Fructose is often recommended for, and consumed
by, people with diabetes mellitus or hypoglycemia, because it has a
very low Glycemic Index (GI 23) relative to cane sugar."
"Glycemic index (also glycaemic index, GI) is a ranking system for
carbohydrates based on their immediate effect on blood glucose levels.
It compares carbohydrates gram for gram in individual foods, providing
a numerical, evidence-based index of postprandial (post-meal)
glycemia. The concept was invented by Dr. David J. Jenkins and
colleagues in 1981 at the University of Toronto."
Sucrose (common name: table sugar, also called saccharose) is a
disaccharide (glucose + fructose) with the molecular formula
C12H22O11.
This website explains it well
*In short the reason why Fruit sugar is better for you than table sugar
is that by eating table sugar (Sucrose) our bodies go out of sync with
our sugar levels as the sugar is processed in the body extremely fast
and in doing this the body informs the pancreas to pump out insulin.
Someone with a weak pancreas will have a hard time doing this.*
*Fructose (Fruit sugar) is broken down more slowly which allows the
body more time to react to the sweetener that has been consumed. This
puts less stress on the body and also the pancreas which is good news
for most diabetics as they too can have sweet tasting things but without
the worry of a sudden sugar spike.*
**
This would not be the same thing as eating products with high frutose corn
sugar — unless you sat down and ate lots and lots of fruit.
My aunt who is insulin-dependent has found she can only tolerate very small
amounts of fruit and only if she eats them with her meal - never by
themselves. She might eat six grapes or 1/2 a small apple or 1/2 a small
orange. I can tolerate a whole piece of fruit with my meal. We are all
different and only by using our trusty meter friend can we determine what
our own bodies can tolerate.
July 18th, 2006 at 3:43 pm
Explain again about eating peanut butter or cheese WITH fruit. How
does that make a difference in BS levels?
Thank you for sharing nutrition info. This board is very helpful.
Mary
Learning all the time!
July 19th, 2006 at 1:30 am
On 3/9/07, ozarksampler wrote:
<< Explain again about eating peanut butter or cheese WITH fruit. How
does that make a difference in BS levels? >>
The SouthBeach Diet is simply a rip-off of glycemic index and glycemic load
values that have been used more as nutritional information in other
countries than in America. Rip-off or not - it is a good diet for most
diabetics to follow. Four years ago my husband lost 100 pounds in one year
simply by understanding the concept of the glycemic index and applying it to
all of his meals and snacks.
I’m sure you have read on this list that you should check your BS one hour
and two hours after you eat something (postprandial) - especially a food
that is new to you and you are not sure how it will affect your BS. Well,
the numbers you are seeing on your meter will be higher when you eat a high
GI/GL food or meal and not as high when you don’t.
Many people develop type II diabetes, or develop it sooner than they might
have, as a result of a diet high in high glycemic foods.
I’ll talk about fruit in a minute but let me discuss the basics. Diabetics,
especially, should avoid high GI/GL foods - that is because the cause your
blood sugar to spike. Whereas low GI/GL foods are slower to digest so they
have a small rise. So, if for example, you do choose to eat a high GI/GL
food, if you pair it with something with a low GI/GL you can balance the
outcome a bit so you blood sugar does not rise as much.
If you ate a plain russet baked potato (high GI and high GL), your blood
sugar will spike. So, if you feel you must eat a high GI food, then if you
pair it with something that has zero-low GI, your blood sugar will not spike
as much. Protein and fats have zero GI. Now, for overall health, you want
to keep the fats healthy - such as nuts and nut products, olive and canola
oils, other omeaga-3’s. Protein needs to be lower in fat, too. For
example, I eat the 60 calorie lo-fat mozzarella cheese sticks instead of the
higher calorie/fat. I have found by checking my BS is lower when I eat
protein first and always pair a carb with a protein. The only time I have a
BS spike is when I eat a carb alone.
Most foods that are high in fiber are low GI. If I eat white bread with 2 g
of fiber, my BS will spike. If I were to eat that same bread with a little
peanut butter, it would not spike as much. And, if I eat Nature’s Own
Double Fiber bread (one slice is 40 calories and a whopping 5 g of fiber),
with a slice of turkey or a bit of peanut butter, then I have no spike at
all. While apples and grapefruit are low GI/GL because of their fiber
content, they cause trouble for some diabetics because they do have sugar -
even if it is natural. Hence, eating the fruit with a little SF yogurt, or
lo-fat cheese, a few nuts, or a bit of peanut butter keeps the GI lower
and, for most people, no spike in Bs. My husband likes bran muffins - and I
found a great mix that is low in sugar. Despite the high fiber, he still
puts a little peanut butter on his - and that holds him from breakfast to
lunch. If he were to skip the PB, he would get hungrier sooner.
(By the way, that is why people on Adkins eventually quit having cravings -
because they are not getting carb spikes).
And….. Byetta works by helping slow down your food and glucose leaving
your stomach - helping to prevent spike.
I hope this helps. There is a lot of ’science’ that is behind the GI
concept, but I believe understanding it will help you control your diabetes
easier.
July 19th, 2006 at 4:37 am
Thanks, Nita. That makes a ton of sense.
So…cheese WITH crackers…not crackers alone. Apple with peanut
butter. Portein or fat with carb to slow down sugar spikes. Got it.
Does BUTTER on a potato count?
I shall check into the references you gave. Thanks so much for the
specific reply. I am not familiar with Glycemic index and load
values. I need to read up on that.
My diabetic educator taught us to count carbs at meals and portion
control. Obviously there is more to learn.
Mary
July 19th, 2006 at 10:06 am
On 3/10/07, ozarksampler wrote:
>>
<< Does BUTTER on a potato count?
Yes. (But, of course, you still have the calories…)
<< My diabetic educator taught us to count carbs at meals and portion
control. Obviously there is more to learn. >>
Well, counting carbs and portion control are definitely a good thing - when
you add something in to reduce the GI, then you have additional calories.
Portion control helps with that. Like, instead of eating the muffin you
might usually eat, eat half a muffin with PB or lite butter - better yet,
slice the muffin and spritz with some olive oil and broil for a minute.
July 19th, 2006 at 6:31 pm
I think that there is a lot to learn. I would like it to be easier. I don’t
care if the South Beach is a rip off from something else because it helps me get
on track. It tells how to combine the foods.
On 3/10/07, ozarksampler wrote:
>>
<< Does BUTTER on a potato count?
Yes. (But, of course, you still have the calories…)
<< My diabetic educator taught us to count carbs at meals and portion
control. Obviously there is more to learn. >>
Well, counting carbs and portion control are definitely a good thing - when
you add something in to reduce the GI, then you have additional calories.
Portion control helps with that. Like, instead of eating the muffin you
might usually eat, eat half a muffin with PB or lite butter - better yet,
slice the muffin and spritz with some olive oil and broil for a minute.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
July 19th, 2006 at 11:00 pm
On 3/10/07, Pam William wrote:
<< I think that there is a lot to learn. I would like it to be easier. I
don’t care if the South Beach is a rip off from something else because it
helps me get on track. It tells how to combine the foods. >>
*I agree with you Pam. South Beach Diet took the glycemic index/load
Personally, I
concept and put it in "layman’s" terms - user friendly
think it is a much better for diabetics than the food plan recommended by
the ADA. The ADA, when questioned in the past, felt the glycemic index was
too difficult for most people to understand and it would lead to confusion
and their plan is simpler so more people would follow it. However, the ADA
plan has seldom been updated and, in the wake of new medications, like
Byetta, it should be. *
<< Butter would lower the effect of the carbs but eat it with cheese would
be better for me. It would be more filling too, Butter is a fat and cheese
has fat and protein. >>
*Right - especially if you use a low-fat cheese. It sounds like you are
doing everything right as far as what works for you. I think we are on the
same track.*
July 20th, 2006 at 9:34 pm
South Beach is very sensible. And it is quite helpful since so many
people know what it is. For example, I don’t tell a lot of people I"m
diabetic. If I’m at a party and someone is trying to shove sweets at
me I just say I’m on South Beach and they back off immediately. Same
with restaurants, when trying to order something low carb, just tell
them you’re doing South Beach and ask what they recommend. It is very
helpful that way!
Stefanie