TOPS Meeting about Sugar (It's A Carbohydrate!)

Presentation about dietary sugars

1. TOPS Meeting Wednesday September 25, 2024

2. Regularly Scheduled programming Weigh in FOllow-up

3. Weigh in! Make sure to weigh in with Derisha in Room 17 if you have not done so already!

4. Fiber! Fiber can be found in a variety of plant-based foods May also be added in fortified foods Fiber-containing foods increase good bacteria in gut It is not digested or absorbed, instead it passes through the body There are two types of fiber Soluble Dissolves in water to form gel-like material Helps lower blood cholesterol and glucose levels Insoluble Promotes movement of food through digestive system Increases stool bulk, helps with constipation and irregular bowel movements Many foods contain both soluble and insoluble fiber Helps you feel fuller, longer. Questions?

5. Nutrients- Sugar It’s a Carb

6. What is Sugar? Is a general term for carbohydrates that are sweet in flavor and used in food production. It is also made by the body for the purpose of immediate energy, the storage of it, and is especially utilized by the brain . Sugar is made by our own bodies from the ingestion of foods that contain sugar (carbohydrate), fat and protein. Sugars come in all sizes and shapes and all are composed of 3 elements: carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. The simplest form and that which is used by the human body is called GLUCOSE (aka DEXTROSE ).

7. Simple sugars (monosaccharides): Fructose- found in fruit Galactose - found in dairy, sugar beets Ribose- formed by the human body by an enzyme process ; crucial element of our RNA and DNA Disaccharides formed by 2 of the above monosaccharides. Sucrose - “table sugar” Lactose - milk sugar Maltose - from malt, a grain derivative Oligosaccharides. These are longer chains of sugars (unlike a bulkier starch). Fructo-oligosaccharides - found in many vegetables Galactooligosaccharides - found in root plants such as chicory ; excellent PRE-biotics for health of the colon; essential part of human tissue called glycolipids and glycoproteins . Polysaccharides . These are the most complex of the sugar categories Starch is the main example of a polysaccharide. subcategory is that of Sugar starches including: Maltodextrin- a filler and thickener Corn syrup- a sweetener and thickener Dextrose- commercial glucose HFCS (high fructose corn syrup)-a cheap sugar manufactured for just that reason; a major health hazard

8. Carbohydrates (Again?!) Carbohydrates are foods that contain sugar or starch or a combination of both. Foods that contain a combination of sugar, protein and fat will be categorized as carbohydrates if the main component of the food has the carb content. Carbs can be simple , i.e. quickly absorbed by the body and raise insulin levels very high. These are the most troublesome since their uptake is rapid and high fructose intake in the majority of processed foods is stored in the liver as FAT.

9. Where Does Sugar Come From? Main sources are: SUGAR CANE AND BEETS. Since ANCIENT TIMES, sugarcane has been cultivated in tropical climates of South and Southeast Asia. Sugar cane : a grass of which the stems contain SUCROSE; it is processed by hand or machine and the juice it yields becomes the crystals that the world waits for…! Beets : the roots contain A LOT of SUCROSE; mechanical harvesting is followed by heavy processing and voile! Fun horse fact: beet pulp, commonly fed to horses as an additional calorie source, is what’s left over when all the sugar and liquid is removed from beets!

10. Added Sugars Naturally occurring sugar is found in WHOLE UNPROCESSED FOODS: fruit, milk, vegetables and grains. The most common natural sugars are: LACTOSE & FRUCTOSE. Sugar (carbohydrate food) is needed to fuel the body. We cannot survive well without it and the lack of it can cause death, ultimately. The key is to… Avoid consuming ‘added’ sugar to your food, and limiting consumption to WHAT YOU NEED and not WHAT YOU want Food manufacturers add sugar to foods and drinks to: Enhance flavor, assist in fermentation of breads and alcohol, maintain freshness of baked products, preserve jellies and jam spreads.

11. What is the Glycemic Index? This is a number that we assign to a food that indicates how it may affect a person’s blood glucose (blood sugar) level. Pure glucose has a number of 100 (So, we are comparing the food item with glucose) The range is usually between 50-100 A low GI food will release glucose more slowly and steadily so that for both non-diabetic and diabetic, this is just what is needed. A high GI food causes rapid rise in blood sugar. One who exercises or is experiencing a low blood sugar crisis “hypoglycemia” may need this quicker sugar boost.

12. Examples of GI Here are some GI numbers for food items: Lower GI and better for you : 55 or less: beans, intact grains, most vegetables, berries, apples and peaches Medium GI : 56-70: not-intact whole wheat (refined, floured), pumpernickel bread, pita bread, basmati rice, boiled potatoes, grape juice, raisins, prunes, ice cream, sucrose, bananas High GI : white bread, most white rice, corn flakes, most breakfast cereals (unless labelled otherwise), pretzels, bagels, maltose, maltodextrins

13. Added Sugars READ LABELS! Know that sugar comes in many ALIASES and these are listed as the “added sugars” on all processed foods. The average American consumes about 22 teaspoons (355 calories) of sugar a day. More than ½ of all Americans consume ½ POUND of sugar a day. This equals 180 pounds a year!!! Any or more than one of these will be found on many, many food items: Cane juice or syrup, dextrose, fructose, fruit juice concentrates, glucose, granulated, confectioners’ sugar, high fructose corn syrup, honey, invert sugar, lactose, maltose, malt syrup, molasses, raw sugar, sucrose, syrup

14. How Much is Too Much? Keep these number in mind: 1 teaspoon of sugar= 4 grams 1 gram of sugar = 4 calories So, a food or drink that contains 40 grams of sugar has 10 teaspoons of it with 160 calories worth. And, when you read a food label , note the carbohydrate and sugar part. If the TOTAL CARB number = TOTAL SUGAR number, the product is a SIMPLE, FAST, PROCESSED SUGAR. If, however, the Total carb # is higher or much higher than the sugar total, the product has a mixture of complex and simple sugars. Your goal is to choose a product with the LEAST AMOUNT OF “SUGAR” grams.

15. How Much? (Cont.) The AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION recommends that: NO MORE THAN ½ OF YOUR EXTRA (DISCRETIONARY) CALORIES COME FROM ADDED SUGAR. What does this translate to??... WOMEN: no more than 6 teaspoons of added sugar (100 calories) daily; equivalent to ½ cup of ice cream or ½ can (about 6 ounces) non-diet soda. MEN: no more than 9 tsp; equiv. to 12 ounce can of non-diet soda Beware: a 12 ounce can of soda can contain 8 or more teaspoons of sugar!

16. High Fructose Corn Syrup This is a very commonly added sugar and it contains 55% fructose and 45% glucose . This is NOT sucrose or table sugar. It is derived from CORN and in this country, 90 % of corn is GENETICALLY MODIFIED. The processing of corn syrup is taken a few steps further to create even MORE syrup through special enzymatic action. The product turns out even SWEETER in taste! The result is HUGE AMOUNTS OF HFCS that is cheap and tasty, therefore desirable by food companies.

17. High Fructose Corn Syrup Here is the problem: We do not metabolize this fructose as we do glucose. Glucose is normally used quickly after ingestion but fructose is not. The liver receives fructose very quickly and it turns this into a stored form which is FAT. People have been consuming this product in “unacceptable” levels since the 1970’s, especially in the past decade. It increases uric acid levels in the body that is responsible for: High blood pressure by decreasing nitric oxide increasing appetite with elevations of ghrelin, a natural appetite suppressant rapid weight gain and upping the triglycerides, bad LDL and blood sugar gout Recent studies : glucose ENHANCES fructose absorption that makes the problem more complicated. Bottom line: AVOID IT LIKE THE PLAGUE

18. Health Concerns THE HEART AND BLOOD VESSELS IN DANGER Research from the CDC: There is a DIRECT relationship between refined carbohydrates and the risk of dying from a heart attack. Consumption of 10-15% of added sugar caused a 30% higher chance of death from a heart attack compared with less than 10% intake. A 12 ounce can of SODA can put you in high risk right off the bat!! Then, adding some cake, candy, ice cream, some ketchup and bread and you essentially are a time bomb.

19. Alzheimer's & Sugar? ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE,THE BRAIN AND SUGAR While we rely on complex carbs for our “natural” source of food for the brain, we surely do not need any added sugar or sweeteners. There is STRONG correlation of sugar with ALZHEIMER'S disease (AD). NOTE: Billions of dollars have been spent on drugs that really do not work for this devastating disease that is even more prevalent today than ever. NO treatments have been proven to halt or reverse this disease. It appears that from autopsy examinations, more than 30% of older adults have “Alzheimer plaques” but are healthy. The theory that these plaques are CAUSATIVE is now questionable.

20. Alzheimer’s & Sugar (cont.) “TYPE 3” DIABETES….is what researchers are calling AD. Researchers at Brown Medical School in Maine are finding that the brain is not responding normally to insulin signals in AD. It has been found that insulin receptors (that bring glucose into cells) were 80% less effective/active than those of normal brain function. Currently, more than 5 million Americans have AD and another diagnoses occur every few minutes. Nearly 500,000 die of the disease and over 15 million caregivers dedicate their time and energy to those who need help.

21. In Summary… G eneral term for carbohydrates that are sweet in flavor and used in food production Sugar is made by our own bodies from the ingestion of foods that contain sugar (carbohydrate), fat and protein. 4 ‘types’ of sugar Added sugars vs natural sugars Glycemic Index (GI) -a value we assign to a food that indicates how it may effect a person’s blood glucose Lower GI : 55 or less Medium GI : 56-70 High GI: >70 To calculate how many teaspoons/calories are from sugar in any food… 1 teaspoon of sugar= 4 grams 1 gram of sugar = 4 calories High Fructose Corn Syrup - cheap additive to make foods even sweeter and more addictive, but our bodies cannot process it, so it gets turned to fat

22. Questions? Comments? Next Meeting is Wednesday September 18, @ 12pm in Room 12 Will send out email! Use an app, your My Real Progress book, or any other notebook to track your progress!