What are good sugars (if any) ?

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Madman replied on Mon, Jul 13 2009 4:52 PM

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As far as I know, all sugars and starches (carbohydrates) get converted to glucose eventually.  The difference is in how they get converted and how long it takes.  Some may influence things like cholesterol as well. 

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Spirit replied on Mon, Jul 13 2009 6:04 PM

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Do you literally mean sugar?  Or are you referring to sugar in a generic sense as a carbohydrate?  Fiber is also a carbohydrate, but because it is not digested it cannot raise your glucose level (there are soluble and insoluble categories of fiber, but that gets a bit complicated if fiber isn't the answer you are looking for).  They are listed under the carbohydrate line on nutritional labels, just where you would find regular sugar.

There are also sugar alcohols that may raise your blood glucose level less than plain granulated sugar.  They are usually listed in the ingredients.  However, they can cause gastric distress so caution is needed.  These are often found in "sugar free" foods and the carbohydrate count of them must be counted as any other sugar or starch would be.  "Sugar free" on a food package does not mean you can eat it without counting the carbs or that you can eat as much of it as you wish. 

Spirit

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Ron AKA replied on Mon, Jul 13 2009 9:31 PM

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In addition to what Madman and Spirit have said already, there are different types of sugars. In general the more complex the sugar, the slower it is to digest. Especially for type 2 diabetics, the slower it is to digest, the less BG is elevated. Glucose is the simplest sugar and the fastest to digest. Sucrose or common table sugar is more complex and digests slower. Fructose or fruit sugar is even more complex and slower still in digestion. You can look up sugars at this Glycemic Index website to get more information.