The Talk Show for Grownups
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| Sugar has its place, but in small amounts
Dietitians today say that no food should be entirely off limits, but some foods should be eaten judiciously. Sugar is one of these. Refined sugar and other simple carbohydrates are turned into glucose very rapidly. They quickly can cause you to have a high "glycemic index." The pancreas responds to an elevated glucose level by releasing large quantities of insulin, which can cause a couple of problems. First, insulin stimulates the liver to make triglycerides, a form of fat that is toxic to the heart and as dangerous as high cholesterol levels. Second, over the long term, a high-sugar diet can lead to pancreatic "burnout," an inability to keep up with the body's demand for insulin. This reduces your ability to keep blood sugar under control. Dr. Richard Podell, author of The G-Index Diet (Warner), says elevated levels of insulin can be especially dangerous for people who suffer from insulin resistance, a "prediabetic" condition. For them, a meal or snack forces the pancreas to produce insulin at two or more times the level that would ordinarily be required. And a diet rich in high-glycemic foods promotes obesity, which promotes insulin resistance. All of us would be healthier if we cut back on refined sugar and other high-glycemic foods such as candy and cookies. High-glycemic vegetables include potatoes, white rice, carrots, beets, and corn. Focus instead on low-glycemic foods such as pasta, whole grains, peas, beans, and broccoli. Sugar in liquor is absorbed more slowly when drinks are consumed with food. Then they have a smaller effect on insulin levels. |