Transcription
What are the best and the worst sugar sources to include in your diet? In this video, I'm going to be ranking 15 of the most commonly available sugar sources on a tier list from S to super to F for fail. And at the end of the video, I will crown one sugar source as the best of the best and one sugar source as the worst of the worst.
Now, before we jump in, if you would like to work with me directly to set up a healthy diet that includes ample amounts of healthy sugar sources while optimizing your blood glucose levels, your body composition, and your metabolic and hormonal health, I just reopened a limited number of new spots for my exclusive coaching program. In the program, you'll be able to directly speak with me seven days per week and get my personalized guidance to rebuild your health. So head over to mikefave.com to grab your spot before spots run out.
Okay. So there are three major factors to consider when we are going to be ranking these sugar sources. So I want to break into that first and then we'll get directly into the ranking.
So the first things first is the effect of the sugar source on your blood glucose levels. How does your body process the sugar source? How fast does that sugar source actually hit the bloodstream?
The second thing that we're going to look at is digestibility of the sugar source. So, it's going to be is does this sugar source have a high FODMAP content which are essentially fermentable carbohydrates that we can't break down that the bacteria in our gut can and also the glucose to fructose ratio because as I've talked about in other videos if there's too much fructose in ratio to glucose in a sugar source it can actually lead to digestive issues because the fructose is not absorbed well.
Now the last piece is nutrient density. So we know the sugar sources are rich in sugar, but we also want micronutrients like vitamins and minerals present to actually help improve the utilization of that sugar and also adjust how that sugar is processed by the microbiomes. These also include plant compounds like polyphenolic compounds such as flavonoids. So we want to make sure we're having sources that are rich in these components. So these are going to be the three major criteria that we're going to look at when we are ranking the sugar sources.
Now, I want to note here that there are other carb sources like starch sources, but this video is going to be specifically covering sugar sources because it's going to be in alignment with this new trending diet that we're seeing, the sugar diet.
All right, so we have a variety of sugar sources that we're going to look at here and we're going to rank them from S tier, which is super, to F tier, which is fail.
The sugar source that we're going to look at here to start is going to be molasses. Now, molass is a byproduct of the the process of making cane sugar. I'm going to put this here in B tier. And the reason I'm going to put this in B tier is because the molasses actually has quite a bit of micronutrients present. Now, it is a very rapidly digesting sugar. So, it's going to be absorbed fast and it may rock some of these blood sugar pretty quickly. But the micronutrient content, as we're going to see here in chronometer, actually brings it up into B tier, which is going to separate it from some of the other refined sugar sources that we've seen. So, when we look at molasses, 1 tspoon, about 13 grams of sugar. And when we come over here, we see that its glucose to fructose ratio is 1.7 g to 1.6 gram. So, pretty much one, which is going to be important for that absorption. And then also the rest of that sucrose which is again one to one glucose of fructose. When we look at the micronutrients of molasses it's quite rich at least comparatively to honey and cane sugar and maple syrup in some of the B vitamins like vitamin B6. So 15% of the DRRi and the the where it really shines here is going to be in the mineral content where it's quite rich in calcium, copper, magnesium and then also potassium and manganese. So it's pretty good source of certain minerals. I wouldn't make it the major source of carbohydrates in the diet, but it is a good addition also to supplement some of these vital minerals uh in the diet. And this is something that actually using clients who have a difficult time tolerating calcium supplements.
All right. Now, the next source that we have here is maple syrup. And maple syrup, I'm going to have to put that in D tier. Now, the reason that I'm putting the maple syrup in D tier is because it is not very nutrient-dense. It's not as nutrient-dense as molasses is, and it's very rapidly digesting. It hits the system pretty fast, which molasses does as well. Um, the nice thing though is that the maple syrup is digested pretty well by many people because it has uh almost all sucrose, which is 1:1 glucose to fructose ratio. So, people will digest it well. And it does have a bit of micronutrient. It has a little bit of ribboflavin and a little bit of manganese, but not really much to write home about here. So, it's going to go in Dtier. something that you can use to sweeten things up, but probably not going to be an ideal primary carbohydrate source.
The next one that we're going to talk about here is honey. Now, everybody loves to talk about the benefits of honey. When we actually look at honey on paper, it's basically just sugar. So, it has some polyphenol compounds which I think make it valuable. And then different honey varieties can actually have a different breakdown of micronutrients, but honey overall is a very refined sugar source. We have about one tablespoon is going to be about 17 gram of sugar here. And when we look at it, it has almost a balanced glucose to fructose ratio. 8.7 g of fructose and 7.6 g of glucose. This is going to be important for absorption. We want that 1:1 to optimize the absorption of the carbohydrate in the intestine. And different honeys can have different ratios and some of them can skew a little bit more towards fructose. And then it has very minimal glucose. So you have a lot of free sugars here. When we look at the micronutrients, not really that many micronutrients present. And so given that it is free sugars, um it has a relatively decent ratio and mineral micronutrients. It's digested well, but it can hit the blood sugar pretty heavily and pretty rapidly. And it doesn't provide those micros that we want, even if it has some polyphenols. So that's why we're going to put honey here in the E tier, uh which is below maple syrup and below molasses.
Now, going along with honey, we have sugar. I would put granulated sugar and honey together in that E tier. And the reason why I would do that again is the granulated sugar is basically pure sucrose. So sucrossse is one to one glucose of fructose. So it's going to be well absorbed, not going to cause as much digestive issues. Now high amounts of this could drive dispiosis in the intestine because it doesn't have any of the polyphenols that we see with honey. But then it also doesn't have very much micronutrients. So, I wouldn't make the major sources of carbohydrate in a diet pure table sugar or cane sugar uh because we're going to miss quite a bit of micronutrients and it's going to hit the system pretty rapidly.
The next sugar source we have here is dextrose. And dextrose is going to fall along the same lines as honey and sugar. It's pure glucose. There's no fructose. So, I'm going to put this specifically in E tier. And the dextrose because it doesn't have fructose is likely to rock the blood sugar pretty heavily because it's all glucose. It's going to hit the system pretty rapidly and spike that blood sugar pretty fast. The other thing is some people who have issues with fructose metabolism, they may tolerate dextrose better. So there's some pros and there's some cons with the dextrose, but I would still put it in the E tier because again when we look at dextrose, it's all glucose and there's not really much micronutrients to write home about. there's basically zero. So, we're not going to get the vitamins, minerals we need, and there's no polyphenolic compounds from the plants that we're looking for to help shift the microbiome.
Next, we have the infamous high fructose corn syrup. Now, high fructose corn syrup is made by basically fermenting corn so that you have the a pure glucose syrup and you get fructose present with it. And the ratio of glucose to fructose is shifted higher towards fructose. So, we're going to have a little bit more fructose than we do glucose. This actually creates a problem depending on the percentage because if you have a high amount of fructose without the glucose present that can lead to issues with absorption. The next thing is because it is like an industrialmade compound to some extent and it it could be made from GMO corn and then it's made by this fermentation process there is some concern potentially of contamination with it and on top of that it has very little micronutrients. It has basically zero micronutrients uh and then it has no polyphenolic compounds and it's typically combined in some of the worst foods that you could eat as far as the processed packaged foods go. So I would put high fructose corn syrup in the F tier here as one of the worst possible options to incorporate in the diet because it a digestibility speed at which it's going to hit the system lack of micronutrients lack of polyphenolic compounds and the processing that goes involved in creating it.
Now, the next source that we have here is agave syrup. People are going to be pretty surprised to find that I'm going to put agave syrup in the F tier. Now, why am I going to put agave syrup in the F tier? Because that's almost all fructose. So, when we look at agave syrup, one tablespoon is going to give us 15.9 g of carbs. And then when we look at the breakdown, we're going to see 11.7 g of fructose. Now this is a problem because many people do not absorb fructose well without the presence of glucose. The intestine requires both glucose and fructose be present to absorb that fructose. So if you just have fructose, it stays in the intestine and the bacteria are able to get a hold of it and ferment it. So I think and I've seen this with quite a few clients when people eat large amounts of agave syrup, they tend to get digestive issues. So, I think this is probably one of the worst sources to incorporate in the diet because if you have bacteria fermenting that fructose, that can lead to a variety of metabolic concerns. So, I would not use agave syrup, I would put that in F tier with a high fructose corn syrup.
For the next source here, we have 100% fruit jam. So, for 100% fruit jam, the one that I specifically like to use personally, I'm not affiliated with them, is this Saint D Forest jam. And I do like the strawberry one. And when you look at the ingredients, it's strawberries and it's sweetened only with fruit juice concentrate, fruit pectin, and lemon juice. So, it's basically entirely fruit and it's a very concentrated source of fruit because you get quite a bit of carbohydrate for a very small amount. So, one tablespoon is going to give you 12 grams of carbohydrate, but it's coming entire and this is all sugars and it's coming entirely from fruits. So, this is a good source to incorporate in the diet to help get some extra carbohydrate, but I'm gonna have to put the fruit jam in D tier. And the reason why I'm putting the fruit jam in D tier, is because the fruit jam is very rapidly digested. And so, it can spike the blood sugar pretty significantly for some people, especially if they're not used to carbohydrate, and it's not very micronutrient-dense.
Next up, we have low FODMAP organic 100% fruit juice. So, these are going to be things like orange juice, grapefruit juice, pineapple juice, grape juice, pomegranate juice, coconut water, blueberry juice, cranberry juice, lemon juice, and lime juice. These I'm going to put in A tier. Now, why am I putting them in A tier? While they do have vitamins, they have minerals, they're they're very easily digested. They have one to one glucose to fructose ratio, they do not have a high FODMAP content, these juice sources can hit the blood sugar pretty rapidly, especially if you have higher quantities of them. And for some people, that may give them a blood glucose spike depending on their state. And so, I put them in A tier because you're going to want to be careful if you are metabolically impaired having some of these very rapidly digesting juice sources. And you're going to want to incorporate whole fruits with these as well to help adjust that blood glucose rise and help keep the blood sugar a little bit more stable overall. So that's why they fall in A tier and not S tier.
Okay, so next up we have the high FODMAP organic 100% fruit juice. Now this will include things like apple juice, pear juice, peach juice, watermelon juice, cherry juice, and prune juice. And these I'm going to have to put in the C tier instead of the A tier like the other low FODMAP organic 100% fruit juices largely because of the imbalanced glucose to fructose ratio in favor of fructose with these juices and also because of their high FODMAP content.
The next source we have are high FODMAP organic whole fruits. So these are going to be things like plums, peaches, nectarines, cherries, leuches and longans, watermelon, dragon fruit, pcammen, mangoes, apples, pears, apricots, and blackberries. Now these sources I'm going to have to put in the B tier. Now, why am I putting them in the B tier? They do have vitamins and minerals. They do have fiber content with them. They are a great source of carbohydrate. There's a lot of research showing benefits to them. The problem is because they have FODMAPs and or their glucose to fructose ratio is imbalanced towards fructose. They can pose digestive issues for people or people get bloating, they get gas, they get loose stools and things like this from some of these fruits, especially in higher quantities. So, in this circumstance, I would say to be careful with these food sources. Does that mean you can't eat them or can't incorporate them into your diet? Of course not. But I would test out your response because after working with clients over the past decade trying to help people incorporate sugar sources in their diet, these are some of the major sources that I see people have digestive issues with on a regular basis.
Now the next source we have here are the high FODMAP organic dried fruits. And it's unfortunate because some of them are actually delicious. So some of the foods that we have here are dried mango, dried apples, dried peaches, pears, cherries, apricots, pcammen, raisins, car, sultanas, prunes and figs. Now this does not mean that you can't incorporate these into your diet. They are rich in vitamin and minerals. They have adequate carbohydrate intake. They have fiber and they have the polyphenolic compounds. But if you find yourself eating tons of dried mango and being extremely bloated and being extremely gassy, then I would actually take a period of time and remove the mango from the diet and see if digestion improves. This doesn't mean that you have a dispiosis or anything like this. This is par for the course for some of these foods. I'm going to have to put in the B tier. And the reason I'm putting these in the B tier is because they can create digestive issues or people pretty significant digestive issues. Issues like loose stools or bloating or constipation as well.
So the next sugar source that we have here is the low FODMAP organic dried fruits. These are going to be things like goji berries, mulberries, pineapple, papaya, jackf fruit, bananas, oranges, kiwi, cranberries, blueberries, and dates. The dried fruits are a great source of vitamins, of minerals, of sugars, obviously, of plant compounds. However, because they are dried, they can actually rock people's blood sugar pretty significantly. I have quite a few clients who I'm working with who have type two diabetes, type 1 diabetes, and the dried fruits I can see on their CGMs hit the blood sugar very rapidly. So, usually I think it's okay to incorporate them, but the amount has to be moderated to keep the blood sugar in an appropriate range and without having these massive spikes postbranially. So, these sources I'm going to have to put in A tier for that reason. The other thing I want to mention with dried fruits is I think for some people because the fruits are dried, if you eat too much of them, they can actually create digestive issues as well, which also makes you put them in A tier. Even though glucose to fructose ratio could be one to one and and it's mostly sucrose and there's not many FODMAPs in these fruit sources, for some people because of the dried component of it, because they're very dense, I think they can pose a digestive issue.
Since we've gone through all the sources, let's talk about what the best of the best sources are here. Now, the best of the best sources are obviously the low FODMAP organic whole fruits. So, these are going to be things like blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, mulberries, mango steeen, bananas, pineapples, guavas, passion fruits, grapes, kiwi, papaya, cantaloupe, honeydew, oranges, grapefruit, lemons, limes, cherry moya, sour, and jackf fruit. And my personal favorite of this list is going to be cherry moya. Now I know that cherry moya is not a very common fruit inside western countries. However, if you ever get a chance to check out a Hispanic market or an east west market and you go to the frozen section, sometimes they have cherry moya or adamoya or custard apple. Well, those are the names that you'll look for. And it's extremely delicious. If it's frozen, it's basically just like ice cream and has a very unique flavor. So, that would be my best of the best organic whole fruit source. That would be even above S tier because the flavor is absolutely amazing.
And as far as the worst of the worst sugar sources, the sugar sources that if I see these in somebody's diet that I'm working with that I remove immediately, these are going to be all the processed food sources of sugar. So, that's going to be the things like the jelly beans, sour patch, fruit roll-ups, sodas like Mountain Dew, and Pepsi and things like this. I'm going to be removing those as soon as possible and replacing them potentially with juices, whole fruits, dried fruits, things like this. So there's micronutrient density, there's adequate fiber intake in the diet. There's the the beneficial plant compounds. And there's also the 1:1 glucose to fructose ratio without the FODMAPs so people are able to actually digest these sources, absorb them and metabolize them appropriately, right? Because it's not about just having the sugars. It's about being able to convert those sugars directly into ATP into energy at the cell. And so all of these components that come with the whole fruits, that come with the 100% fruit juices are they they actually improve that process, that conversion of the fuel source of the sugar into energy at the cell via mitochondrial oxidation.
Now, if you would like to learn how to include these sugar sources in your diet or see how I include them in my diet, you can check out this video.