Carbs, Sugars and Blood Sugar

The first step of lowering blood sugar levels is to consistently and carefully select what kind of carbs to eat.

Blood sugar comes from eating carbohydrates. There are carbohydrates that can be digested by our bodies, and those that cannot be digested. Carbs that can’t be digested are called dietary fibers, and they do not increase the blood sugar level directly. But digestible carbohydrates release glucose into the bloodstream, and are classified by the number of glucose (sugar) molecules they release after digestion. ‘Simple sugars’ or simple carbs are molecules made of just one or two glucose (sugar) molecules, ‘oligosaccharides’ are made of 3 to 9, and ‘complex carbohydrates’ are made of more than 10 sugar molecules. Simple sugars include glucose, fructose, galactose, sucrose and lactose. Foods with high percentage of simple sugars include soft drinks, sugar and honey. They are digested easily and hence cause blood sugar levels to rise quickly. On the other hand, complex carbohydrates such as starch, glycogen and cellulose are digested relatively slowly and cause blood sugar levels to rise slower, making them a better option for enjoying sweet flavors while managing blood glucose levels.

The recommended intake for adults is no more than 30g of added sugars, and no more than 325g of carbohydrates per day. The nutritional value of 100g of rice contains 80g of total carbohydrates and 0.1g of sugars, which means that rice is made of complex carbohydrates (starch) and non-digestible fibers instead of simple sugars. In comparison, 100g of mango fruit contains 17g of total carbohydrates and 14.8g of sugars. Mango has a much greater percentage of simple sugars that can quickly increase blood sugar levels than rice.