What the Fear of Sugars — A Worthy Phobia

It is important for a bariatric patient to look at grams of sugar in a diet! About 97% of all bariatric surgeons learn to be more familiar with what is known as "dumping syndrome", which is the way the body tells you to eat something you should not really eat. “Dismissal” is manifested in many ways from sudden fatigue, to nausea, to vomiting, and even diarrhea. When the “throw” comes, be aware of what you have just eaten, and do all you can to avoid it again. Many things can cause rejection. High fat diets, fats, carbs, and sugar CAN MAKE YOU “LOSE.” But the main cause of this short list (yet most foods have these nutrients), ALCOHOL AND ALCOHOL. What exactly is “Sugar Alcohols”? Basically, Sugar Alcohols are a synthetic sweetener or "anything that acts as a sugar in food but cannot be called a sugar as it is not pure sugar." Sugar Alcohol may not add calories (like real sugar) to your body, BUT. THEY act like sugar in the sense that they will make the bariatric DUMP patient look like they are eating real sugar. On average, a bariatric patient cannot tolerate more than 12 grams of sugar EACH FOOD. More than 12 grams of sugar will almost always cause some form of dumping, be it soft or hard. That is why it is important to include both sugar AND the alcoholic beverages in each meal. Suppose a food label says that the product contains 2 grams of sugar and 14 grams of sugar alcohol. Does that mean it is safe? It is UNSAFE because if alcohol works like sugar, in fact, you are eating 16 grams of “sugar” because you have to ADD both together because they react in the same way in the body. Some "food" foods are said to be high in sugar - TRUE - but they contain 22 grams of sugar. This is okay for non-bariatric patients, but a definite "throw in practice" for us! What exactly is “sugar”? Chemically, sugar is a carbohydrate. As the body digests food, carbohydrates (excluding fiber) are reduced to sugar. We can get sugar in a variety of ways. Sugar is not used to make sweets in food: it is also used as a natural preservative and thickeners. Sugar is added to food during processing and preparation. The body cannot distinguish between “natural” sugar and synthetic sugar because it is the same in terms of chemical degradation. Sugar “Incognito” Watch out for these hidden sugars! Some are obvious while others are deceptive: • Brown sugar • Sweetener • Maize syrup • Fructose • Fruit juice concentrate • Glucose (dextrose) • high fructose corn syrup • Honey • Convert sugar • Lactose • Maltose • Molasses • Green sugar • Table sugar (Sucrose) • Syrup When you find these items labeled on food labels, remember this: the product may contain a lot of sugar if one of the above listed first or second in the list of ingredients. If several of these are listed, then the product will certainly be too high for "sugar" in a bariatric patient and will cause rejection. Also, the fruit contains "natural sugar". And fruits, unlike packaged foods, do not have easy wrappers on them that express any amount of sugar inside them. This is where we need to “know” how much sugar in the fruit we eat. Pineapple is one of the highest natural sugars, and the grapes are the highest. Fruits are good for our system, if taken in moderation. But too much “natural” sugar can also be harmful. If you have not already done so, you are probably doing yourself a disservice. It is important to know how sugar affects you so you can learn how to eat anywhere with confidence. Once you start to understand how sugar affects your system, you can attend any public event and know what to eat and how much "party" food you can eat safely without causing a shameful and unhealthy waste of exercise. When you give up, attention naturally draws you because others really care about you and will ask why you don't feel well. If you do not want to get this kind of attention, get the Sugar Safety Center a personal science so you can always relax and enjoy your meal.