Part of the Nutrition aspect of my fitness business involves taking clients to their grocery store for an eye-opening experience and education in basic nutrition - essentially, I show them how they can maximize their metabolism (not simply eat healthier) in order to reach their fitness objectives.
One common question I get when discussing carbohydrates and the effect sugars have on the body is, "well, what are sugar alcohols?" And in answering that question, it often begs the question, "do they have a caloric content such as sugar?"
Here is a brief response to those questions. I hope you can benefit from it when making your selections at the grocery store:
Sugar Alcohols are neither sugar, nor alcohol. They are a group of food additives used to counter the aftertaste of artificial sweeteners (such as aspartame or saccharin) and to raise the sweetness value of foods without adding common table sugar (sucrose). Sugar alcohols are usually incompletely absorbed into the blood stream from the small intestines. This typically results in a smaller change in blood glucose (blood sugar) than sucrose (table sugar). Thus, sugar alcohols become a popular sweetener for diabetics who must closely monitor their blood glucose levels.
Here are some facts about sugar alcholos:
- Sugar alcohols are not metabolized by oral bacteria, and so they do not contribute to tooth decay.
- They do not brown or caramelize when heated.
- Overconsumption of sugar alcohols can lead to bloating, diarrhea, and flatulence because they are not absorbed in the small intestine (much like dietary fiber).
- Of the 10 various sugar alcohols, the sweetness level (compared to sugar) ranges from 40% (lactitol) to 100% (xylitol).
- The caloric content ranges from 0.2 kcal/gram (arabitol) to 4.3 kcal/gram (glycerol). NOTE: Sucrose is 4 kcal/gram.
So, is the presence of sugar alcohols in your food a good thing or a bad thing? I imagine that largely depends on the type of sugar alcohol your food contains, but most sugar alcohols carry a lesser caloric content than sucrose (sugar), so you're probably in the green!
CPT JACK'S BASIC TRAINING
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