The Fear of Sugars -- A Worthy Phobia
It's vital that the bariatric patient keep an eye on sugar grams
in food!
About 97% of all bariatric surgery patients learn to become very
familiar with what is known as the "dumping syndrome", which is
a way the body tells you that you ate something that you really
shouldn't have eaten. "Dumping" shows up in many forms from
sudden fatigue, to nausea, to vomiting, and even diarrhea. When
the "dumping" comes, take note of what you most recently ate,
and do your best to avoid it again.
Many things can cause dumping. Foods containing too much grease,
fats, carbs, and sugars CAN make you "dump." But the biggest
culprit in this short list (yet so many foods have these
elements in them), is SUGAR and SUGAR ALCOHOLS.
What exactly are "Sugar Alcohols"?
Basically, Sugar Alcohols are artificial sweeteners or "anything
that serves as a sweetener in food but cannot be labeled as a
sugar since it isn't pure sugar."
Sugar Alcohols may not add calories (as real sugar does) to your
body, BUT they DO ACT like sugar in the sense they will make the
bariatric patient DUMP as if they partook of real sugar. On
average, the bariatric patient cannot tolerate more than 12
grams of sugar PER MEAL. Beyond 12 grams of sugar will almost
always cause some type of dumping, be it mild or severe. This is
why it is essential to add up both the sugar AND the sugar
alcohols that are being consumed per meal.
Let's say the food label says the product has 2 grams of sugar
and 14 grams of sugar alcohols. Does that mean it's safe? It is
NOT safe because when the sugar alcohols act just like sugars,
in essence, you are consuming 16 grams of "sugar-action" because
you have to ADD the two together since they react in the body
the same way. Some "diet" foods claim to be low in sugar - TRUE
- but then they contain 22 grams of sugar alcohols. This is okay
for non-bariatric patients, but a sure "dumping in the making"
for us!
What exactly is "Sugar"?
Chemically, sugars are carbohydrates. As the body digests food,
carbohydrates (except fiber) break down into sugars. We can find
sugars in a variety of forms. Sugars just aren't used to sweeten
food: they are also used as natural preservatives and
thickeners. Sugars are added to foods during processing and
preparation. The body cannot tell the difference between
"natural" sugars and artificial sugars because they are the same
in regards to chemical breakdowns.
"Incognito" Sugars
Watch out for these sugars in disguise! Some are obvious while
others are tricky: * Brown sugar * Corn sweetener * Corn syrup *
Fructose * Fruit juice concentrate * Glucose (dextrose) *
High-fructose corn syrup * Honey * Invert sugar * Lactose *
Maltose * Molasses * Raw sugar * Table sugar (Sucrose) * Syrup
If you find these things listed on food labels, remember this:
the product is likely to be high in sugars if one of the
above-mentioned shows first or second in the ingredients list.
If several of these are listed, then the product
most-definitively will be too high in "sugars" for the bariatric
patient and will cause dumping.
Also, fruits contain "natural sugars". And fruits, unlike
packaged foods, don't have convenient wrappers on them revealing
any sugar values within them. This is where we have to "know"
how much sugars are in the fruits we eat. Pineapple is one of
the highest natural-sugar fruits out there, and grapes are
pretty high too. Fruits are good for our system, if taken in
moderation. But too much of the "natural" sugars can also cause
an ill effect.
If you haven't developed the FEAR OF SUGARS by now, then you
might be doing yourself an injustice. It is important o know how
sugars effect you personally so you can learn how to eat
anywhere with confidence. When you begin to understand how
sugars affect your system, you can then attend any social event
and know what is okay to eat and how much of that "party" food
you can safely eat without causing an embarrassing and
inconvenient dumping episode. When you're dumping, attention is
naturally drawn to you because others genuinely care and will
inquire about why you're not feeling well. If you don't want
this kind of attention, then get your Sugar Intake Safety Zone
down to a personal science for you so you can always relax and
enjoy your food.