Bread vs. Candy - Which Do You Think
Will Raise Your Blood Sugar Faster?

Bread! Did you guess correctly? Nicely done if you did!

I found this out on my own over Thanksgiving a few years ago when my uncle was testing a blood glucose monitor. This is because your typical slice of bread has more carbohydrates than some candy. They are both broken down very quickly and involve the same digestive processes and both raise your blood sugar, but since bread generally has more carbs, that’s the reason it raises it faster. It’s those pesky, but delicious carbs! Blood sugar spikes are a leading cause type II diabetes, among other health issues if it becomes a daily habit.

As we all move into the holiday seasons (and the cold winter months), we tend to eat a lot than usual, and mostly more carbs. There are some interesting facts and tips I’d like to share with you, that you might not have known about, to help balance your carb load and give your body a bit of a break during the season of comfort foods.
Fiber! The first fact regarding fiber is that it actually helps your body break down carbs slower, which means your blood sugar won’t spike as high when you eat them. Another fact not a lot of people know about (but maybe Keto dieters know about) is the more grams of fiber you consume in your daily diet, the more it will essentially subtract from the grams of carbohydrates you eat.

An easy example would be this:

• 200g Carbs were consumed on December 25, 2020
• 20g of Fiber were also consumed on December 25, 2020
• 180g total net carbs were consumed on December 25, 2020

So to recap, the more fiber you ingest on a daily basis, the slower carbs are digested, which reduces your blood sugar spikes and you can subtract your carb intake! Pretty neat huh?

There is a caveat to this though, as with anything good in life and good for you, moderation is important. You will learn a very harsh lesson if you consume too much fiber. You’ll be making many trips to the restroom (there can be more severe consequences for people with diabetes and GI issues like Crohn’s). It is important to stick to the recommended daily fiber intake of 25-30g a day of fiber, indicated by the American Heart Association, to avoid any digestive problems, especially while you’re enjoying time with family and friends during the holidays!

If you have any questions about this blog today, please reach out! I love this stuff and can answer questions, or just chat with you too! I think in the spring, I’ll be hosting a seminar at the office on the breakdown of the science of fiber, carbs, and blood sugar.

Happy Holidays everyone!

- Dr. Amy

References:

“Foods That Spike a Patient's Blood Glucose Are Not What You Think.” American Medical Association, 14 Mar. 2019, www.ama-assn.org/delivering-care/diabetes/foods-spike-patient-s-blood-glucose-are-not-what-you-think.

UCSF Health. “Increasing Fiber Intake.” Ucsfhealth.org, UCSF Health, 6 Oct. 2020, www.ucsfhealth.org/education/increasing-fiber-intake.

“Understanding Fiber.” Diabetes Education Online, dtc.ucsf.edu/living-with-diabetes/diet-and-nutrition/understanding-carbohydrates/counting-carbohydrates/learning-to-read-labels/understanding-fiber/.