One of my patients, who had been struggling with obesity, without control diabetes and the cost of her medications, agreed in June 2019 to adopt a more plant-based, whole-food diet.
Excited by the challenge, she did a remarkable job. She increased her consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables, stopped eating sweets, cookies and cakes, and reduced animal foods. Over six months, he lost 19 pounds and his HbA1c, a measure of his average blood sugar – fell from 11.5 to 7.6 percent.
She was doing so well that I was hoping her HbA1c would continue to drop and that it would be one of our plant-based diabetes-reversing successes.
Her three-month follow-up visit in March 2020 was canceled due to COVID-19 Blockages When I finally saw her again in May 2021, she had regained some of her weight and her HbA1c had risen to 10.4%.
She explained that she had been told by her diabetes doctor and a diabetes nurse educator that she was eating too much “sugar” on the plant-based diet.
She had been advised to limit carbohydrates by cutting back on starchy fruits and vegetables and eating more fish and chicken. Sugar-free candies, cakes, cookies, and artificial sweeteners were encouraged. Faced with conflicting medical advice, he fell back on the conventional wisdom that “sugar” is bad and should be avoided whenever possible, especially if you have diabetes.
I am a physician, board certified in preventive medicine with a lifestyle medicine clinic at Morehouse Healthcare in Atlanta. This emerging medical specialty focuses on helping patients make healthy lifestyle behavior modifications.
Patients who adopt whole-food, plant-based diets increase carbohydrate intake and often see chronic diseases, such as diabetes and hypertension, reversed. In my clinical experience, myths about “sugar” and carbohydrates are common among patients and health professionals.
fruit vs sugar
Your body runs on glucose. It is the simple sugar that cells use for energy.
Glucose is a molecular building block of carbohydrates, one of the three essential macronutrients. The other two are fat and protein. Starches are long branched chains of glucose.
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About: These molecules (glucose, fructose, and galactose) are the three types of simple sugars found in starches, fruit, and milk.
Natural carbohydrates travel in nutrient-rich packages, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and seeds.
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About: Chains of simple sugar molecules linked together form starches and other carbohydrates.
humans evolved to crave sweet flavors obtain the nutrients needed to survive. A daily supply of vitaminsMinerals and fiber are needed because our bodies cannot make them. The best source of these substances for our ancient ancestors was sweet, ripe and delicious fruit.
In addition, the fruits contain phytonutrients Y antioxidants, chemicals produced only by plants. Phytonutrients like ellagic acid in strawberries have Cancer-Properties to fight and promote heart health.
Refined sugars, on the other hand, are highly processed and stripped of all nutrients except calories. They are a concentrated form of carbohydrates. The food industry produces refined sugars in many forms. The most common are sucrose crystals, which you would recognize as table sugar, and high fructose corn syrup, which is found in many processed foods and sugary drinks.
If you continually indulge your sweet tooth with foods that contain refined sugar, rather than the nutrient-dense fruits at the center of this evolutionarily-passed craving, you You may not get all the nutrients you need..
Over time, this deficit can create a vicious cycle of overeating that leads to obesity and obesity-related health problems. Women who eat more fruit tend to have lower rates of obesity.
sugar toxicity
Refined sugars are not directly toxic to cells, but they can combine with proteins and fats in food and in the bloodstream to produce toxic substances such as advanced glycation end products (Centuries). High blood glucose levels can cause glycosylated low-density lipoproteins. High levels of these and other glucose-related toxicants are associated with an increased risk of a wide range of chronic health problems, including cardiovascular diseases and diabetes.
The disease most commonly associated with sugar is type 2 diabetes. A surprising number of people, including health professionals, incorrectly believe that eating sugar causes type 2 diabetes. This myth leads to a focus on lowering blood sugar and “carb counting” while ignoring the real cause: progress loss of pancreatic beta cell function. At the time of diagnosis, a patient may have lost between 40 and 60 percent of its beta cells, which are responsible for producing insulin.
Insulin is a hormone that controls the amount of glucose in the bloodstream by blocking glucose production in the liver and directing it to fat and muscle cells. Loss of beta cell function means not enough insulin is produced, resulting in the high blood glucose levels characteristic of type 2 diabetes.
beta cells have low levels of antioxidants and are susceptible to attack by metabolic and dietary oxidized free radicals and AGE. The antioxidants in the fruit can protect beta cells. Researchers have found that eating Whole fruit reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes, with whom eat the most fruits that have the least risk.
sugar detox
People interested in losing weight and improving their health often ask if they should do a “sugar detox.” In my opinion this is a waste of time, because it is not possible to eliminate sugar from the body. For example, if you ate only baked chicken breasts, your liver would convert the protein to glucose in a process called gluconeogenesis.
Low-carb diets can lead to weight loss, but at the expense of health. Diets that significantly reduce carbohydrates are associated with nutrient deficiencies and higher risk of death from any cause. low carb ketogenic diets the the body will break the muscles and convert its protein into glucose. Lack of fiber causes constipation.
Eliminating foods sweetened with refined sugar is a worthy goal. But don’t think of it as a “detox,” it should be a permanent lifestyle change. The safest way to “detox” from refined sugar is to increase your intake of nutrient-dense fruits and vegetables. Once you cut out refined sugar, you’ll likely find that your taste buds become more sensitive and appreciative of the natural sweetness of fruits. 
jennifer rooke, Assistant Professor of Community Health and Preventive Medicine, Morehouse School of Medicine.
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