Dr. Kracker

My friends in the book world are the first to thank and bless Oprah, who singlehandedly may have done more to get America reading than any writer or teacher on the planet. But adding an enjoyable book to your weekly routine is one thing; removing something you enjoy from your daily diet is another.

On her February 2nd show, Ellen DeGeneres announced she is swearing off sugar. Ellen has a loyal following of viewers, which will only grow in size as she takes on the glamorous (or onerous!) job of judging contestants and facing off against Simon on American Idol. So her well-publicized dietary decision will at least cause her fans to think about how much sugar they’re eating, if not join her in eliminating it from their diets as well.

What motivated Ellen to take this step? Her reasoning was simple; in her own words, she wants “pure energy” that does not come from sugar’s “false high.” Given the pervasive use of sugar in so many foods, this was not an easy decision, and she quickly noted some side effects she wasn’t looking forward to, including initial crankiness and lower energy.

What happens when someone goes cold turkey on sugar? To answer this, let’s look first at sugar and its role in the body. Sugars and carbohydrates are different forms of the same thing. Sugar is a monosaccharide, or single molecule, and carbs are polysaccharides, or complex sugars. Carbs must be broken down into sugars, and sugars are the primary fuel we burn every day. There’s a negligible difference between all the sugars we see in the stores. Beet sugar, cane sugar, brown sugar, cane juice, and molasses all come either from sugar cane or sugar beets. Sugar beets became a primary source of sugar during the Napoleonic wars when Great Britain blockaded French shipping, and they’ve remained with us ever since, supplying a good share of the American sugar crop today (an unfortunate example of farm subsidies hijacking our rural lands for crops that don’t particularly make a lot of sense). Alternative sweeteners that are absorbed more slowly into the bloodstream include agave nectar, brown rice syrup, and honey, to name a few. Some of these, like agave nectar, are sweeter than sugar and can be used more sparingly to achieve the same level of sweetness, for a small saving in calories. But if you’re avoiding all sugars, these should be excluded from the diet as well.

Studies continue to show that despite having a chemical formula equivalent to fruit sugar, high fructose corn syrup is processed differently by the body. This chemically-altered sweetener is particularly nefarious, is linked more and more directly to obesity and diabetes, and is best avoided at all costs, whether you are eliminating sugar from your diet or not.

Stevia is a relatively new-to-the-market herb that has no calories to speak of, and registers as sugar on our taste buds. It’s currently being reviewed by the FDA to see how it can be used by food manufacturers, and is already used in some diet drinks. As sugar is continually indentified as a contributor to chronic disease, powerful agricultural interests (like ConAgra Foods) will make certain Stevia gets to market in more and more products.

Carbohydrates are long chains of sugar molecules. When we consume carbohydrates, our body uses its enzymes to reduce them to simple sugars, which can be absorbed into the blood stream and burned as energy. The glycemic index is becoming a popular and accepted indicator of the rate of absorption of sugar. It ranks foods based on their impact on the blood glucose level; with a score below 55 indicating a low glycemic value. Unfortunately, no food has a single glycemic number. How food is eaten, whether alone or in combination with other foods and the body’s individual metabolism, will influence how quickly this process of absorption is completed. Whole grains, seeds, legumes, and foods made from them rank in the good glycemic zone and indicate a slow absorption of sugar.

Twenty years ago, fats were the new bad guys — we were told they were killing us with heart disease. We dutifully responded with a “get fat out of my diet” mania that launched a vast new landscape of fat-free foods. In the case of baked goods, manufacturers substituted sugar for fats as a means of retaining moisture. With just a few exceptions, fat-free cookies and muffins weren’t particularly delicious, and while lower in calories (1 gram of sugar is worth 4.5 calories and 1 gram of fat or oil is worth 9 calories in the body), they were nutritionally devastating, and set us off on our road to obesity. The sugar-free and low-carb diets like Atkins were somewhat positive counter trends, but they, too, have potential problems. Fortunately, limiting or eliminating sugar in the diet will not lead to the same sort of unforeseen consequences of fat-free diets. Had the glycemic index been recognized 20 years ago, the fat-free craze may never have left the starting gate.

One possible consequence of removing sugar from the diet is a resulting “low energy” state. When we cut out a portion of the fuel we burn, we force the body to break down proteins and fats for fuel, a less efficient process than carbs and sugars. And if no additional calories are added to replace sugar’s calories, then there’s a good reason to feel tired. Coffee and tea are effective pick-me-uppers, but I don’t know if they are a more pure type of energy in any healthy sense. (I admire anyone who can go through a day without any caffeine even more than I admire someone who has sworn off sugar.)

Sugar does indeed have a powerful hold on our bodies and minds. Our sweet receptors are on the tip of our tongue — so sweetness is literally the first taste we register. Not only that, in an infant’s mouth, there are taste buds not only on the tongue, but also on the sides and roof of the mouth, which creates heightened sensitivity to all flavors. Mother’s milk, our first food, is naturally sweet, and offers not only the cure for hunger, but also comfort and closeness as well. Is it any wonder that, given all of this, many of us have a deep, strong physical addiction to sweet foods?

The association of sweet foods with comfort doesn’t end with the nursing infant, either. Throughout our lives, sweets are used continually as both a reward for good behavior and a remedy for sadness. A big, sweet cake is the centerpiece for celebrating significant joyous events, like birthdays, engagements, and weddings. As children, a bounty of candy is our holiday reward at Halloween, Hannukkah, Christmas, and Easter. How many grade schools reward achievement with chocolate chip cookies, how many sorrows are drowned in chocolate ice cream? If you think about it this way, you could argue that sugary treats are a universal introduction to mood-altering drugs — a bit of a reach, perhaps, but I think if most of us reflect on our lives, we’ll find this to be true, and we may even repeat it with our own children without thinking of the consequences.

This psycho-dependence may change as snacking becomes more prevalent. Today, snacks are a source for as much as 25% of a child’s calories. The pervasive presence of sugar in snacks, even the supposedly healthy ones like energy bars, tightens the hold of sugar on our daily lives. For the coming “snacking-gen,” sugar may have so saturated flavors and become so pervasive that it will have less of an emotional hold. The impact may be more sinister as it obliterates any ability to enjoy food that does not have the kick of stimulation to stimulate the sweet taste buds.

And having a 20 year-old daughter who tried something similar to Ellen’s diet several years ago, I saw how difficult it was. Sofie’s struggles made me wonder if there is a biological reason that women may crave sugar more than men. (If I had to guess, I would say it may be the constant pressure to diet that leaves many women short of calories and thus looking for the sugar surge to close the caloric gap.)

As hard as it is to excise sugar from the diet, there are great alternatives. Convenient, portable, and healthy fruits come to the rescue (don’t count out vegetables, either — a carrot is pretty sweet and portable too). Marketing groups have seized on Ellen Degeneres’ commitment to raise the profile of fresh fruits and vegetables, offering to donate 1,000 pounds of fresh produce to the charity or cause of Ellen’s choice, each time she features and talks about a fruit on her show. The goal is to donate as much as 100,000 pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables by the end of March. You can follow this effort on the website: www.freshforellen.com

And this is where I have never agreed with the low-carb diets which restrict fruits at the beginning, when they are an important source of sugars the body needs, not to mention their wonderful and beneficial antioxidants, micronutrients and vitamins they supply. The newest editions of the low-carb diets have come round and only restrict fruit during the initial, carb-cleansing period.

Absent fruits and vegetables, I would lean more toward the complex carbohydrates made from whole grains and whole seeds for rich, natural, and sugar-free sources of energy. Since Ellen is a vegan, there is no quick bite of bread and cheese to take the edge off hunger. (Forget energy bars, by the way. Their first ingredient is usually some form of sugar, and sugar may appear throughout the nutritional panel in various forms. That’s why they’re called “energy bars!”) Unsweetened granola with almond or soy milk would also be appropriate, with bananas, blueberries or strawberries cut into the mix. But you’ve still got to be careful that the “milk” is sugar-free.

Since I am a big fan of Dr. Kracker, I heartily recommend any of the Dr. Kracker varieties (except the Seedlander, which contains 2 grams of sugar per flatbread) with peanut butter or with hummus. But even Dr. Kracker uses some barley malt as yeast food, although the sugar is not detectable for the purpose of recording it on the nutrition panel. And many peanut or nut butters are spiked with sugar.

There are also a number of whole grain breads that go especially well with peanut butter or hummus. My favorites are the German whole rye Vollkorn (whole kernel) breads, or check out the easy-to-make whole grain bread on breadhealthy.com, my teaching website. The one tablespoon of molasses can be left out without affecting the quality.

Most importantly, we all need to pay attention to how each of us reacts to any diet change. Age, sex, and amount of activity are all key determinants. More fruit or more complex carbs may be just the thing for others. Experiment and make adjustments as you realize what is optimal for you and those you share food with.

Sugar is a convenient and pervasive package of energy. A life without it requires more planning and work, and involves less convenience. And maybe that’s a good thing. Convenience usually means processing, and processing can quickly lead down a slippery slope to sugars, fats, and excessive salt. And, ecologically speaking, convenience almost always means more packaging to dispose of. So make time to prepare and, if at all possible, take advantage of all the new and cool reusable containers for sugar-free snacks.

Going sugar-free is a challenging exercise and a good test of willpower. Catholics and Muslims have practiced a food-based, periodic self-denial for centuries. Going without teaches us to better appreciate what we have given up. Minimizing sugar is an excellent idea with many benefits. If nothing else, a sugar holiday frees the other taste buds to improve their perception. The no-sugar route requires more thought, planning, and label reading than many of us may expect. Even if you don’t want to make a wholesale commitment to go without sugar for the rest of your life, I’d heartily recommend going without it for a month and see how different you feel.

Goat of the month: Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein has been detected as a source of Salmonella, prompting a major recall of processed foods, everything from salami to soups. Next month I’m going to look at HVP and why so many food processors use it. If you can’t pronounce it, spell it, or understand it, you shouldn’t buy it, which is my own adaptation from Food Rules.