Worse than Sugar

You’ve probably heard sugar is bad for you. But did you know hidden sugars in starch could be even worse? Many people focus on cutting out obvious sugars like cane sugar and rice syrup.

They're missing a big piece of the puzzle: the naturally occurring sugars in starch. These often lurk in seemingly “healthy” foods, quietly wreaking havoc on your health.

This isn't about completely avoiding carbohydrates. This is about understanding the different types and how they affect you. This is about shining a spotlight on naturally occurring sugars in starch.

Understanding Hidden Sugars in Starch

Let’s break down carbohydrates: there’s sugar, fiber, and starch. Sugar is quickly absorbed, rapidly raising blood glucose levels.

Fiber, with its strong bonds, isn't broken down. It has a minimal effect on blood sugar.

Starch is where things get interesting. Starch is a chain of glucose molecules, similar to fiber, but the bonds are much weaker.

The Blood Sugar Impact

Refined starches are quickly broken down into glucose, creating a massive spike in blood sugar. This spike can be higher than regular sugar.

Imagine this spike happening repeatedly as you eat starches. Your body stores the excess glucose as glycogen and eventually as fat.

This is especially true when your body becomes resistant to processing glucose efficiently. I experienced a major health change once I reduced hidden starch in my diet.

Where Does It All Go?

Think of your fat cells as containers filled with sugar converted to fat after consistently eating starches. Eventually, these containers become full.

This can lead to higher inflammation markers, often correlated with refined sugars and refined starches. Your body develops insulin resistance. The sugar can’t go where it usually goes, so it accumulates in your organs and as visceral fat.

This belly fat can be a sign of a fatty liver and potential blood pressure issues. Consuming nutritious foods can be an alternative to highly processed foods with added sugar.

The Role of Processed Foods

Naturally occurring sugars in starch, predominantly in ultra-processed foods, are causing real harm. Most Americans regularly overconsume processed foods, often high in added sugar and hidden starches, leading to health issues.

Think white bread, pasta, crackers, and chips. They're virtually devoid of protein, fat, and fiber, leading to drastic blood sugar spikes.

Hidden sugars are used to understand why many foods contain unexpected amounts of sugar. Limiting sugary ingredients like high fructose corn syrup, fruit juice concentrate, and others are steps to a healthier diet.

Hidden Sugars in Starch: Why Are They There?

Why are hidden sugars, sometimes even more detrimental than sugar itself, added to our food? One reason is that they're cheap and abundant fillers.

Maltodextrin

Maltodextrin, another name for this “hidden sugar,” often appears in processed foods. Why is this ingredient included at all?

This processed starch is common in packaged foods as well as those added to enhance flavor or increase calorie intake. Maltodextrin breaks down into glucose quicker than sugar.

Look out for Maltodextrin in food labels so that you know you're consuming added sugars and refined starch.

Its Function In Foods

Food manufacturers use these ingredients for several reasons. They thicken, combine flavoring agents and sweeteners, and act as fillers, lowering production costs.

Hidden starches are in salad dressings, pasta sauce, instant oatmeal, ice cream, and other dairy products.

Food companies are likely driven by profits and less likely interested in the health benefits for the individual as it takes far longer to discover its benefit, and by then, it's too late, and habits and damage may already be set.

Hidden starches increase shelf-life and add pleasing texture to packaged foods. It can be very difficult to identify starches, such as maltodextrin or modified corn starch, on a food nutrition label.

It is very difficult to cut sugar from the foods we eat if hidden starch remains.

It Gets Worse

Some manufacturers add hidden starches to boost calorie counts in protein powders and nutritional supplements, misleading consumers. These starches disrupt cells’ ability to create energy.

These added starches can allow manufacturers to legally sell products without listing added sugar. “Complex carbohydrates” disguise hidden sugars as heart-healthy. These foods cause sharper blood sugar spikes than sugar alone.

What do most of us have at our next meal? More starchy “healthy whole grains” continue the cycle. Check total sugars when you read nutrition labels to account for these hidden starches.

Sugary ingredients such as maple syrup, corn syrup, honey, and rice syrup are processed sugar just like table sugar.

Recognizing Hidden Sugars in Starch

Products labeled “heart-healthy” often do little more than increase our carbohydrate cravings. How does this make sense? Food nutrition labels provide information on ingredients and total sugars, so read nutrition labels carefully.

The American Heart Association recommends limiting added sugar. The ingredients list provides additional insight. It tells you where hidden sugar or refined starches are used.

Naturally occurring sugars in starches are disguised as corn starch, food starch, modified corn starch, and maltodextrin. Look closely at food labels. The label might not specify the amount of sugar or "simple carbs.”

The naturally occurring sugar in starch could mean the amounts far surpass anything required on the label. Food labels help understand portion sizes and ingredients to reduce added sugar intake and help with disease prevention.

Breakfast cereals, protein bars, energy drinks, barbecue sauce, and even ice cream are high in starch. The more informed you are, the better equipped you will be to reduce cardiovascular disease.

Conclusion

Don’t fall for the hidden sugars in starches that significantly contribute to health problems compared to readily identifiable sugars like sucrose or high-fructose corn syrup.

We tend to demonize sugar, but hidden sugars in starch may be a bigger issue, especially in processed foods.

It’s not about eliminating all starch but choosing wisely. Reduce highly refined starches in processed foods, cereals, or “instant” products.

Opt for whole foods to introduce carbohydrates into the bloodstream more safely without unnecessary spikes or oxidative stress.

Choose whole foods that taste savory and do not contain extra sugar, sweeteners, or refined carbohydrates, especially in high amounts. Look closely for added sugar in maltodextrin and any syrup (such as rice syrup or corn syrup).

Even though starch has naturally occurring sugar, it's important to know which starches knowing the ingredients on nutrition labels will create drastic increases.

FAQs about hidden sugars in starch

What are examples of hidden sugars?

Hidden sugars can appear on ingredient labels under various names. Some examples include corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, dextrose, maltose, sucrose, honey, maple syrup, and fruit juice concentrate.

They often lurk in processed foods, condiments, and beverages, including those not typically considered starches. Flavored water, fresh fruits, and even canned juice often have added sugar, as do other items, for example.

What sugar is found in all starches?

Glucose is the fundamental sugar unit in all starches. Starches are long chains of glucose molecules, the storage form of carbohydrates in plants.

Our digestive system breaks these chains back into glucose. Examples include glucose and dextrose, which affect blood glucose levels when absorbed into the body.

If blood glucose levels become imbalanced, then insulin sensitivity may lead to high amounts of inflammation.

Does rice have hidden sugar?

Rice itself doesn’t contain “hidden” sugar. It’s almost entirely carbohydrate. Brown rice is less processed than white rice and retains more fiber.

However, refined carbohydrates in white rice quickly break down into glucose. Despite being “sugar-free,” control its quantity due to its impact on insulin and blood glucose spikes.

Even brown rice, when consumed in high amounts, will have these issues due to the total sugars being converted into glucose for cellular use, which becomes insulin resistant, and the body no longer has that path.

What are sneaky sugars?

Sneaky sugars, often called added or hidden sugars, hide under deceptively “healthy” names. These include concentrated fruit juice, molasses, and similar ingredients that increase total sugars or refined carbohydrates.