Carbohydrates in starches, such as white bread, are broken down upon
digestion: first into maltose, and then into glucose, which quickly moves from
the digestive system to the bloodstream. Maltose, which is made of two glucose
molecules (glucose + glucose) and is present in white bread, is actually more
harmful than pure table sugar, which has a different molecular structure. Table
sugar (sucrose) is composed of two different molecules (glucose + fructose).
When table sugar is consumed, the glucose part moves into the bloodstream
and raises blood sugar levels, but the fructose part is metabolized by the liver. In
other words, table sugar has less impact on the glucose level in the bloodstream
than refined carbohydrates have. This means that eating white bread or white
rice is worse than eating a bowl of pure table sugar, since it has more of a
negative impact on insulin secretion. Isn’t it amazing that you think twice before
putting 2 spoonfuls of sugar in your coffee, but you don’t worry about eating a
bowl of cereal or pasta? Never before in history have our bodies had to deal with
this kind of sugar overload.
When you consume refined grains, blood sugar levels fluctuate erratically and
dramatically, much more so than if you were eating pure table sugar alone (Fig.
2.2). The higher blood sugar levels rise, the lower they eventually fall, and those
dips lead to hunger, which cause people to overeat. This leads to exaggerated
insulin secretions and increased caloric consumption. These factors lead to
weight gain and a downward spiral in overall health. It is not an overstatement to
say that based on our overconsumption of refined grains, we are literally
poisoning ourselves with sugar.
Figure 2.2: The Effect of Different Flours on Blood Sugar Levels
In addition, the nutritional deficiencies in refined grains have led to a spike in
the incidence of a host of illnesses, such as beriberi, pellagra, and night