All carbohydrates absorb at the same speed when eaten on an empty stomach. Thus it makes more sense to evaluate carbohydrates in terms of their ability to increase blood sugar (glycaemia) instead of focusing on the notion of absorption speed.

In healthy children and adults who do not have diabetes or suffer from stress, high blood sugar levels only result from consuming specific foods also called high glycaemic foods, or from stimulants (caffeine/chocolate and many drugs). Increased blood sugar levels lead to increased levels of insulin, which is the body’s way of lowering and re-balancing blood sugar levels.

Insulin lowers blood sugar by converting it to glycogen and fat. Glycogen is our short-term energy supply, and it is stored in our muscles and liver. When our sparse glycogen storage facilities are filled, energy is then stored as our long-term energy source commonly called fat. Increased blood sugar and subsequent insulin levels not only promote fat storage but also inhibit the conversion of our fat stores into energy.

This means that foods capable of substantially raising glycaemia not only encourage fat storage but also virtually make it impossible for our bodies to reduce fat stores.

Dr Smith Lendon, in his book Feed Your Kids Right, says that low blood sugar encourages the individual’s genetic weakness to surface.

Why the hype about hypoglycaemia?

Children are not the same as adults. In fact they are far more vulnerable not only too the effects of cold and dehydration but also to naturally occurring biochemical events such as blood sugar fluctuations.

Consuming specific types of food, allergen exposure, some drugs, stimulants, and also stress can cause hypoglycaemia. These events commonly produce a rapid and substantial rise in blood sugar. This rise in blood sugar triggers considerable insulin secretion, which then causes a significant drop in blood sugar (glucose). This is the blood sugar seesaw.

Many children and some adults experience hypoglycaemic symptoms when a significant drop in blood sugar occurs.