Today is part II monosaccharides in the saccharides series.

A monosaccharide is a carbohydrate which contains just one (mono) single “ring.”

Monosaccharides are the simplest form of sugar. They are a carbohydrate that cannot be broken down into any other carbohydrates. They include glucose (dextrose), fructose (levulose), galactose, xylose, and ribose. Their “ring” looks like this:

Glucose, fructose, and galactose are the most common monosaccharides.

Part II Monosaccharides

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Monosaccharides are found in some of the following foods

• fruits (ripe)
• vegetables (some)
• honey
• nuts
• some meat

In theory, monosaccharides should be the easiest for the gutsy girl to digest. Since they are already broken down to the simplest form, we assume that our bodies don’t need to work very hard (if at all) to process them.

The main problem with monosaccharides, in my opinion, is that we see the monosaccharide as the “best option” from the saccharides and we over indulge.

Even “good” things can be harmful. My goal is to teach my clients about these “good” things as often as possible, since “healthy lifestyle bloggers,” publications and doctors don’t typically address them.

For example, fructose, in theory (because it’s a monosaccharide) should be okay for the gutsy girl. But did you know that a normal gut can only process about 25-50 g/serving of fructose per sitting? And for many with gut issues, fructose malabsorption (and/or SIBO) is present, which brings this number down to as little as 1g/serving.

It’s important to make note that while your gut is healing, even the foods that are monosaccharides should be portioned controlled and they should certainly be eaten with caution.

An apple a day may keep the doctor away or it may leave your gut feeling miserable.

Tomorrow we dig into disaccharides.

Xox,
SKH