If you haven’t heard of maltodextrin, you aren’t alone. It’s not something most people add to their diet on purpose. However, it is a carb in many processed foods that impacts blood sugar more than white sugar.
Dr. Berg specializes in ketosis and intermittent fasting. He explained that maltodextrin isn’t technically a sugar; it is a carb. But, while table sugar has a GI of 65, maltodextrin has a GI between 116 and 136.
“It’s in other forms, too,” he explained. “It’s in modified food starch and modified corn starch. It’s in many foods. They put it in a lot of sugar-free products as ‘no sugar,’ even though it really, to me, it is a sugar. So, start reading the labels and avoid maltodextrin.”
Maltodextrin is a processed carb made from corn, potato, rice, tapioca, rice or wheat. It may contain gluten if it is derived from wheat, and while it is not technically a sugar, it behaves like one in the body. It enhances flavor, texture and shelf life. It’s also used in sports drinks and supplements for fast energy for bodybuilders and other athletes.
While it is technically not harmful, it lacks fiber and can rapidly spike blood sugar. It is added to both sweet and savory things. It’s in baked goods, breakfast foods and pasta. But it’s also found in frozen meals, soups, salad dressing, pasta, beer and vegan meat.
This underscores the importance of reading labels. We know that not everything a person eats can be homemade. In an ideal world, we would make every meal and snack from scratch. But, realistically, you have to buy some things premade. Reading the labels lets you pick the things closest to what you would make at home and enables you to know how many carbs you are eating.
And, of course, it’s always essential to remember that not all carbs are created equal. Fruits and vegetables can be high in carbs. But they are also high in fiber, stabilizing blood sugar and making the carbs harder to absorb.
Complex carbs are part of a blood sugar-friendly diet. Complex carbs pair their sugar with vitamins, minerals and fiber. They give the body a slow source of energy and feed the gut. Maltodextrin is only complex in that it is manufactured. Avoiding it is better for your blood sugar and health.
