Science of sugar

TABLE TALK

FEW ingredients are as divisive as sugar.

Described by some as a simple means for humans to acquire the energy required for daily life, sugar is simultaneously demonised by others who regard it the key source of modern corporeal corruption.

Unsurprisingly, the truth lies somewhere in the middle. But you only get there when science can lead, not personal preferences or partially understood rumours.

The sugars we consume come in two main types — monosaccharides (simple sugars such as fructose, glucose and galactose) and disaccharides (complex sugars such as sucrose, lactose and maltose). There are also more complex sugars, but they are not relevant here.

In the main, your body cannot differentiate between the kinds of sugar it consumes, it just knows that it has to metabolise them in different ways. Some are absorbed through the gut, some through the intestine, some pass through the liver and some immediately become energy.

But here is the most essential fact. Calories are calories, whether they come from chocolate, coconuts, cereals or chickpeas.

Except that this is not completely true. When calories are consumed with fibre (whole fruit as opposed to fruit juice) it slows absorption of calories and reduces the body’s glycaemic response.

If you were to learn just one word, it should be ghrelin, a hormone produced to tell your body that it is hungry. We know that glucose triggers its release, as do some other factors, but controlling it will be the definitive means of normalising our relationship with sugar in years to come.

APPLE AND COCONUT BALLS

MAKES: 24

Ingredients

200g dried apple

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda 2 tbsp honey

1 tbsp unsalted butter 125g desiccated coconut ¼ cup raisins, chopped ½ tsp ground cinnamon

Method

Place the apples in the

1.

SERVES: 4

PREP: 10 minutes COOK: 5 minutes Ingredients

1 tbsp white vinegar

4 eggs

2 English muffins, split, toasted

Butter, at room temperature

Baby rocket leaves, to serve

1 avocado, peeled, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon fried shallots MATT’S INSTANT MAYO: 1 extra-large egg 250ml grapeseed oil 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 3-4 drops Maggi Seasoning liquid 2 drops Wright’s Applewood Liquid Smoke Pinch of salt bowl of a food processor and pulse until they are finely chopped. Transfer to a bowl, mix with the bicarbonate of soda, then add half a cup of boiling water. Stir, then set aside for 10 minutes. Place in the food processor again, then add the honey, butter and 100g desiccated coconut. Puree until a paste forms. Mix the raisins and cinnamon, form into 2 tsp balls, then roll in the remaining coconut.

Method

For the mayo, carefully crack the egg into a jug, without breaking the yolk. Pour over the oil, lemon juice, mustard, Maggi seasoning, liquid smoke and salt.

Using a stick blender, position blender carefully over the whole egg yolk, so the blender’s basket covers and encloses egg yolk. Blend for 1-2 seconds to emulsify mayonnaise. Pull blender up through mayo to incorporate all the ingredients until a thick mayonnaise forms. Season.

1. 2. 3.

Fill a deep frying pan

2.

with water and add white vinegar. Bring to the boil over high heat. Crack an egg into a small cup. Use a large spoon to stir water and create a whirlpool. Carefully slip egg into centre of whirlpool and poach for 1-2 minutes for a soft egg or until cooked to your liking. Remove and set aside on a plate. Repeat with remaining eggs.

Spread toasted muffin halves with butter. Top each with rocket, avocado and an egg. Spoon a dollop of instant mayo on top and sprinkle with fried shallots to serve.

4.

Recipe by Michelle Southan and Matt Preston Photo by Al Richardson