Sugar is considered an evil entity. But, to be honest, who doesn’t like sugar? In fact, sugar is not the devil here; it’s our eating habits. It’s us who don’t know how to control ourselves, it’s us who don’t know our limits, and it’s us who are unaware.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying you can go wild with sugar or simple carbs consumption. Excessive sugar consumption is unhealthy for you. But the key here is excessive. You can safely consume some sugar. 

As I like to put it, you don’t have to stop living to live longer because this won’t work either.

This post discusses how you can consume sugar and simple carbohydrates in a healthy way without causing sugar spikes and sugar cravings. 

To understand this well, first, we need to see why it’s crucial to be careful about sugar and other simple carbohydrates.  

What Happens When You Consume Too Much Sugar?

Sugar/glucose is a readily available form of energy, and so they are very quickly absorbed into our circulation. Once the sugar reaches our blood circulation, this causes an elevation of blood sugar levels. In a healthy individual, as soon as the blood sugar levels rise, the pancreas detects it and releases insulin in response. 

Insulin is a hormone which helps the cells take up glucose from the circulation. This way, insulin helps lower blood glucose levels. Physically, you experience fatigue and less focus when the blood sugar levels drop.

The thing is, our brain needs a constant supply of glucose for optimum functioning. So, as soon as the blood sugar levels drop, the brain triggers sugar cravings to maintain a certain amount of blood sugar levels.

This way, too much consumption of simple carbohydrates leads to increased cravings for sugar. The more sugar you consume, the more sugar you crave. 

Consuming more simple carbohydrates when you get sugar cravings keeps you in this vicious cycle.

What Is The Purpose Of Simple Carbohydrates In Our Diet?

Simple carbohydrates don’t have a good reputation. But this does not mean they don’t have any purpose. 

Simple carbohydrates are a more readily available source of energy. They are easy to digest and absorb. Therefore, they provide a quick surge in blood glucose levels– i.e. energy for our body. 

The instant hit of energy you experience after you eat your meals comes from simple carbohydrates. Complex carbs, proteins and fats don’t provide energy instantly. So, if you are tired and need instant energy, eating simple carbohydrates will help you– naturally occurring simple carbohydrates. 

However, we should try to eat simple carbohydrates healthily.

The dietary recommendation for carbohydrate intake is about 45 to 65% of our total calories. So, if your daily recommended calorie intake is 2000, about 900 to 1300 calories should come from carbohydrates. 

Note: carbohydrates include simple and complex carbohydrates.

There are no set recommendations regarding how much simple and complex carbs you should eat, but for the sake of good health, you should eat more complex carbs like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lentils, beans, etc. Refined sugar intake should be less than 5% of your total energy intake.

How To Consume Simple Carbohydrates And refined Sugar In A Healthy Way?

1. Being Aware: Know How Much Refined Sugar You Can Safely Consume

The first step to consuming sugar in a healthy way is to know how much refined sugar you can consume per day safely. 

I have already written a post about it. You can read it here: How much sugar intake is recommended per day?

For quick reference, the safe upper limit of sugar intake per day is as follows:

• Less than 100 calories/day or 6 teaspoons (24g) for women, 
• less than 150 calories/day or 9 teaspoons (30 g) for men

1 teaspoon = 4 gm of sugar.

Knowing this will help you make informed decisions. You can use this reference to check for refined sugar content in various products.

2. Don’t Consume Simple Carbohydrates Alone

Because sugar and other simple carbs are metabolized quickly and spike the sugar levels, we need to consume foods that help us better manage our blood sugar levels.

To avoid sudden spikes in blood sugar levels, combine simple carbohydrates with foods that break down slowly, i.e. complex carbs, fats and proteins. These complex macronutrients don’t provide energy instantly, but when they come into action, they provide energy for a longer duration.

So, when you combine simple carbohydrates with fats, proteins and complex carbs, you get an instant and a slow and steady supply of energy later on. This helps maintain blood sugar levels for an extended period instead of causing a sharp rise and fall.

Therefore, avoid consuming simple carbs alone. Always pair them with other complex macronutrients.

This is probably the most important thing about healthily consuming simple carbs. 

Some of the sources of complex carbs are oats, quinoa, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, brown rice, whole grain pasta and bread, sweet potato, etc.

3. Consume Less Sugar And Simple Carbohydrates Throughout The Day. 

The idea is simple: the fewer simple carbohydrates you eat, the lesser glucose load will reach your bloodstream, and the less blood glucose drop will follow.

It’s not that you can’t eat carbs at all. But, be mindful of how much simple carbohydrates you eat.

Reduce the portion of simple carbohydrates from your plate and add more complex carbohydrates instead.

Moderation is the answer.

4. Know When To Consume Simple Carbohydrates And Sugar

Don’t eat too much sugar in the morning– i.e. in your breakfast. Eating high amounts of refined sugar or simple carbohydrates in the morning will cause you to crave sugar, and you will bounce between fatigue and sugar cravings throughout the day. 

This will put you at a higher risk of consuming more simple carbs and sugar the rest of the day.

So, avoid anything sweet, like sweetened fruit juices, breakfasts consisting of only simple carbs, sweet protein bars, etc.

You can eat fruit for something sweet.

Avoid making your morning drinks too sweet (tea, coffee, juices, etc)– go for the no or lightly sweetened versions. You can make smoothies and fruit juices at home. Avoid adding extra sugar to them. 

Later in the day, when you want to eat something sweet, eat it after meals. The reason is the same– this will ensure your blood sugar level doesn’t spike suddenly.

5. Sequence Of The Macronutrients Matter

For most of us, simple carbohydrates like white rice form the base of our meals. Again, this is not an issue; you don’t have to quit eating rice. You can avoid the sugar spikes by adjusting the sequence of your macronutrients intake.

If a major portion of your meal consists of simple carbs, start by eating vegetables. You can start with raw veggies or eat the vegetable portion of your meal first. 

Vegetables have a lot of fibres in them. So, when you eat vegetables first, the fibres coat your gut and form a barrier between the gut and the simple carbs coming subsequently. This leads to slower absorption of simple carbs, and therefore, sudden spikes in your blood sugar level are prevented. (1)(2)

6. Snack Better

Don’t snack on food rich in refined sugar or even artificial sweeteners. You know the science, so you know why. 

Again, go for a snack that is a combination of carbs, fats and proteins. For example, you can make a sandwich using white bread with fillings of green veggies and protein. 

Avoid things like chips and cookies because they are purely simple carbs and/or are rich in refined sugar.

Lastly, avoid drinks to curb hunger for the simple reason that drinks: 

• can be rich in added sugar
• are not very filling, so you’ll end up feeling hungry soon.

Even fruit juice as a snack is a poor choice because store-bought fruit juices can have a lot of added sugars. 

Fruit juices prepared at home can also trigger sugar spikes because the natural sugars are released as free sugar in the juice. Also, there’s no pulp (i.e. the fibre) content in it as the fibre content is removed in the juicing process. So, fruit juices can be classified as sugar-rich drinks, even when prepared at home. But home-made fruit juices are always healthier than the store-bought ones.

Whole fruits are always better. But this is not to say you can’t drink fruit juices ever. It’s just that it’s better to combine fruit juice consumption with other macronutrients.

Note: Even artificial sweeteners can trigger sugar cravings.

7. Limit The Intake Of Processed And Ultra-Processed Foods

Processed and ultra-processed foods generally contain a lot of added sugar. It’s easy to lose track of how much sugar is going into your body when you consume processed food. It’s easy to ignore the label.

Go for low-calorie or no-sugar versions if you are buying processed or ultra-processed foods.

Always, always, always– check the label. 

Even if you are consuming simple carbohydrates, go for it in its natural form. Natural simple carbs and sugars are always and always better than processed foods rich in refined sugar.

So, What To Remember About Sugar And Simple Carbohydrates Consumption In A Healthy Way?

Just remember to:

• Consume refined sugar and simple carbs in moderation.
• Avoid eating only simple carbs; mix them with fats, proteins and complex carbs.
• Eat vegetables first.
• And lastly, choose better, more natural foods.

These are the very simple ways you can ensure you’re consuming sugar in a healthy way. Making these simple changes in your eating habits will help you feel more energetic and balanced throughout the day.

— Featured image from Pexel.com

— Infographic and pin by the author.

© Project: Living Better 2024