Benefits of Sugar/Carb Reduction + Helpful Tips and Replacements
Evolution and Sugar
Humans have a very complicated, and often unhealthy, relationship with sugar. Natural sugar, often obtained from fruits, can actually be quite healthy when consumed in moderate amounts. However, today’s food systems are far from an accurate representation of the foods that humans have evolved eating. Vegetables were more readily available to prehistoric humans, and compared to fruits, vegetables offered little energy or caloric value.
From a survival standpoint, calories give you the energy required to make it through the day and accomplish necessary tasks. The boost or “sugar rush” of natural fruits would have been extremely helpful to pre-human primates trying to pass on their genes. For this reason, genetic mutations led some of our ancient ancestors to crave sugary foods, and to be able to convert the sugar to body fat as a sort of long term energy supply. As we currently sit, reclined on top of the food chain, overabundance and overconsumption are some of the major concerns for health issues around the world. Whereas humans have evolved in a battle against starvation, today there is quite the opposite problem.
What’s the Deal with Carbs?
“There’s a lot of talk about carbs being the enemy in modern diet culture, but that’s not the case. Carbohydrates are an important part of most diets. In fact, complex carbs — which come from whole, unprocessed plant foods — are typically full of nutrients.
In some circumstances, however, cutting back on carbohydrates may provide some real health benefits. This is especially true when it comes to simple carbs, which are derived from highly processed foods and do not provide additional nutrients (1).”
While there are nutritional benefits of eating carbohydrates derived from whole foods, many experts suggest that a decrease or removal of carbohydrate intake (often alongside physical activity) is a great way to see improvement in total health. Most sugars are actually simple carbs, which are a source of quick energy and rapid rise in blood sugar and insulin secretion from the pancreas. Sodas and other sweetened drinks are packed full of these simple carbs, and one drink can often contain an entire meal, or even a day's worth of carbohydrates!
Agricultural Advancements
As developed countries became able to grow fruits cheaply with improved agricultural technology, sugar filled fruits became available in a much higher quantity. No longer scarce, fruits became staple foods that could be consumed to the common individual's desire. The same innate craving for sweet foods was still present in humans, but the scarcity of such foods was no longer a problem for many people, leading to overconsumption. The advancement of agricultural knowledge and technology has made it easy for many of us to eat far more sweet foods than our bodies are able to handle. Eating sugar in the amounts and forms that our ancient ancestors encountered is quite healthy, as our bodies have evolved accordingly. Craving and eating sugar in much larger amounts, and in extracted and processed forms, is what is unhealthy.
Helpful Tips and Replacements
There are many “healthy” selections at the grocery store where if you take a closer look, you might be surprised by the actual impact these foods have on your body. For example, it is fairly common for American families to enjoy a glass of orange or apple juice in the morning with breakfast. While this may sound innocent, and even like a pretty healthy beverage, the reality is far from so. When juice is produced, companies partake in the process of extracting sugar concentrate out of the whole fruit. Without the fiber and other nutrients of the fruit, our bodies easily intake much more sugar than we have been designed for without even noticing it. Other great examples of sugar filled “healthy” food are: sports drinks, yogurt, barbecue sauce or ketchup, granola, chocolate milk, protein bars, breakfast cereal and more. When you are buying any of these foods you should be extra mindful of the listed ingredients.
If you want to be healthy, don’t totally ignore your evolutionary craving for sugary foods, but instead stay mindful and attentive about the fuel that you are providing your body with. Moderate amounts of whole fruits are great to keep in your diet/routine, especially for when you need a boost of clean energy!
Replace Sugar with Fat
Replacing sugar with fat might sound unconventional, but this technique is the foundation of many low sugar or sugar free diets, like the ones designed by Sarah Wilson. “I Quit Sugar”, Wilson’s bestselling cookbook, is a great resource with 108 amazing sugar free recipes. Once you take out sugar, the best replacements are healthy fats and proteins. Unprocessed foods like eggs, cheese, nuts and coconuts are some great examples of food you should fill your diet with. Consuming fat will help to relieve your natural craving for a “treat” without giving in to your body's sugar cravings.
Fat and protein are filling, so you won’t be tempted to go back and snack on unhealthy foods. Moreover, you aren’t able to over consume fat and protein heavy foods the same way that you can with sugar filled snacks, candies or drinks. If you are scared of consuming too much fat in your diet, just remember that sugar is turned directly into fatty acids and then body fat when it enters into your body. Also, it is worth keeping in mind that sugar consumption has a direct effect on our hormone levels. Removing sugar from your diet can be a great way to improve your overall physical and mental health, and to keep your body at a functional homeostasis.
How to Make the Change
As with anything in life, only you can make the change. Removing sugar and/or carbs from your diet can sound like an intimidating task, but the benefits are well worth the required motivation and effort. By making a few simple replacements in your diet, you will start to see an increase in your body’s ability to achieve ketosis as well as an improvement to your overall energy level throughout the day.