A Low Carb Diet Begins with a Sugar Free Life

Posted on March 30, 2020 by Julia Valdez

Low-carb diets have been popular for decades. They used to be controversial, but due to the success of other people following this diet, it became an acceptable solution to lose weight.

A low-carb diet is low in carbohydrates, particularly refined carbohydrates like pasta, bread, and of course, sugar! If you want to give it a try, you will be eating a lot of healthy fats, proteins, and vegetables in place of all the carbs you usually consume.

Studies show that low-carb diets result in faster weight loss and even improved health markers. Although it was looked down upon by people in the past, this diet has been recommended by many doctors for decades.

There is no need to count calories on a low carb diet. You don’t need to buy any special key ingredients, either. Your food choices simply depend on making healthier choices and how much weight you need to lose.

It Starts With a Sugar Free Lifestyle Choice

Do you love sweet foods and drinks? When it comes to a low-carb diet, keep in mind that the process starts with giving up sugar.

What’s So Bad about Sugar?

Sugar is what is known as a simple carbohydrate. It burns very hot and fast in the body, which results in what is known as a sugar spike. This is when the body’s blood sugar is elevated.

Sugar spikes are especially bad for the body because they cause lethargy. This happens because a sugar high always leads to a sugar low once the sugar is all burned up. Then you end up craving more sugar as your body recognises it as a source of energy. This leads to constant hunger and cravings for this unhealthy substance. In some people, sugar consumption becomes an addiction.

Sugar spikes also eventually mess with the body’s ability to regulate blood sugar, which leads to type 2 diabetes. 6% of the UK’s population has diabetes – and some of them don’t even know it.

Sugar intake also messes with the body’s ability to properly metabolise food nutrients. First of all, you must know that sugar has no nutritional value. This means that you aren’t getting anything that your body needs when you consume sugars for energy.

Now, sugar slows down your metabolism because it burns fast and contains no nutrition. This means that you you don’t burn calories fast enough and will gain weight faster and have difficulty losing it. More than this, however, a poor metabolic rate means that you are not absorbing the nutrients that you do get when you consume good foods like vegetables.

This is a sure-fire formula for very poor health marked by low energy and weight problems, often leading to chronic conditions, particularly autoimmune disorders like leaky gut, arthritis, fibromyalgia brain fog and dementia, in addition to diabetes.

Get Rid of Sugar!

You need to minimise your intake of sugars and instead eat all the healthy fats, fibres and nutrient-dense foods that you can. This will keep you feeling satisfied and provide your body with the energy that it needs.

Once you avoid sugar, your blood sugar levels will start to stabilise. The levels of your fat-storing hormone insulin will drop as well. This will help in increasing the process of fat burning — improving your metabolism and nutrient intake. It will also make you feel more satiated, which will slow down and reduce your food intake, resulting in more weight lost.

Here’s the logic behind it: healthy fats burn a lot slower and more evenly than carbohydrates. They are therefore the best source of energy for your body. You don’t get any highs and lows, so your metabolism runs smoothly — the way it was intended to function. When that happens, everything else in your body will begin to stabilise and regulate, creating all-around health. This also means that you can begin to recover from chronic conditions and prevent further health issues like heart disease.

Are There Alternatives to Sweeten Low Carb Foods?

Being on a low carb diet does not mean you have to give up the sweet stuff entirely. Instead of using sugar, you can add sweetness to your food and drinks by using sugar free alternatives.

Some of the the best sweeteners for a low-carb diet are:

Stevia

Stevia is a natural sweetener. Since it’s a nonnutritive sweetener, it contains little to no calories. Studies even show that it may help in lowering blood sugar levels.

This sweetener, which is derived from the Stevia rebaudiana plant, is available in powder or liquid form. It can sweeten anything, from desserts and drinks to cooked foods.

Recommended brands of this sugar free option are Micro Ingredients, Pyure, and SweetLeaf.

Xylitol

Xylitol is a sugar alcohol that comes from fruits and vegetables. It’s a natural sweetener that has antibacterial properties. It is therefore known to improve mouth health.

This sweetener tastes like sugar, but it has fewer calories. Since xylitol is sweeter than sugar, you can use the same amount or less. However, it should be consumed in moderation as it can affect your blood sugar levels.

We recommend SuKi if you want to try a Xylitol blend.

Erythritol

Erythritol is 80 percent as sweet as regular sugar, although it only contains five percent of the calories.

How this sugar-free alternative works is that it stimulates the sweet taste receptors on the tongue to mimic the taste of regular sugar. Erythritol has a cooling mouthfeel, but it doesn’t dissolve as easily as sugar. It is therefore best used in cooking and baking and for hot drinks.

Monk Fruit Sweetener

Extracted from the monk fruit, a plant native to Southern China, the monk fruit sweetener is gaining popularity these days, especially to those who are into the low carb keto diet. It contains no calories, making it a great option to add sweetness to food and drinks.

This sweetener contains natural sugars and mogrosides, an antioxidant. Monk fruit sweetener can be 100 to 250 times sweeter than sugar, depending on how it was processed and packed.

Yacon Syrup

Yacon Syrup is extracted from the roots of the yacon plant. It has a very sweet taste and can be used for sugar free sauces. A 2009 study found out that yacon syrup contributed to the weight loss of obese patients with insulin resistance.

This sugar-free alternative contains a high concentration of fructooligosaccharides. Hence, you must not use this sweetener when cooking high heat recipes. When exposed to extreme heat or high boiling point, the fructooligosaccharides will start to break down.

Final Thoughts

Although the above sweeteners contain low to no carbs or calories, they can still have some direct effects on your insulin and blood sugar levels. They can also encourage cravings for sweet food and drinks.

Once you add sweeteners to the food that you consume, they will increase that feeling of satiation and satisfaction linked to sweetness. Your body remembers this as sugar. This means that it can also increase the risk of eating more than what you need, slowing down your weight loss or even making you gain weight, if you use them too much. It’s better to avoid both sugar and sugar substitutes as much as possible.

Once you have been on a consistently low carb diet for at least a month, you will start to feel better and your cravings for starchy and sugary foods will begin to decrease. Stick to it and soon, you will find that your cravings are almost entirely gone.

Most people still enjoy eating sweet stuff once in a while. When this sugar craving hits you, make sure that you use the best sweeteners possible and try to use as little of it as possible. This is the best way to stay healthy and avoid ruining your healthy low carb diet.