Benefits of a low-sugar diet

From tempting sweetness to white poison? Is sugar really unhealthy, or is it perfectly harmless for our bodies when consumed in moderation? With this article, I want to draw your attention to a more conscious approach to sugar and provide you with all the useful facts.

Why sugar can be harmful

Sugar, in the form of blood sugar, is a component of our bodies. Sugar is also found in natural foods, such as fruits, vegetables, and grains. These forms of sugar generally do not pose a problem.

However, when it comes to the sugar provided by the food industry, such as household sugar and glucose syrup, you should have an overview of quantities and types to avoid jeopardizing your health. Blood sugar fluctuations can be easily compensated by the body, but only if they occur within normal limits. A high consumption of industrial sugar, however, leads to blood sugar fluctuations that stress the body. High consumption of free sugars particularly increases the risk of tooth decay and can contribute to weight gain with persistently high energy intake.

The Glycemic Index (GI)

How quickly and how high blood sugar levels rise after eating a food is measured by a specific parameter: the glycemic index. The higher their glycemic index, the worse and unhealthier carbohydrates are.

Pure glucose has the highest GI of 100. White bread, for example, is between 70 and 85, and cola is 70. Whole grain products have a GI of 40, while legumes and most fruits and vegetables are even lower.

Since a low GI causes blood sugar levels to rise slowly, foods made from whole grains, legumes, fruits, and vegetables hardly stress the body. Generally, a food with a GI above 50 is considered worse than those below 50.

This shows that the consumption of sugar and carbohydrates has a very different impact on blood sugar levels. Furthermore, the sugar from healthy foods causes only minor blood sugar fluctuations and thus serves for energy production without harming health.

With natural sugar in fruits or grains, you also absorb accompanying substances such as vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Isolated and refined forms of sugar, however, consist exclusively of sugar without these accompanying substances. These have a negative effect on metabolism.

What makes a healthy sugar?

A healthy sugar can only be called such if it occurs in natural foods, like fruits, grains, nuts, legumes, and vegetables. However, forms of sugar that you consume in industrially processed and isolated form are at best less harmful, but none of these sugars are truly healthy – with a few exceptions.

Health problems and risks

For thousands of years, humans did not eat refined flour or any kind of isolated sugar. These are changes that our bodies can hardly cope with, manifesting in various health problems beyond tooth decay.

In addition to the damages mentioned above, which our body can experience partly due to increased intake of isolated sugar, nutrient deficiency is at the forefront. For example, if we were to eat the entire sugar beet, we would consume fiber, vitamins, and minerals in addition to carbohydrates. Nature has combined everything necessary for a balanced nutrient supply in fruits.

Household sugar & co. unfortunately no longer contain any nutrients. Since neither vitamins, minerals, nor fiber are provided with the sugar, the body has to draw the accompanying substances required for processing the sugar from its own reserves. In particular, vitamin B1 and calcium are said to be consumed more frequently with high sugar consumption.

People who eat many foods with isolated carbohydrates will inevitably suffer from a vitamin and mineral deficiency at some point. And here we can lump sugar, white flour, and white rice together. All have lost almost their entire nutrient diversity as a result of the intensive processing.

Consequences of a persistent nutrient deficiency include infectious diseases, tooth decay, osteoporosis, hyperactivity, listlessness, or premature aging.

Tips for switching to a low-sugar diet:

• Avoid sugary drinks – instead, drink Kombucha and high-quality water.
• Start the day with a sugar-free breakfast.
• Eat plenty of fresh, raw foods, with as many bitter substances as possible.
• Wild herbs counteract nutrient deficiencies.
• Prefer valuable carbohydrate-rich foods such as sprouts, nuts, or sweet potatoes.
• Eat as few processed foods as possible.
• Read food labels and recognize hidden sugars.
• Use alternative sweeteners.
• Get used to thorough chewing.

Labeling of sugar

Reading ingredient lists when shopping can sometimes be tricky – sugar hides behind many names, especially all sorts of sugar syrups. Syrup is cheap, sweetens even more intensely due to its usually higher fructose content, and has now found its way into almost all convenience foods.

Sugar can bear the following names:

Watch out!

When reviewing ingredient lists, it can be easy to misjudge the sugar content and the sweeteners used.

• Sugar hides behind names that do not directly suggest sugar, such as dextrose or isoglucose.
• Multiple listings of sweetening ingredients cause them to move further down the ingredient list, but in total, they result in enormous amounts of sugar.
• Products labeled "unsweetened", such as rice milk, still contain 7.2 g of sugar per 100 ml.
• Products such as pizza, vegetarian spreads, and many others contain various added sugars.

Healthy sugar alternatives

Agave syrup

Agave syrup is extracted from the sap of agave plants. After extraction, it is filtered, heated, thickened, and then contains 76 percent sugar. It is slightly thinner than honey and consists mainly of fructose and glucose, with the fructose content significantly predominating at an average ratio of 7:3. Thus, agave syrup has the lowest glycemic index of 15 among all sweeteners and is therefore metabolized almost independently of insulin.

Caution: A high fructose content can also have negative effects. Fructose travels directly to the liver via the blood, and if present in abundance, it is converted into fat there.

Maple syrup

Maple syrup is the boiled-down sap of the Canadian maple tree. Approximately one liter of syrup is produced from about 40 liters of sap. It has a slight caramel flavor and contains around 67 percent sugar, a 1:1 ratio of glucose and fructose, as well as small amounts of minerals such as potassium, iron, and magnesium. Maple syrup has a glycemic index of 55 to 65 and a slightly lower sweetness than household sugar.

Apple thick juice

Apple thick juice is also known as apple sweetness. During production, apples are pressed into juice and then evaporated. Apple thick juice is a regional sweetener, tastes slightly tart, and a little bit like apples. Depending on the manufacturing process and temperature, minerals and secondary plant compounds are preserved. It should be noted that thick juices have a fructose content of approx. 60%.

Date syrup

Date syrup is made from dried dates. Dates contain slightly more glucose than fructose. In addition, date syrup contains the minerals magnesium, potassium, iron, folic acid, zinc, and calcium, as well as vitamin A.

Date paste can be easily made at home in raw food quality. It is metabolized alkaline and is therefore more valuable than store-bought date syrup, which loses nutrients due to heating.

Recipe:

Soak 200g dates in water for at least 2 hours. Then blend and season with cinnamon, vanilla or cardamom if desired. The amount of water determines how thick the paste should be. Stored in a sealed screw-top jar, it will keep for about a week in the refrigerator.

Honey

Honey, like sugar, consists of glucose and fructose, but also contains minerals such as potassium, magnesium, calcium, B vitamins, vitamin C, and additional enzymes. It is recommended to buy cold-extracted honey from a local beekeeper. Honey is said to have anti-inflammatory and wound-healing properties.

Coconut blossom sugar

This is the thickened, crystallized sap from coconut palm blossoms. Like regular sugar, it is sucrose, composed of one part glucose and one part fructose. It has a low glycemic index of 35 and hardly raises blood sugar levels. In addition to minerals such as iron, magnesium, zinc, and potassium, it also contains the fiber inulin. It tastes slightly caramel-like and is not quite as sweet as household sugar.

Rice syrup

Rice syrup is made from whole rice grains or rice flour and contains no fructose. Instead, it contains a special form of glucose that the body must first convert, thus causing blood sugar levels to rise more slowly than "normal" glucose. Rice syrup still contains some minerals such as potassium, iron, and magnesium and has a slightly malty-nutty taste. Its sweetness is only half that of household sugar.

Stevia

Stevia, also known as sweet herb, is a plant with intense sweetness and a licorice-like taste. Approximately 20% of the green leaves consist of the sweetening substances stevioside and rebaudioside A, which are 300 to 400 times sweeter than sugar. However, intensive processing is necessary to extract the sweetening substances. Stevia drops, lozenges, or tablets do not contain calories and are metabolized without insulin, but they are not health-promoting.

Yacon syrup

Yacon syrup, similar to maple syrup, has a caramel-like sweetness. It is produced from the tuber of the yacon plant, which is related to Jerusalem artichoke. Like Jerusalem artichoke tubers, yacon tubers are rich in water-soluble fibers. In addition to inulin, yacon tubers also contain fructooligosaccharides (FOS). FOS have a prebiotic effect, as they serve as food for good gut bacteria and strengthen the intestinal environment.

Currently, yacon syrup is offered as the perfect sugar alternative. Not without reason: It is considered a highlight for digestion and is metabolized almost insulin-independently with a glycemic index of 1. It should be noted that the consumption of yacon syrup can lead to digestive problems such as diarrhea or flatulence in sensitive individuals.

Erythritol

Erythritol is a four-carbon sugar alcohol with 70 percent the sweetness of sugar, but without an alcoholic effect. The substance occurs naturally in pears and grapes, among other things. Industrially, it is produced from corn using yeasts and even appears to have some antioxidant properties.*

Erythritol does not affect insulin levels, meaning its glycemic index is zero.

Sounds very lucrative. Erythritol sweetens mildly and neutrally, is said to have no laxative effect compared to xylitol, yet it is not a natural sweetener.

*from "How Not to Die" by Dr. Michael Greger

Conclusion

All the sweeteners presented are valuable alternatives to refined household sugar and are therefore definitely healthier. However, this statement should not tempt us to eat too much of them. Although they contain health-promoting ingredients in small amounts, they are all concentrated carbohydrates.

Used sparingly, however, we can sweeten our dishes with a clear conscience.

Kombucha needs carbohydrates for fermentation/metabolism. Our organic kombucha is fermented to contain as little sugar as possible (up to 50% less than comparable products and up to 80% less than common sodas) and is raw/unpasteurized. This means it contains many nutrients for you, such as vitamins, healthy yeasts, and microorganisms, and is even metabolized in an alkaline way.

Furthermore, I recommend new taste experiences with fresh fruits and vegetables, combined with plenty of leafy greens and wild herbs, to initiate a gentle change in taste.

Good luck and good health!