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Should We Be Counting Carbs … Or Something Else?

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By on Diet, Food & Nutrition, Nutrition, Weight Loss

Low-carb diets aren’t new. They’ve been around for decades in several forms, from the Atkins diet to the Paleo Diet and everything in between. However, many doctors and nutritionists feel the simplicity of no carbs or “low-carb” is missing out on the real culprit: added sugars.

Low-carb diets often cut out complex carbohydrates and our bodies and brains operate on these types of carbohydrates as our main source of fuel. When we cut these out we can end up with foggy thinking and low energy. The current recommendation is 130 grams of carbohydrates per day. Now here’s where the real math comes in: where are your carbs coming from?

A low-sugar diet eliminates sugars, but often fails to differentiate between types of sugar, i.e. fructose from fruit vs. sucrose from that bag of Halloween candy lurking in your cabinet. Most physicians do not feel that a low-sugar diet is helpful. Eating fruit supplies your body with healthy carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and fiber.

So what’s the real problem? Added sugars. Open your fridge and start looking. Does your almond milk contain sugar? Check your yogurt. At last glance, I found yogurts that contained as much sugar as a can of soda! Salad dressings? Sauces? Crackers? Cereal? These are the real culprits when we think of “bad carbs” and it isn’t because of the grains they contain (if they do)—it’s the added sugars.

So if we’re really going to start to change the way we eat the #1 is looking at the processed foods we consume and the number of added sugars. Even your juice in the morning might be too sugar heavy. Remember, juicing eliminates the fiber which is essential for your body to feel full. So while juicing can be helpful, a smoothie will supply you with a lot more bang for your “carb” buck.

Here are the sugar aliases you should watch out for (via the USDA):

  • regular soft drinks, energy drinks, and sports drinks
  • candy
  • cakes
  • cookies
  • pies and cobblers
  • sweet rolls, pastries, and donuts
  • fruit drinks, such as fruitades and fruit punch
  • dairy desserts, such as ice cream
Reading the ingredient label on processed foods can help to identify added sugars. Names for added sugars on food labels include:
  • anhydrous dextrose
  • brown sugar
  • confectioner’s powdered sugar
  • corn syrup
  • corn syrup solids
  • dextrose
  • fructose
  • high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS)
  • honey
  • invert sugar
  • lactose
  • malt syrup
  • maltose
  • maple syrup
  • molasses
  • nectars (e.g., peach nectar, pear nectar)
  • pancake syrup
  • raw sugar
  • sucrose
  • sugar
  • white granulated sugar
You may also see other names used for added sugars, but these are not recognized by the FDA as an ingredient name. These include cane juice, evaporated corn sweetener, fruit juice concentrate, crystal dextrose, glucose, liquid fructose, sugar cane juice, and fruit nectar. See more at choosemyplate.gov/what-are-added-sugars.
Bess OConnor
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