Sugar and the Keto Diet: Why Eliminating Carbs Transforms Your Health

Despite its sweet charm, Sugar(sucrose) actually a bit of a villain in our diets, contributing to obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. Yes, the truth about the white stuff is not as sweet as you might think.

You know, on average, an American adult consumes around 77 grams of sugar per day – that's roughly 60 pounds a year!

The effects of sugar go way beyond just satisfying your sweet tooth. Added sugars - the stuff pumped into processed foods and drinks - cause your blood glucose to spike rapidly.

This puts serious stress on your body and over time leads to chronic inflammation, insulin resistance, and all the health problems that come with ageing badly.

And we'll get to insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome in a bit...

But we're not just talking about sucrose here. We're talking about all digestible carbs - especially the refined stuff like white bread, pasta, and anything made with flour.

For decades we've been told to eat a high-carb, low-fat diet. The food pyramid, low-fat yoghurts, margarine instead of butter - all of it.

But here's what the research actually shows: when you combine high carbohydrate intake with processed foods and low activity levels, you get exactly what we're seeing today - skyrocketing rates of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease.

So we've got an entire population programmed to eat WAY too much sugar and refined carbs every single day. Brilliant, right?

Turns out the demonisation of fat (particularly saturated fat from natural sources) was misguided. It's excess sugar and refined carbohydrates that are driving the metabolic health crisis we're facing.

Ever stop to think about how much sugar is actually in a can of Coke?

About 9 teaspoons. NINE teaspoons of sugar in a single can.

Would you ever put 9 spoons of sugar in your tea? Course not. You're not a fly!

So why has it become completely normal to neck cans of fizzy drinks and fruit juice that's basically liquid sugar?

Here's the problem: we've been conditioned to think this is fine. But excessive sugar consumption is directly linked to obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and pretty much every chronic health condition you can think of.

Even the government dietary guidelines (not exactly known for being strict) say only a tiny percentage of your daily calories should come from added sugars.

If you want to be healthy, sugar-sweetened drinks and high-sugar processed foods need to go.

As keto followers, we cut sugar from our diets almost completely. Most of us keep total carbs to around 20-50g per day - that's roughly 5-10% of daily calories coming from carbohydrates.

So does your body NEED sugar? No. Your body can make all the glucose it needs through a process called gluconeogenesis. You could quite happily live without ever eating sugar again.

Now that's a bit extreme, and we're not saying you should never eat carbs. What we ARE saying is that vegetables - which contain carbs but virtually no sugar - are absolutely essential for health.

But cutting out added sugar completely? That wouldn't hurt you one bit.

Even on keto, you need to load up on leafy greens and low-carb vegetables. Spinach, broccoli, courgettes, cauliflower - all the good stuff that's high in fibre and nutrients but LOW in net carbs.

These vegetables won't spike your insulin and they're absolutely crucial for longevity and good health. They're packed with vitamins, minerals, and fibre that keep your gut healthy and your body functioning properly.

This is why we treat low-carb vegetables completely differently to sugar-filled foods and starchy carbs like bread, pasta, and potatoes. Same food group on paper, totally different effect on your body.

And here's something pretty amazing: even if you cut carbs out almost entirely, your body can actually make its own glucose from protein when it needs to. It's called gluconeogenesis.

Your liver is basically a glucose-manufacturing plant that kicks in when required. Pretty clever bit of evolutionary biology, that.

Loading up your system with sugar is a slow and silent killer that can lead to all sorts of health problems. Here is a list of risk factors and issues related to excess sugar consumption:

As mentioned above, the consumption of carbohydrates (in particular refined carbohydrates) increases both blood glucose and insulin levels. It isn't only refined white sugar that is bad, you need to understand that!

Here is the science behind it:

Luckily, type-2 diabetes is completely reversible, and you can do it quite quickly when following the Keto Diet!

There's this idea that we're all addicted to sugar. And yeah, you might find yourself reaching for another biscuit or can of Coke even when you're not hungry.

But is that actually an addiction?

Not quite.

Here's what's happening: sugar - especially the added stuff in processed foods - lights up the pleasure and reward centres in your brain. Same pathways that get activated by drugs, alcohol, even gambling.

That dopamine hit feels good. Really good.

And your brain remembers it. So next time you're stressed or tired or bored, your brain goes "remember how good that chocolate bar felt?" and suddenly you're craving it.

But here's the difference between sugar cravings and actual addiction:

Real addiction involves:

• Physical dependence
• Withdrawal symptoms (shakes, sweats, serious physical discomfort)
• Inability to function without the substance

Sugar cravings are:

• Mental and habitual
• Uncomfortable but not dangerous
• Totally manageable once you break the cycle

When you cut sugar out - yeah, the first few days are rough. You'll think about carbs constantly. You might get headaches, feel tired, be a bit grumpy.

But that's your body adapting to using fat for fuel instead of sugar. It's not withdrawal in the clinical sense.

The good news? Those cravings disappear pretty quickly once you're fat-adapted. Usually within a week or two on keto.

Your brain learns that it doesn't actually need the sugar hit. And once you're past that initial phase, most people find they don't even want the sweet stuff anymore.

For decades, fat has been the villain. Low-fat everything. Fat-free yoghurts. Margarine instead of butter. We were told fat would clog our arteries and kill us.

Turns out, that was mostly nonsense.

The real threat? Added sugar and refined carbs.

Here's the thing - not all fats are created equal, but most natural fats are actually brilliant for you. Your body LOVES running on fat. It's a cleaner, more stable source of energy than glucose. No spikes, no crashes.

Good Fats (eat these):

• Avocados
• Olive oil and coconut oil
• Butter (real butter, not that low-fat spread nonsense)
• Fatty fish like salmon and mackerel
• Nuts and seeds
• Eggs (the whole egg, yolk included)
• Fatty cuts of meat

These fats are essential. They provide energy, help your body absorb vitamins, support hormone production, protect your organs, and keep your brain functioning properly.

Bad Fats (avoid these):

• Trans fats - found in processed foods, margarine, some baked goods
• Heavily processed vegetable oils (corn oil, soybean oil, sunflower oil in excess)
• Hydrogenated anything

Trans fats genuinely do increase your risk of heart disease. They're artificial, your body doesn't know what to do with them, and they cause inflammation.

But natural saturated fats from meat, butter, and coconut oil? They've been unfairly demonised. They're not the enemy.

Sugar is.

Here's another issue with high-sugar diets - they're nutritionally empty.

All those calories from sugar? They give you nothing. No vitamins, no minerals, no fiber. Just empty energy that spikes your blood sugar and leaves your body starving for actual nutrients.

You end up overfed but undernourished. Which is basically the Western diet in a nutshell.

Time to Start Reading Labels

The Western diet is loaded with both processed fats AND added sugars. It's a double whammy of metabolic chaos.

And food companies hide sugar EVERYWHERE. You'd be shocked.

Your favourite breakfast cereal? Check the sugar content. It's probably more than a doughnut.

That "healthy" salad dressing? Loaded with sugar.

Pasta sauce? Sugar.

Bread? Sugar.

Low-fat yoghurt? Absolutely rammed with sugar to make up for the lack of fat.

Protein bars? Often just candy bars in disguise.

Get in the habit of flipping things over and reading the label. Look at the "Carbohydrates (of which sugars)" line. Anything over 5g per 100g is high. Anything over 15g is basically a dessert.

So What's Worse - Fats or Sugar?

It's not even close.

Natural fats have been part of the human diet forever. They're essential for health, they don't spike insulin, and they keep you satisfied.

Sugar? It's driving obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, fatty liver, and pretty much every chronic disease we're seeing skyrocket today.

Sugar wins the "worst for your health" award by a mile.

Switching to a keto diet can definitely help you kick those sweet cravings to the curb, offering a doorway to better health and longevity.

This low-carb, high-fat diet shifts your body into a state of ketosis, reducing your sugar intake and contributing to weight loss.

What Happens When You Switch to Keto

Once you're running on fat instead of sugar, you'll notice the difference pretty quickly.

Your energy becomes steady throughout the day - no more 3pm crashes. You sleep better. Brain fog lifts. And yeah, your body composition starts changing for the better. Belly fat, love handles, that stubborn weight you've been carrying - it starts coming off.

It's not magic. It's just your body finally being able to access and burn stored fat for fuel instead of constantly being locked in storage mode by insulin spikes.

Getting Started

Look, going keto takes commitment. You can't half-arse it.

You need to be mindful about what you're eating. You'll have to start reading labels, planning meals, saying no to stuff you're used to eating.

And before you dive in - especially if you're on any medications or have existing health conditions - have a chat with your GP. Always worth checking in first.

What You're Saying Goodbye To:

• Pasta, rice, potatoes
• Bread, cereals, pastries
• Sugar in all its forms
• Most fruit (berries in moderation are fine)
• Processed junk food

What You're Saying Hello To:

• Unprocessed meat - steak, lamb chops, pork belly, chicken thighs
• Fatty fish - salmon, mackerel, sardines
• Eggs (loads of them)
• Cheese, butter, cream
• Avocados, olive oil, coconut oil
• Leafy greens and low-carb vegetables

Is it easy? Not at first.

Is it worth it? Absolutely.

Once you push through the first week or two and your body adapts, most people wonder why they didn't do it sooner.

Take a look at our beginner's tips and hacks and our what is keto page for more help!

Sugar really has been overused in supermarket products over the past few decades, leading to a pandemic of obesity and diabetes. Hopefully, you are more aware of the importance of cutting back on sugar now. Here's a recap: