Quitting Carbs and Sugar: Does It Help With Weight?

Nearly 200 years ago the average American only ate 6.3 pounds of sugar a year.

Not that a 19th-century menu was great — but at least we know it wasn’t loaded with the refined sugars, high-fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated fats, starches, gums and tons of artificial ingredients that we have today.

This is to say nothing of the diet of our hunter-gatherer ancestors, whose food selections featured fruits, nuts, seeds, fish, tubers, roots and wild game.

It’s obvious that the nutritionally compromised U.S. diet — stripped by modern processing of many of its minerals, vitamins and natural enzymes — has gone off the rails.

Quitting Sugar Is Not the Answer, But Being Smart About Our Sugar Is

In fact, the three main nutrients that the human body needs for energy are carbohydrates, protein and fat. 

Carbs are composed of fiber, starch and sugars, and their primary function is to provide energy for the body. That being said . . . all carbs are not created equal.

Biochemists usually categorize carbs in one of two categories: simple carbohydrates (known as sugars) and complex carbohydrates (known as fibers and starches).

Complex carbohydrates are found in such foods such as whole grains and vegetables. These carbs pack in more nutrients than simple carbs, plus they’re rich in fiber and digest more slowly. So they’re more filling, which means they’re a good option for fast or moderately paced weight loss results.

How Do We Know Which Foods Are “Sugar Smart”?

To measure the impact of sugars and carbs on our body, scientists and nutritionists developed the glycemic index (GI), which assigns a number to each food depending on its ability to increase blood glucose levels. 

Science reminds us that eating low-glycemic, fiber-rich foods — peas, lentils, legumes, whole grains — in one meal, for example, can prevent blood sugar levels from spiking upward after eating the next meal.

The lower the GI value of a carbohydrate, the less of an impact it has on blood sugar levels. The smaller the number, the slower the food is converted and the lower the effect on our blood sugar.

A No Carbs No Sugar Diet Is Not Right (Or Really Possible) Either

Foods with no carbs — like beef, chicken, fish, eggs, herbs, and spices — and specific food components (like protein and fat) aren’t listed on the glycemic index because they don’t have any carbohydrates. 

A big advantage to a low-carb / high-protein diet is that it dramatically restricts carbohydrates and sugars and pretty much forces the body to burn fat — since it has very little of the sugary stuff that evolution has programmed it to burn through first.

Considering that carbohydrates should make up approximately 45% of our daily diet, we just need to be carb conscious and aim to include more of the healthiest carbs onto our plates.