How to Avoid Simple Sugars

There are two basic sources of carbohydrates, complex and simple. Complex carbohydrates are found in grains, cereals, bread, pasta, potatoes, and other starchy items that take longer to raise the blood sugar level. Simple sugars are found in table sugars, syrups, and fruits which will raise your blood level much more quickly, sometimes causing dangerous blood level spikes. Some sugars are obvious and others not, but all simple sugars can be avoided with preparation and patience.

Instructions

• 1

  Get used to reading ingredient lists on the products you use and eat. Ingredients lists are generally on the packaging on food products. Understand that the closer a ingredient appears to the top of the list, the more of that ingredient there is in the product.

• 2

  Understand the types and names of simple sugars. Simple sugars include monosaccharides or single molecule sugars and disaccharides or two molecule sugars. Look on the labels for monosaccharides like fructose, which are fruit sugars, or galactose, which is derived from milk sugars. Search further for disaccharides like sucrose (table sugar), maltose (malt sugar). or lactose (milk sugar).

• 3

  Look out for syrups and honey. Many natural syrups and honey are not listed by their specific sugar types, just as the item itself. Look for corn syrup, an extremely common sweetening agent used in place of sugar in many recipes. Understand that maple syrup and honey are used for flavors and sweeteners and are largely composed of simple sugars.

• 4

  Avoid adding sugar to your food. Table sugar, or sucrose, is the most common of the simple sugars and often also the easiest to exclude. Sample different types of sugar replacements like Equal or Splenda that offer the sweetness of sugar without the calories. Try getting used to not using sugar in coffee, tea, and other common places people use sugar.

• 5

  Look out for alcohol sugars. These types of sugar are commonly found in breath mints and chewing gums. Search for common alcohol sugars like xylitol, sorbitol, and mannitol among the ingredient list. Consider excluding ingredients that end in "tol" if you are unsure what they are, as they could be a less common alcohol sugar.