The ketogenic diet is all about consuming high fat, moderate protein, and low carbs like chicharrones. Sugar is one of the three main types of carbohydrates and is often avoided by keto-dieters so they don’t drop out of ketosis.
But avoiding sugar is not a rigid rule. Depending on the type of keto diet you follow, your daily carb allowance, and your weight loss goals, nutritionists say you may still be able to consume sugar in moderation.
The ketogenic diet is a high-fat, low-carb diet that focuses on forcing the body to enter into a state of ketosis. This is when the body uses fat instead of carbs as a primary energy source, ultimately helping promote weight loss.
Consuming sugar, a soluble carbohydrate, can spike your carb intake and disrupt ketosis. With a supply of carbs, the body will stop producing ketones to use for fuel, which halts your weight loss progress. That’s why every gram of sugar consumed counts and must be restricted to stay within daily carb limits.
To achieve and maintain ketosis, keto dieters must restrict their carbohydrate intake. Experts say they can only consume 20 to 50 grams of net carbs daily and meet the rest of their macros with protein and healthy fat sources.
Because the allowance for carbs is very low in keto, seasoned dieters say you have to make mindful food choices. Instead of using up your daily carb limit for sugar, it’s smarter to consume nutrient-dense food, including vegetables and low-sugar fruits.
While the ketogenic diet is not overly demanding, it does require meticulous tracking of your macros to ensure you’re staying within your daily carb allowance. This is particularly important when it comes to tracking your sugar intake, as sugar content isn't always apparent and can affect your ketosis status.
But tracking your sugar intake can get tricky, considering that sugar content isn’t always apparent. Some food items naturally contain sugar, while others have added hidden sugars you might not recognize on the nutrition label. To help you correctly track your sugar consumption, below are three things you should be familiar with.
Hidden sugars can easily sneak into your diet through processed foods, snacks, sauces, and salad dressings. When adding these to your keto meals, you need to take the time to peruse the nutrition label.
The nutrition label is a goldmine of information that can help you identify whether or not a food item is keto-friendly. To spot hidden sugars, look for ingredients like fructose, sucrose, lactose, and dextrose — basically, anything ending with “-ose” might be a form of sugar. Also watch out for concentrates and syrups.
When tracking your sugar intake, don’t just list whatever’s on the nutrition label. You should be tracking net carbs, which means a little bit of math is called for. To compute for net carbs, use this formula:
Net Carbs = Total carbs - Fiber - (Sugar Alcohols / 2)
By now, you probably noticed that sugar can come in many different forms. But it’s not just those
“-ose” ingredients you should be mindful of. Sugar can also be either natural or added.
Natural sugars are those that exist naturally in whole foods. You’ll find them in fruits and dairy. On the other hand, added sugars are introduced to food during preparation or processing. Both need to be accounted for in the keto diet.
Nutritionists do recommend proactively choosing to consume natural sugars in whole foods instead of food with added sugars. These have better nutritional value and provide a more sustainable source of energy.
Sugar alcohols are another type of carb used as sweeteners. You’ll find them commonly named erythritol, maltitol, and xylitol in ingredient lists.
They have half the calories of regular sugar, which means they also have fewer carbs. But that doesn’t mean all sugar alcohols are keto-friendly. You still have to account for them when tracking your carb intake.
Sugar isn’t always easy to spot in ingredient lists. That’s because it has so many names and variations. It would take a bit of studying to properly familiarize yourself with sugar and all its forms. But to help you get started, you’ll typically find hidden sugars in the following food items:
Nutritionists say that ideally, sugar intake for keto dieters should be 0 grams. But every person tolerates carbs differently. Some can consume sugar and still maintain ketosis, while others will need to completely eliminate it.
Depending on your carb allowance and diet goals, you may be able to consume small amounts of sugar, ideally from low-carb and nutrient-rich sources. But even then, you’ll need to track even minimal sugar consumption to ensure you’re staying in ketosis.
Why do you eat sugar? The common answer will be to satisfy your sweet tooth. But you don’t need actual, high-carb sugar to do that. There are plenty of alternatives that can provide that same sweet flavor without the carbs.
Seasoned keto dieters have learned to use keto-friendly sugar alternatives, including monk fruit, stevia, and allulose, which are all-natural sugar-free substitutes. Some also use sugar alcohols like erythritol, which contain half the carbs and are acceptable for keto consumption.
Many keto dieters will tell you that the keto diet isn’t that restrictive. You get to eat all the savory meats and snacks you want. But sugar cravings are a whole different story. Especially in the early stages of your keto diet journey, sugar cravings can be quite intense.
But don’t reach for table sugar to curb them just yet. Here are some ways you can try to manage your sugar cravings:
