How Much Sugar Can You Have On Keto?
Well, if you are a fitness freak, then you probably already know that keto diet and sugar do not really get along with each other. Sounds like a piece of bad news, doesn’t it? However, it does not mean that you will have to cut off your sweet tooth entirely. Yes, you’ve heard it right. While you are following a keto diet, you can still eat a few specific sweeteners.
Do you want to know about them? Then, you have come to the right place. Here, you can find out all about the products that you can eat while following a keto-based diet plan. So, without any further ado, let’s just jump right into it.
What Amount of Sugar Intake is Safe while Following a Keto Diet?
The aim of following a keto diet is to reach a particular type of metabolic state known as ketosis. In this state, your body starts breaking down the fat accumulations from your body to produce the required energy. However, if you do eat any sugar-based components during this time, then the natural working scenario of ketosis will get disrupted. Due to this reason, most dietitians ask their patients not to consume any sugary items while following a keto diet.
However, there is a piece of good news about it too. If you want to, then you can eat your favorite desserts in a small amount, even with a strict keto diet structure. But how would you do it? In that case, you’ll have cut out some food items that are quite high on carbohydrates. Here are some of them.
- Raw sugar as well as the natural sweeteners, such as maple syrup and honey
- Cereals, wheat, rice, and corn
- A high amount of sugary fruits, such as oranges, bananas, and apples, etc
- Various starchy vegetables like yams and potatoes
Do Sugar Cravings Occur While Following a Keto Diet?
Yes, it, of course, does, especially if you have been an avid lover of the sweets for a prolonged period. Due to this reason, while following a keto diet, you might extreme sugar cravings, particularly during the nighttime.
However, there is a simple way to prevent this situation. For that, all you have to do is to stop thinking about your sweet and sugary past and follow your daily regime meticulously. Once you have made up your mind about doing something, not even the delicious ice creams can prevent it from happening.
How to Stop Sugar Cravings?
While a few people can stop sugar cravings by making up their minds, most of the others fail to do it. So, if you are one of them, then you might find the following tips to be helpful for your cause.
- Don’t Stop Eating: Most times, the cravings generally occur when your stomach is empty. Hence, if you maintain a prolonged time distance between two meals, then the glucose level in the blood will drop massively, which, in turn, will bring up the cravings from the bottom. Thus, make sure to keep eating small amounts of foods while you are on a keto diet.
- Stay Hydrated: Believe it or not, dehydration is yet another issue that can trigger the sugar cravings up. Therefore, make sure to stay always hydrated by drinking a lot of water throughout the day.
- Keep Yourself Distracted: Sometimes, the longing of eating something sugary can come out of pure boredom. Hence, in that case, try to keep yourself distracted. You can go on a small walk, call your friends, or simply try to read a book.
- Control Your Stress and Anxiety: Stress can, sometimes, mess with your blood sugar levels and increase the desire to eat something quite massively. Hence, to control it and stay healthy, you can try out yoga or meditation.
What Should A Person Eat While Having the Sugar Cravings?
One of the best ways to stop the sugar cravings is to eat something and keep your stomach properly satiated. However, if you are following a keto diet, then you definitely cannot consume anything and everything anymore. So, what should you eat then? Here are some options that can be beneficial for you.
- Peanut Butter Cookies: Besides being sugar-free, the peanut butter cookies can also help you to lose your weight and recreate some nostalgic childhood moments.
- Brownies: One of the most popular desserts in the world, the brownies contains only 2 grams of net carbohydrates. Moreover, it is also both gluten- and sugar-free, which can be perfect for you if you are following a keto diet plan.
- Lemon Curd: Lemon curds are completely sugar-free, tasty, healthy, and can keep your sugar cravings miles away from you.
- Strawberry Cubes (Chocolate): The chocolate-made strawberry cubes are tasty, easy to make, and offer all the much-required fats that you miss out with the keto diets.
Are There Any Keto-Friendly Sweeteners Available?
Yes, there are actually a lot of sweeteners available in the market that can get along perfectly with your keto diet. The following are a few of them.
- Stevia: Stevia is actually a non-nutritive sweetener. Hence, it does not contain that much carbohydrates or calories. Moreover, regarding taste, Stevia is a lot sweeter than sugar. So, you do not have to consume much of it to quench your thirst for sweets.
- Erythritol: A specific form of sugar-based alcohol, erythritol contains only 0.2 calories/gram, but is almost 80% sweet like sugar. Moreover, due to its molecular weight, it also does not harm your digestive system.
- Yacon Syrup: If you are the biggest fan of maple syrup, then the yacon syrup can be a perfect alternative to it. It doesn’t affect your blood sugar and can also promote weight loss if you drink it after a meal.
Which Sweeteners Are Must-Avoid When You Are On A Keto Diet?
There are a few types of sweeteners that can affect the ketosis condition of your body. Some of them have been given below.
- Honey: While being enriched with nutrients and antioxidants, honey also contains a high amount of carbohydrates. This, in turn, makes it a bad choice for the keto dieters.
- Dates: These dried fruits, too, are quite high on carbohydrates. So, make sure to avoid them as closely as possible.
- Agave Nectar: It consists of around 85% of fructose, which can be really harmful to the ketosis condition.
Conclusion
When talking about following a keto diet properly, you will have to cut off almost all the sugary foods from your life. However, if you really cannot live without them, then make sure to try out the previously-mentioned sweeteners to keep yourself well-satiated.