"Sugar free, no problem! I’ll leave the sugar out of my coffee, skip the cookie at lunch, and for afternoon tea I’ll cut out my usual fizzy drink.” This sounds easy, right? 

However, when we say “sugar-free,” do we mean the white, grainy, powdery substance derived from sugar cane, or could it mean something more comprehensive? Is there something particularly bad about sugar cane that makes it worse than other sweeteners and simple carbohydrate-rich foods?

What is sugar?

Sugar is a slang term for simple carbohydrates. Simple carbohydrates come in several forms and comprise most of our sweeteners, breads, pastas, grains, rice, alcohols, baked goods, and more. Typically, the foods we replace sugar with are high in simple carbohydrates and naturally-occurring sugars. These foods include alcohol, bread, pasta, potato chips, rice, and juices. 

Some people just replace sugar with a different form of sweetener – most commonly, agave nectar, xylitol, or aspartame. These sweeteners have a similar or worse effect on your body, compared to sugar. You may be thinking to yourself, “No carbs, no sugar, no alcohol... No thanks!” Before you run off, hear me out.

How the paleo diet helps 

The paleo diet addresses “sugar-free” to take out all the confusion. It lumps sugars, simple carbohydrates, and processed carbohydrates together and creates an ideal diet. 

Look for fresh fruits to satisfy your sweet tooth, or add the paleo-approved sweeteners honey or maple syrup. For the main part of your meal, kumara, pumpkin, cauliflower, and courgettes can replace potato, bread, rice, and pasta.

Paleo-approved sweeteners

1: Honey and maple syrup are in their natural state (the way they are found in nature). They are virtually unprocessed and include all the naturally-occurring bitter compounds that make your body naturally avoid consuming too much of it. Most other sweeteners are extensively processed with bitter compounds removed. 

2: Honey and maple syrup have other beneficial properties that sugar does not possess. Honey contains compounds like methylgloxal and methylsyringate1 which may be part of the antimicrobial action of manuka honey. A study2 from 2011 identified 53 compounds in a single maple syrup sample, all with numerous health benefits to contribute. In comparison, sugar is so processed that the only remaining compound is sugar, with no beneficial nutrients.