Sugar often gets labeled as the enemy in modern nutrition — blamed for weight gain, inflammation, diabetes, and more. But the truth is: our bodies need sugar. Sugar is essential fuel for our muscles, brain, and cellular energy. This comprehensive sugar guide will help you better understand and navigate the various options available to make life sweeter.
The problem is not sugar itself, but our relationsip with it, the type of sugar we consume and how it affects our metabolism.
This guide will help you understand:
- The difference between common sugars and smarter sugar alternatives
- How each option influences blood sugar and insulin levels
- Which sweeteners are tooth-friendly, low-glycemic, or even functional for energy and brain health
Let’s break it down, and at the end of this Comprehensive Sugar Guide, check out the table with summary information about each type of sugar.
1. Comprehensive Sugar Guide: Common Sugars
Table Sugar (Sucrose)
- Composition: Glucose + Fructose
- Causes rapid spikes in blood sugar and insulin, that is, it has a high glycemic index
- Is widely available, so you can find it anywere
- Promotes inflammation and tooth decay
This is the sugar found in most processed foods. and is the basis for comparison for sweetness. It gives quick energy, but also leads to the familiar cycle of sugar rush → energy crash → cravings.
Glucose (Dextrose)
- It is a monosaccharide, pure glucose, which is ready to be absorbed immediately without your body needing to break it down.
- Absorbed very quickly
- Can be useful for immediate energy (e.g., during exercise)
- But causes even faster blood sugar spikes than table sugar due to its higher glycemic index.
It it is Great for athletes — not ideal for daily use.
Fructose
- Has a low glycemic index, which can be misleading
- Excessive intake can raise triglycerides and uric acid, and trigger intolerance in some people
- Promotes tooth decay
It is not good as a sweetener on its own, as it is high in calories, so it is best to consume it from whole fruit, which contains several other nutrients.
2. Comprehensive Sugar Guide: Natural Sugar Alcohols (Better Everyday Sweeteners)
Erythritol
- Natural sugar alcohol (from fruits, honey, etc.)
- Zero calories
- No effect on blood sugar or insulin
- Is better for your teeth, it does not promote tooth decay
- Does not caramelize when heated
This is a great option as an everyday sweetner, is great for coffee, tea, smoothies, cold desserts. It is less sweet than sugar.
Erythritol + Stevia (1:1 Blend)
- Same sweetness as sugar → easy substitution
- calorie-free and does not affect blood sugar levels
- It has a slight aftertaste due to the Stevia
Perfect for reducing sugar intake without changing the proportions in recipes. Great option for everyday use.
Xylitol
- sugar alcohol (from plant sources like organic corn)
- Same sweetness as sugar
- Helps remineralize teeth 🦷
- Can be laxative in high amounts
- Dangerous for dogs — even small amounts can be fatal
- Low calorie and low glycemic index
Excellent for daily use in small amounts. Please keep it away from your pets!
3. Comprehensive Sugar Guide: Functional Sugars (Smarter Energy Support)
These sugars don’t just sweeten — they are powerful supplements that can support stable energy, cognitive performance, or digestive balance.
Isomaltulose
- Glucose + Fructose (the same as normal sugar, but with a different bond between these monosaccharides, which makes it much slower to digest).
- Digested slowly → stable, longer-lasting energy
- Does not cause large insulin spikes
- Tooth-friendly
- Slightly less sweet than sugar
Very good option for baking and to sweeten beverages.
D-Ribose
- A natural building block for cellular energy (ATP)
- It does not affect blood sugar levels
- May be laxative in high doses
- Can help fight fatigue
- May slightly lower blood sugar when taken in high amounts
As it is not very sweet and has a laxative effect and reduces blood glucose in large quantities, it is not suitable for use as an everyday sweetener, but rather as a powerful supplement in sports drinks and recovery supplements. An interesting fact is that it was used by the German team during the 2014 World Cup (including during the famous 7-1 match against Brazil).
D-Galactose
- It is obtained from milk sugar
- Provides brain energy
- Suitable for people with lactose or fructose intolerance
- Less sweet than sugar
- Does not cause large insulin spikes
Can be used in beverages or taken by the teaspoon between meals, especially when the brain needs a little help.
D-Tagatose
- Low-calorie, very low insuline effect and prebiotic!
- From milk sugar, found in honey and milk
- Suitable for people with lactose or fructose intolerance
- May be mildly laxative in large quantities
- Slightly sweeter than sugar
Good for sweetening drinks and everyday recipes, a much healthier and functional sweetener.
Trehalose
- Pure glucose source with a moderate insulin effect (glucose + glucose)
- Obtained from mushrooms, yeasts, plant starch
- Does not pull moisture (useful for texture in recipes)
- Does not brown or caramelize
Excellent for glazes, sorbets, baking, and ice cream — adds creaminess and extends shelf life.
Watch a video about these types of sugars below. If you don’t speak English, the content of the video is explained in this Comprehensive Sugar Guide.
Final Thoughts: The Goal Isn’t to Avoid Sweetness
The key is not to remove sugar completely —
but to choose sugar intelligently. We have created this comprehensive sugar guide to help you understand your options and make the best choices for you.
Your body is designed to use sugar — especially for brain function and energy.
But by choosing more stable, tooth-friendly, and metabolically balanced sweeteners, you can avoid energy crashes, protect your teeth and support metabolic and hormonal balance, especially if you have diabetes.
Check out our content on type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes.
We also have a table with a summary and outline of the contents of the comprehensive sugar guide:
