How Sugar Actually Works In The Body
Sugar is not poison. But most people eat far more of it than they realise, and it is driving a significant portion of the health problems they are trying to solve.
Dejan Koceski
Health & Performance Coach · Melbourne
How Sugar Actually Works In The Body
Sugar is not poison. But most people eat far more of it than they realise.
And it is driving a significant portion of the health problems — energy crashes, fat gain, poor sleep, cravings — they are trying to solve.
What Happens When You Eat Sugar
When you consume carbohydrates — including sugar — your digestive system breaks them down into glucose, which enters the bloodstream.
In response to rising blood glucose, your pancreas releases insulin. Insulin acts as a key — it opens your cells to allow glucose in, where it is used as energy or stored.
The problem with high-sugar foods is that they produce a rapid spike in blood glucose — a surge followed by a rapid drop.
That drop is what you experience as an energy crash. Your energy plummets, your focus disappears, and your body sends hunger signals demanding you eat again — often more sugar.
The Difference Between Sugars
Not all sugar arrives in your bloodstream the same way.
An apple and a can of soft drink contain similar amounts of sugar. But the fibre in the apple significantly slows glucose absorption — blunting the blood sugar spike and extending satiety.
Processed sugar — stripped of fibre and protein — hits your bloodstream fast. Whole-food sugar, embedded in fibre, hits slower.
This is why the source of carbohydrates matters as much as the quantity.
What To Do About It
- Replace processed carbohydrates with whole-food alternatives. White bread to sourdough. Sugary cereal to oats. Juice to whole fruit.
- Pair carbohydrates with protein and fat. Both slow glucose absorption and blunt blood sugar spikes.
- Read labels. Sugar appears in an enormous number of products — sauces, condiments, flavoured yoghurts, protein bars. Knowing what you are consuming is step one.
- Reduce liquid sugar. Juice, soft drink, and flavoured drinks are the single easiest category to eliminate.
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