5. Sugar/Carb BIOHACK GI & SUGAR Limits

BIOHACK 5

Understanding YOUR SUGAR Limits

Your body doesn't need ADDED SUGAR to function

TRUTH of the SUGAR TOOTH

Humans Are Born with a Sweet Tooth

From birth, humans are naturally drawn to sweet flavors — it’s part of our survival wiring. Sweetness signaled energy-rich foods in nature, like fruit or breast milk.

But today, this natural preference is being hijacked by modern processed foods loaded with added sugars far beyond what our bodies were designed to handle.

The result? Cravings, energy crashes, weight gain, and long-term health issues.

Your sweet tooth isn’t the problem — it’s the way it's being manipulated.

That’s why learning to BIOHACK your sweet cravings is so powerful — it helps you reclaim control over your health, energy, and choices.

• Indulging in SUGAR is like a short escape, yet it results in long-term side effects that frequently demand medical care, increased exercise, and eliminating it to recuperate from its impacts.

• It's called a "sugar rush" because "SUGAR-induced panic/health attack" sounds too scary!

• SUGAR is a love-hate relationship, cycling through joy, guilt, pain and regret.

• Indulging in SUGAR can be delightful, 2 seconds on the lips and a lifetime in your head and body and on your hips! UNLESS you QUIT!!!

GLYCEMIC INDEX GI

Sugar comes in many forms — from the naturally occurring sugars in fruits to highly processed sweeteners like white sugar and corn syrup. All of them have a Glycemic Index (GI) rating.

Any sweet food containing added sugars (like white sugar or its many aliases — see BIOHACK 3 or starches (such as grains and starchy vegetables) is classified as a carbohydrate (carb).

Once consumed, all carbs are broken down into glucose, the primary fuel your cells use for energy — powering everything from movement to mental focus.

The Glycemic Index (GI) measures how quickly a sugar or carb is converted into glucose and enters your bloodstream.

Research associates 'High GI' Foods with numerous health conditions from inflammation, obesity, prediabetes, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes to many other minor and major mental and physical problems. BIOHACK 2 

DIETARY GUIDELINES for High-GI Carbohydrates

To protect your health and manage blood sugar effectively, it's recommended to limit high-GI carbohydrate intake to:

• No more than 10% of your total daily calories

• No more than 24g (6 teaspoons) of added sugar per day for women

• No more than 36g (9 teaspoons) per day for men

Handy Reminder:

4 grams of sugar or total carbohydrates = 1 teaspoon

Being mindful of this simple math can help you make smarter choices throughout your day.

YES, exceeding your added SUGAR limit can be easy, which is why low energy, increased aches, weight gain, fertility and mental health issues, diseases, and weakened immunity are at an all-time high. 

THE GOOD NEWS:

Protein and Fibre Have No GI — and They Help You Master Sugar and Carbs!

Foods rich in protein and fibre don’t raise blood sugar — in fact, they complement carbs by slowing their conversion into glucose.

For example, pairing a small serving of a High-GI carb (like rice or pasta) with a generous portion of protein and fibre can lower the overall impact on your blood sugar, creating a more balanced, lower-GI meal.

THE TAKEAWAY:

Eat the right carbs, in the right amounts, alongside No-GI whole foods, and you’ll enjoy better energy, fewer cravings, and a healthier body — without missing out.

STARTING NEXT WEEK:

Each day, you’ll make a conscious YES or NO decisions about the foods and drinks you consume.

Foods to say NO and AVOID

Quick REFERENCE GUIDE

You’re strongly encouraged to cut back or eliminate foods and drinks containing added sugars and refined carbohydrates (especially flour-based products).

• Added Sugars: Often hidden in desserts, chocolate, biscuits, pastries, cakes, fizzy drinks, and alcohol — usually paired with low-quality fats and additives.

• Sweeteners: white table sugar, maple syrup, corn syrup, agave, coconut sugar, honey and all the other forms of sugar as listed in BIOHACK 3.

• Sweetened beverages: soft drink, sweetened smoothies and juices, 100% juice, sweetened coffee drinks, sports drinks, alcohol

• Condiments with added sugar: ketchup/sauce, BBQ sauce, honey mustard, coffee creamer

• Sweetened dairy products: flavored yoghurt, ice-cream, chocolate milk and desserts

• Baked Sugar and White four based goods: biscuits, cakes, donuts, white or multigrain bread (most have added sugar), bagels, croissants, pastries, white flat bread

• Sugary breakfast foods: sugar-sweetened processed cereals, bars, granola, flavored/ toasted cereals/oatmeal

• Confectionary: chocolate, soft or hard lollies, natural confectionary, bars, caramels, gum including no sugar gum and lollies

• Sugary alcoholic beverages: mixed drinks, sweetened liquor, sweet wines, sweetened canned alcoholic drinks

• Artificial no-calorie sweeteners and foods sweetened with them: Although low in calories, they often contain harmful chemicals that disrupt your appetite, spike cravings, and offer only short-term satisfaction through dopamine hits-Splenda, equal, sucrose, particularly aspartame 950/951

• Refined White Flour & Starches: Provide empty calories with no real nutritional value: white breads and products, pasta, noodles, naan bread, and white rice

  This list is by no means comprehensive, but it gives you a good idea of where sugar is found and where to start.

Foods to say YES and EAT

Quick REFERENCE GUIDE

• You’re encouraged to enjoy fresh, natural, chemical free whole, and nutrient-dense foods that truly support your health.

• Vegetables (in unlimited amounts): all the non-starchy greens/salad greens, broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, carrots, cucumber, asparagus, zucchini's, cabbage etc

• Fruits: seasonal where possible - apples, oranges, berries, grape fruit, summer fruits etc. (2+ per day depending on activity).

• Proteins (eaten with every meal) (Animal): high-quality, pasture-raised chicken, fish, seafood, beef, lamb, pork, eggs, tofu, dairy products (if tolerated), unsweetened yogurt, white cheeses, low fat whole cheese, (Vegetable) legumes, nuts, and seed combinations. PROTEIN GUIDE

• Healthy fat sources: avocado (1/4 of small), non-roasted or unsalted nuts and seeds (small handful), cold pressed or virgin oil, coconut oil (1-2 Tbsp).

• Complex carb sources: (1/2 cup) beans/legumes, quinoa, sweet potato, butternut pumpkin, whole meal grains, brown rice

• Unsweetened beverages: clean, filtered water, sparkling water, herbal teas, cocoa, unsweetened coffee/tea.(2.5 - 3+ litres of water @ 1 glass per HOUR  from waking up) + more when exercising or sweating. WATER GUIDE

• Naturally derived sweeteners: like Stevia or Monk Fruit (used in small amounts).

  
  

BIOHACK 6

More HACKS to Reduce Your SUGAR

Your 30-DAY COMMITMENT, GUIDE and TRACKING

QUICK Reminder: Sugar contains NO Essential Nutrients

• Most packaged and processed foods contain hidden added sugar. 

• White sugar and its derivatives are high in “empty” (no nutrition value) calories.- consuming them reduces the overall nutritional value of your diet, leading to potential nutrient deficiencies and health issues the more you consume.

• Reducing or eliminating sugar can enhance your skin health, and that's just the start!

• INSIDE and OUT: Over time, your health will greatly improve, aiding in maintaining a healthy weight, strength, balance, and stable blood sugar levels, which positively impacts all other physical and mental health indicators or issues.

  
  

  Get excited!

  You are strong enough to conquer anything, even sugar cravings.

  

  
  

  Ultimately, it will be about the commitments you make to yourself that pave the way to healthy success.