Sorry, but bread and chips are NOT interchangeable. There is a vast difference between complex carbohydrates (whole grain breads) and simple carbohydrates such as chips.
For weight gain and blood sugar levels, FATS are just as important as sugar.
It doesn't matter at all whether you use refined sugar or raw or honey or whatever. It all is converted to blood glucose almost instantly. ALL FOOD is eventually converted to blood glucose, it's just a matter of how long it takes.
If you are serious about reducing sugar and fats from your diet, you need to become a fanatic at reading labels. Food manufacturers are essentially drug dealers, using all sorts of subterfuge to maintain your addictions. First, make certain sugar in all of its forms) is the 4th or lower in the list of ingredients. You need to be aware of all of the different names for sugar; often, the ingredients listing will split sugar into high fructose corn syrup, sugar, cane sugar, molasses, honey, etc., just to move it lower down the list.
For fat, you not only look at the # of grams and percentage of RDA, but also look at total calories and calories from fat. Keep calories from fat to less than 25$ of total calories.
Beware of the serving size. Everything may look reasonable, until you see that their serving size is two crackers...yeah, right!
Remember, too, it's not only desserts and treats have high sugar...and some cookies, such as 'Nilla Wafers and Graham Crackers, actually have less sugar than, say, sweet potatoes.
While you're at it, keep an eye on sodium levels. Not to totally ruin eating for you, but most packaged foods contain way too much sodium than anyone, including kids, should eat.
Next time you're in the grocery store, look at the ingredients on Campbell's regular Tomato Soup. Sugar and sodium are ridiculously high.
Once you become a label watcher, you'll develop a second sense as to what horrors lurk on the store shelves and in the freezer, but there are foods that maintain a healthy balance, and they taste GREAT.
Finally, if you are fine with cutting sweets entirely, or if that works best for you, fine. But if you really love your goodies, use common sense. Choose the healthiest options, practice portion control, and look for sweeteners other than sugar, or naturally sweet foods.
For example, I LOVE unsweetened applesauce. It contains the natural sugars in the form of fructose, but these are absorbed more slowly than sugar. I cannot stand sweetened applesauce, so my first choice is the healthiest.
I often have a slice of really good, whole-grain bread with no butter or anything. Sugar is low enough in the ingredients so as not to spike my blood sugar, yet it is extremely satisfying.
OH! I watch all carbs, but I do have sweets (just include them in the carbs I'd planned to eat).
