What’s the no-sugar diet and what are its benefits?
With celebrities getting into diet trends, the no-sugar diet has gotten more popular as of late. Even stars like Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez have been reaping its benefits. Let’s break down everything you need to know about it.
Although some variants of the diet eliminate all sugar intake, including those that come from fruit and milk, we rather talk about the less extreme version. The goal of this diet is to reduce the added amount of sugar consumed to zero, meaning sugar that’s been added to foods instead of the natural sugars found in fruits.
The reason behind this not so sweet diet is that people are figuring out ways to live healthier. “We have so much research that shows sugar is a pro-inflammatory food, and inflammation is a root cause of many different health conditions,” said dietitian and health coach Jessica Cording, R.D., C.D.N.
When in practice, other benefits of no-sugar dieting include lowering the risk of diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and obesity. Remember, these benefits are from reducing the sugars consumed, not eliminating all sugars, which can actually have a negative impact on the body. Don’t miss out on your fruits!
An easy way to practice the no-sugar diet is to remember to eat whole foods. To make it a bit easier, we’ve provided a list of the ingredients we want to stay away from.
- brown sugar
- corn sugar
- corn syrup
- fructose
- glucose
- high-fructose corn syrup
- honey
- raw sugar
- sucrose
- sugar syrup
- turbinado sugar
Doctors also advise reducing the intake of added sugar rather than trying to completely eliminate it. “Eliminate the idea of elimination,” advises Scott Keatley, R.D., co-owner of Keatley Medical Nutrition Therapy. “Don’t try to get your added sugar down to zero but try to balance out grams of added sugar with grams of dietary fiber. This will lead to a more sustainable diet that has benefits outside of just reducing sugar intake.”