NO SUGAR DIET; IS IT HEALTHY?

WHAT IS A NO-SUGAR DIET? “Basically, this is a diet that eliminates all added sugars, foods high in natural sugars, and sugar substitutes,” says Sonya Angelone, RD, a spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. But “the extreme version of the no-sugar diet also eliminates foods with natural sugars like fruit, milk, and plain yogurt,” she adds.

If you want to get really technical, cutting out any form of sugar would leave you with pretty limited food choices. “Technically, a no-sugar diet would contain only pure fats and pure protein sources,” says Deborah Cohen, RDN, an associate professor in the department of clinical and preventive nutrition sciences at Rutgers University School of Health Professions.

"The diet isn't necessarily time-restricted, but many people find that avoiding all foods with sugar, including those with naturally occurring sugar, just isn’t sustainable. Still, when most people opt for a no-sugar diet, they usually mean a no-sugar-added diet", Says Keri Gans, RD, the author of The Small Change Diet.

In general, Angelone recommends following these rules- Drink only unsweetened beverages, such as plain water, seltzer, and unsweetened coffee or tea, Skip foods with added sugars, Choose whole, unprocessed foods like fresh veggies.

BENEFITS OF FOLLOWING A NO-SUGAR DIET There are a lot of potential perks of going on a no-sugar diet, such as:

Weight loss- sugary foods tend to be packed with calories. If you get rid of the sugar and eat fewer calories than before, you’ll lose weight, Lower the risk of heart disease- Excess added sugars increase blood triglyceride levels, which raises your risk of having a stroke or heart attack, Lower chance of developing type 2 diabetes- This is typically linked to weight loss.

WHAT CAN YOU EAT? there’s plenty you can eat on a no-sugar diet. In general, these are unprocessed foods and those without added sugars, some such foods are:

Chicken, Fish, Beef, Tofu, Eggs, Avocado, Nuts, Seeds, Olive oil, Unsweetened yogurt, Beans, Quinoa, Sweet potatoes, Butternut squash, Brown rice, Sparkling water, Unsweetened coffee, Unsweetened tea

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