If You Take The No-Sugar Diet Too Far, You Could Cut Out Essential Nutrients Too
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When you're thinking of overhauling your lifestyle for the better, nixing sugar is probably one of the first changes you think of. After all, over the past few years, sugar has been linked to a slew of health conditions, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. So, it’s hardly shocking that the popularity of the no-sugar diet is on the rise.
It's clear that America has a sugar problem. While the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that you have no more than 10 percent of your total daily calories from sugar (FYI: That's 12 teaspoons in a 2,000-calorie diet), the average daily intake of added sugars is somewhere closer to 17 teaspoons among adults, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
“The disparity between the actual and recommended doses of sugar is significant,” says Vanessa Rissetto, RD, the CEO and co-founder of Culina Health.
The main sources of sugar are sweetened beverages, desserts, and treats like cookies, brownies, cakes, pies, and ice cream, per the CDC, but you may not be aware that some of products you consume on a daily basis may have sugar in the mix too, according to Deborah Cohen, RDN, an associate professor in the department of clinical and preventive nutrition sciences at Rutgers University School of Health Professions. “High-fructose corn syrup, which is essentially sugar, is found in thousands of foods, including those that don’t even taste sweet—ketchup, canned soup, fast food, breakfast cereal, bread, peanut butter, and lunch meats,” she says.
And all that sugar isn’t exactly doing your health a solid. “Excess added sugar causes inflammation in the body, which may lead to a host of conditions, such as joint pain and certain cancers,” says Keri Gans, RD, the author of The Small Change Diet.
It makes sense, then, that some people want to cut back on the sweet stuff. Dietitians break down what this eating plan is and what to eat on a no-sugar diet.
Meet the experts: Vanessa Rissetto, RD, is the CEO and co-founder of Culina Health. Deborah Cohen, RDN, is an associate professor in the department of clinical and preventive nutrition sciences at Rutgers University School of Health Professions. Keri Gans, RD, is a nutritionist based in NYC and the author of The Small Change Diet.
What is a no-sugar diet?
This is a little open to interpretation. “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,” Cohen says.
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 Gans.
In general, it’s best to slowly transition to a no-sugar diet instead of going cold turkey, Gans says, to help your palate get used to having less sweet foods. “This means eliminating obvious sources of added sugars like desserts and foods with added sugars,” she suggests. “Try using less sugar in coffee or tea and eliminating sugary beverages. It is best to eliminate sugar substitutes so you can learn to eat less sweet foods.” From there, you can slowly remove all sources of added sugar.
In general, Angelone recommends follow 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
What are the benefits of following a no-sugar diet?
There are a lot of potential perks of going on a no-sugar diet.
Weight loss. This isn’t a given, Cohen says, but she points out that 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 risk of heart disease. Excess added sugars increase blood triglyceride levels, which raises your risk of having a stroke or heart attack, Cohen says.
Lower chance of developing type 2 diabetes. This is typically linked to weight loss, Cohen says.
You may also have a lower cholesterol, lower blood pressure, and less bloating, Angelone says, noting that it’s tied to the inflammation that sugar can cause in your body.
What can you eat?
Sure, sugar is in a lot of foods, but there’s still plenty you can eat on a no-sugar diet. In general, these are unprocessed foods and those without added sugars, Gans says.
Some examples, per Rissetto, include the following.
Chicken
Fish
Beef
Tofu
Eggs
Avocado
Nuts
Seeds
Olive oil
Unsweetened yogurt
Beans
Sweet potatoes
Butternut squash
Brown rice
Sparkling water
Unsweetened coffee
Unsweetened tea
You'll also want to be on the lookout for these sneaky sources of sugar while you’re reading food labels, per Cohen.
High-fructose corn syrup
Dextrin
Dextrose
Agave
Corn syrup
Corn syrup solids
Raw sugar
Turbinado sugar
Molasses
Fruit juice concentrate
Corn sweetener
Honey
Glucose
What does eating on a no-sugar diet look like?
Need a little help envisioning what your food situation would look like on a no-sugar diet? Experts offered up these meals to get you started.
Day 1
Breakfast: Two fried eggs on whole-grain bread with spinach and tomatoes
Lunch: Mixed green salad topped with 4 oz. grilled salmon, 1/2 cup of chickpeas, and an ounce of feta cheese, dressed with oil and vinegar
Snack: 1 oz. plain roasted edamame with salt
Dinner: One cup pasta tossed with sautéed garlic, spinach, asparagus, and 4 oz. of grilled shrimp
Day 2
Breakfast: Oatmeal made with low-fat cow’s milk or unsweetened non-dairy milk, topped with 1/2 cup fresh berries and a tablespoon of natural peanut butter
Lunch: Omelet with spinach, tomatoes, and onion, served with two slices of lightly buttered 100 percent whole-grain toast
Snack: 1 oz. nuts
Dinner: Stir-fry vegetables with tofu and 1/2 cup brown rice
Day 3
Breakfast: One cup of plain low-fat Greek yogurt with two tablespoons of slivered almonds, one tablespoon of hemp seeds, and a small banana
Lunch: 4 oz. grilled chicken on sourdough bread, 1/4 avocado slice, tomato, and a drizzle of olive oil
Snack: String cheese with a small pear or apple
Dinner: 4 oz. filet mignon with roasted Brussels sprouts and a small sweet potato
Are there any drawbacks to a no-sugar diet?
It depends on how extreme you take it. If you take it too far and eliminate every type of sugar, including the naturally-occurring kind, like fruits and dairy products, you’re getting rid of several sources of vital nutrients (think: vitamins, minerals, and fiber) that are important for supporting your health.
The no-sugar diet can also be “overly restrictive,” Angelone says, and create food rules that are not flexible and don't allow you to eat your favorite foods, leading to disordered eating.
Instead, the goal should be to learn how to eat sugar-containing foods while still meeting nutrition requirements and not going overboard on calorie intake. Rissetto agrees, noting that a no-sugar diet is really “not sustainable.”
Basically, if you can cut back on your added sugar intake, you're already doing great—there’s no need to get rid of it completely.
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