Sugar-free diets involve reducing or eliminating any additions to your diet that contain simple carbohydrates and sugar–especially added sugar.
Excess sugar consumption is known to negatively affect human health. More specifically it has been directly linked to heart disease, obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, and many other health issues. Most people understand that decreasing daily sugar intake will lead to a healthier life with fewer health complications, but still have a hard time quitting cold turkey.
Now, what will help the medicine go down...kale? Don't sweat it, not all diets revert back to kale. Hell, in this instance, bacon can help the medicine go down as long as it's sugar-free!
What To Eat On A No-Sugar Diet?
Vegetables, especially green ones, contain very little sugar, making them a great choice when you’re hungry. Keto-friendly foods such as meats, fish, eggs, cheeses, avocados, and other foods high in protein and fat, are a great choice as well. Onesimplestrategyto decrease added sugar intake is by reducing processed foods and incorporating more whole foods into one's daily diet.
Keeping a list of sugar-free snack options on hand can be a huge help to get you through the early days of the no-sugar diet. Call us biased, but we love snacking on our sugar-free beef jerky! We've put together abrief list of low to no-sugar food options below to help get you started on the diet.
No-Sugar Diet Food List
- Unrefined oils (avocado oil, coconut oil, olive oil, etc.)
- Animal proteins (beef, pork, chicken, turkey, fish)
- Sugar-free beef jerky
- Butter, ghee, cheese
- Avocado
- Cucumber
- Spinach
- Kelp noodles
- Salsa
- Broccoli
- Asparagus
- Eggplant
- Mushrooms
- Zucchini noodles
- Green beans
- Tomato
- Celery
- Radish
- Whole milk
- Lemons/limes
- Watercress
- Tea
- Coffee
- Watermelon
- Mustard
- Bell pepper
- Kale
Tips To Start A No–Sugar Diet
If you have trouble giving up sugar, some sweeteners might help be able to help wean you off gradually. Stevia, for instance, has virtually no calories and affects blood sugar levels positively in people with diabetes.
There are less well-known options like erythritol and xylitol that are also acceptable–these are natural, low-calorie sweeteners extracted from fruits. Despite this, it is generally recommended that you use sweeteners as a temporary rather than a permanent solution to your sugar-free diet.
If you're following a no-sugar diet and feeling a bit bored in your drink routine, you may want to try simple solutions like lemon water–or other fruit or vegetable-infused waters. Enjoy this healthy, easy-to-make drink to start your day off right. In addition to lemon water, you can try adding mint and cucumber to your water for a refreshing infusion.
People often substitute juice for unhealthy sodas, but it's not advisable on the no-sugar diet. Even though juices contain vitamins, they're high in sugar and low in fiber (unlike fresh fruit), which does not leave you feeling satiated and may ultimately lead to more sugar cravings.
The Bottom Line
The no-sugar diet is a low-carb, sugar elimination diet aiming to reduce or eliminate added sugars from one's diet entirely. Natural sugars are allowed but should still be restricted.
Whether you'd like to cut back on sugar or cut it out completely, eating less sugar is a generally healthy decision. And if you're looking for a variety of healthy sugar-free snacks to get you started on the no-sugar diet, look no further!
Shop People's Choice Keto-Friendly Sugar-Free Beef Jerky Collection
About The Author
Sara Bianchetti
A food fanatic and lover of all things beef. You can find Sara loving on her dog Pearl, exploring new wine bars, or experimenting with makeup as she has an unhealthy obsession with all things beauty.
