Zero sugar diet plans are pretty self-explanatory. The idea is to eliminate all sugar from your diet. Sugar is known by various names on nutritional labels, including sucrose, high-fructose corn syrup, dextrose, fructose and corn syrup. Before completely cutting sugar from your diet, consult your doctor to plan out a healthy approach to your new diet.
The Facts
Sugar in the form of glucose is required by the human body for basic bodily functions, such as in the brain and nervous system. However, refined sugars, such as those found in table sugar and soda, contribute empty calories to your diet. Empty calories are those with little or no nutritional value. The 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans suggests limiting or eliminating added sugar from your diet. Instead, they recommend consuming sugars found naturally in foods, such as fruits, milk and vegetables.
Significance
Sugar contributes empty calories to your diet, which in turn leads to weight gain. In fact, researchers at Harvard Medical School have found a strong link between added sugars and obesity. They point out that women who drink just one sugar-sweetened soda per day are 83 percent more likely to develop type 2 diabetes and gain weight than those who drink soda only occasionally. A typical 20-oz. bottle of soda can contain 250 or more calories -- most of which are from sugar. A diet that eliminates these calories can lead to significant weight loss.
Types
There are a number of zero sugar diets on the market. One of these, "Sugar Busters!", became popular in 1995 when it hit number one on the New York Times' best-seller list, according to Health.com. An updated version of this book was released eight years later called "The New Sugar Busters! Cut Sugar to Trim Fat." These diets are a high-fiber, low-glycemic index approach. The glycemic index is a measure of how carbohydrates affect your blood sugar levels.
Another zero sugar diet is Dr. Gott's "No Flour, No Sugar Diet," which is a restrictive approach that eliminates all sugar and flour from your diet. A typical meal consists of 50 percent non-starchy vegetables and/or fruit, while the other 50 percent of your plate is filled with an equal split of lean protein and whole grain food, according to DietsinReview.com.
Weight Loss
A zero sugar diet will typically lead to fast weight loss. This is due to the fact that 1 tsp., or 4.2 g, of sugar contains 16 calories, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's nutrient database. A package of Twinkies contains nearly 9 tsp. of sugar, which equates to over 140 empty calories, according to the nutritional label and published online at SugarStacks.com. Eliminating soda and sugar snacks can reduce your daily caloric intake by hundreds of calories per day, which results in a significant calorie deficit. A calorie deficit means that you are taking in fewer calories than you are burning.
Features
Diets that eliminate sugar also tend to eliminate foods made from white flour as well, such as white breads, pastas and cereals. The idea of a zero sugar diet is centered around the concept of the glycemic index, and foods that are made from flour have high glycemic index scores. Foods that are also high on the glycemic index include potatoes, pineapple and foods containing added sweeteners. Another common feature associated with various types of zero sugar diets is that they tend to be very restrictive in what you can or cannot eat. Many of your favorite foods may have to be eliminated, such as pizza, pasta and some fruits.
Warning
While the USDA agrees that added sweeteners should be limited or completely taken out of your diet plan, they do not suggest that you eliminate fruit or other foods that contain natural sugars. Fruit is high in nutrition, so it should not be cut out of your diet unless otherwise directed to do so by your doctor for food allergy or related purposes. Also, you may want to consider cutting sugar from your diet over a period of weeks rather than cold turkey, especially if you currently consume large amounts of sugar daily, so your body has time to adjust.
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