People have different reasons for following a diet with no sugar, processed food or white flour -- some may want to lose weight, while others may simply think it's a healthier way to eat. Regardless of your reasons for dropping sugar, processed foods and white flour from your diet, you'll need to make sure you get all the nutrients you need while you're avoiding these foods.
Basics
To avoid processed foods, you'll need to steer clear of all foods presented in packages with ingredients labels. This represents much of the food in the grocery store, especially the foods in the middle aisles of the store. Instead of shopping in those aisles, select your foods from the perimeter of the store. You can choose all sorts of fresh fruits and vegetables, along with fresh meats and fish, beans, eggs and milk. Avoid multi-ingredient foods, such as flavored yogurts, seasoned meats and jarred fruit in syrup.
Sugar
Foods that contain sugar include many processed products, including obvious sources such as candy and cookies, but also including sauces, salad dressings and even some canned soups and vegetables. Therefore, if you eliminate all processed foods, you'll also eliminate most sources of sugar. However, fresh fruit also contains abundant sugar. If you want to avoid all sources of sugar, including natural sources, you'll need to skip fruit, as well. However, you may want to consider making an exception for the sugar in fruit, since fruit can provide a mainstay of a healthy diet.
White Flour
If you want to avoid white flour and processed foods, you'll need to locate a source of whole grain bread or bake your own bread using whole grains instead of white flour. As it turns out, consuming whole grains instead of highly processed white flour will help you get the fiber you need, potentially lowering your risk of diabetes, certain cancers and heart disease. Some people even grind their own flour, since doing so can help preserve the vitamins and minerals that occur naturally in the grain.
Considerations
If you give up sugar, all processed foods and white flour, you'll most likely be eating a very healthy diet composed mainly of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and fresh meats, chicken and fish. However, you may be missing out on certain vitamins and minerals that food manufacturers add to processed foods in an effort to combat deficiencies. For example, pasta, bread and other processed foods made from white flour often contain added iron, and many manufacturers add folic acid to bread products as well. To make sure you're getting enough of these and other nutrients, talk to your doctor.
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