Brian Jenkins asked:


If you have decided to eat a sugar-free diet, whether due to medical reasons or personal preferences, you probably need some help getting started. Most foods contain either processed or natural sugars, even if they do not taste particularly sweet. You can use the following tips to make your transition to a sugar-free diet much easier:

Tip #1: Cut back slowly on your sugar consumption – If you currently eat a lot of sugar, it can be hard to stop eating it all of a sudden. Not only is it more of a challenge to find good, healthy foods to eat, but it can also have a negative effect on your body. Someone who goes from eating a lot of sugar to no sugar at all can feel irritable, drowsy, and nauseated. So, step down your sugar consumption slowly. In general, quitting anything cold turkey can have very unpleasant side effects. There are healthier ways to go about things.

Tip #2: Learn to read food labels – It might seem easy enough to choose healthy foods, but did you know that most no-fat and low-fat items are loaded with sugar? That is how they get flavor without fat! Do not assume that “health food” is healthy. Instead, get into the habit of looking at the label and making a healthy choice that way. Keep in mind that comparable food items labeled as “sugar free” may be surprisingly high in fat. By law, the labels have to be correct, and although they are confusing to read at first, learning to look at the nutritional value can really help you cut back on the sugar in your diet.

Tip #3: Watch what you drink, not just what you eat – Drinks, even those that sound healthy like apple juice, are often loaded with sugar. Most people know to avoid soft drinks, but you should be mindful of the amount of sugar in your tea, coffee, and juice as well. Keep in mind that sugar can be found even in “diet” drinks and some kinds of flavored waters. Read the labels of everything you are ingesting, not just your foods. Finally, keep in mind that wine, beer, and mixed alcoholic drinks all typically contain sugar, and usually in high amounts. Cutting back on the amount of alcohol you consume can really reduce the amount of sugar you consume on a daily basis.

Tip #4: Make your own foods – Cooking and baking are not as hard as you may think, even if you are a beginner. The problem with processed foods is that they contain preservatives and massive amounts of sugar to prolong the shelf life and make them taste good. Buying fresh ingredients to prepare snacks and meals does not take that much more time and it is typically a lot healthier for you than buying food in a box or can. You can control the amount of sugar you use, and you can even find recipes that use sugar substitutes instead of granulated, powdered, or brown sugar.

Tip #5: Learn how to decode the word “sugar” – Just because something is labeled as sugar-free does not mean that it does not have some form of sugar in it. This is where things get tricky. The following terms are all words to describe various forms of sugar: honey, lactose, fructose, corn syrup, glucose, dextrose, and galactose. Fruits (and their juices) also are a source of sugar. While some options, like honey, might be slightly healthier for you than other alternatives, if you are trying to avoid sugar altogether, make sure you learn the terminology. Products are legally allowed to be labeled as sugar-free if no sugar has been added, but that does not mean that the foods do not naturally contain sugar.

Tip #6: Cut the carbs – Sugar is a type of carbohydrate, and as such, carb-heavy foods contain sugar. White breads, pastas, and so forth might not taste sweet, but they are full of sugar. Choose healthy carbohydrates instead, like whole grains, potatoes, and other foods high in fiber. Remember that your diet should be full of proteins and green vegetables if you want to cut as much sugar as possible from your diet.

Tip #7: Talk to your doctor – Simply put, even if you are diabetic or have another medical reason for wanting to cut the sugar out of your life, you should not suddenly switch to a drastic diet to avoid all sugars. This is unhealthy for your body and, in the long run, the body does need sugar – just not in the forms so prevalent in our everyday lives. Instead, choose healthy carbohydrates, natural forms of sugar, and other healthy foods to fill your meals. Your doctor or a professional nutritionist can help you come up with a great sugar-free plan that will fit your lifestyle.

Brian Jenkins asked:


Because most foods have some form of sugar in them, it is nearly impossible to eat a totally sugar-free diet. However, it is definitely possible to cut out the unnatural, bad forms of sugar, which are found in processed foods, soft drinks, desserts, and other sweet treats. If you do, there are a number of health advantages. While some people only give up sugar after being diagnosed with diabetes or another serious medical condition, this new way of thinking about food can benefit almost anyone.

First and foremost, keep in mind that there are good forms of sugar, even if you are diabetic. Naturally occurring sugars, like those found in fruits or honey, help give the body energy, and in the case of fruit, are packaged in the food with plenty of fiber, which helps slow down the release of sugar during digestion. While some medical conditions demand that even natural forms of sugar be regulated closely, for the average person, these types of sugars are fine in moderation. The problem comes with concentrated sugars, which are usually processed. Corn syrup, glucose, and your common white granulated table sugar are all examples of “bad” sugars. Those are the types of sugars you need to give up! Keep in mind that sometimes foods are filled with bad sugars even if they do not taste sweet. For example, white bread and other refined carbohydrates can really cause your blood-sugar level to spike.

One of the most beneficial results of cutting sugar out of your diet is weight control. This is not a crash-course way to diet, but over time, cutting the bad sugars out of your life will help you stabilize you blood-sugar levels on a daily basis. Sugar, or, more specifically, glucose, is meant to give you energy. The bulk of that energy should come from complex carbohydrates, which give the body energy over longer periods of time (hence the reason most nutritionists suggest a high-carb breakfast to start the day). Simple sugar, on the other hand, is meant to give the body a shorter burst of energy. When you eat sugar and do not need that energy, the body’s blood-sugar levels spike. The body tries to compensate by storing the extra glucose for later, as fat. Eating sugar is not, by far, the only reason why you may be overweight or obese, but it is a contributor.

Another major advantage to refraining from eating too much sugar is that it can help you avoid potentially serious medical problems. If you have already been diagnosed with diabetes, then you know how hard it can be on your life. Diabetes, although common in the Western world (especially the United States), can be extremely dangerous if left unregulated. If your blood-sugar levels spike or drop, you could fall into a diabetic coma and die. Refusing to regulate your sugar intake can also lead to vision problems and other complications if you have diabetes. By controlling the sugar in your diet now, you are lessening the chances that you will develop insulin-related problems in the future. Most cases of diabetes in the United States are avoidable!

A sugar-free diet also helps you eat a healthier, more well-rounded diet overall. Many of the foods we eat that are filled with sugar are also lacking in nutrients and filled with empty calories. By ridding your diet of sugar, you are cutting out the foods that are, in general, bad for you. Of course, there are exceptions to this rule, but when you focus on sugar-free foods, you automatically prepare meals that are healthier for you and filled with the vitamins, minerals, and proteins your body really needs. Sugary foods tend to fill you up without giving you much in return, while if you eat high-quality foods, you feel full without packing on weight or leaving your body lacking key nutrients.

Lastly, eating a sugar-free diet has a positive effect on the body that most people don’t think too much about – it helps with oral health. We all know that dentists warn kids against eating too much candy, but whether you are seven or seventy, sugar is bad for your teeth. Why? Some of the bacteria that are responsible for tooth decay, gum disease, and other mouth-related problems are kicked into gear when they come into contact with sugar. So, unless you brush your teeth and floss every time you eat something, not eating sugar is one of the best things you could do for your oral health.

Eliminating sugar from your diet is not easy. Not only is it found in almost all foods, but also the list of ingredients can be confusing on food labels. If you plan to go sugar-free with your diet, make sure you talk to your doctor about doing so in a safe, healthy way.