What is the Low Sugar Diet?
- Dietitian.Lauren Hmede
- Aug 6, 2019
- 7 min read
While a low sugar diet is essential for those who suffer from diabetes or heart disease, instilling the lifestyle change is beneficial for all.
The low sugar diet is designed to bring more attention to the average person’s sugar intake and to create an all-around healthier and more balanced way of life.
The low sugar diet is primarily aimed at those suffering from diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. This diet lends itself to anyone trying to create more balance in their diet and a healthier lifestyle overall.
How It Works
A low-sugar approach is apparent in many popular diets such as the Mediterranean diet, the DASH diet and the Sugar Busters diet, most of which have the same goal:
Eat foods that will keep you fuller longer.
Avoid added and artificial sugars along with complex carbohydrates that are broken down into sugar in the body.
On average, it takes about 10-14 days for your body to stop craving sugar, but this length of time can differ from person to person.
What to Eat:
Compliant
Green leafy vegetables, raw or cooked
Fruit (citrus fruits and berries in particular)
Whole grains
Beans and legumes
Sweet potatoes
Nuts and seeds
Fatty fish
Lean proteins
Herbs and spices
Non-compliant
Fruits high on the glycemic index scale
White bread or flour
Refined sugars
Sugary drinks
Packaged snack foods, such as chips and pretzels
Alcohol, in excess
Compliant:
Leafy Green Vegetables: These vegetables are packed with vitamin and nutrients and have a very small impact on blood sugar levels. Spinach and kale are two excellent examples, both packing quite the punch with vitamin A, potassium, calcium, fiber, and protein. Other healthy and low sugar leafy vegetables include collard greens, cabbage, bok choy and broccoli.
Fruits: Citrus fruits such as oranges and grapefruit are excellent source of vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin C and potassium. Berries are also excellent fruit choice on the low sugar diet, filled with antioxidants and vitamins.
Whole Grains: They have higher fiber and nutrient levels than white grains, making them a healthier substitute in the low sugar diet.
Beans and Legumes: Beans and legumes are an excellent way to add fiber and protein to a healthy diet while still curbing carbohydrate intake. Beans are a complex carbs, and therefore take longer for the body to digest.
Sweet Potatoes: Sweet potatoes are a great alternative to white potatoes with their lower glycemic index (GI) level. They also provide vitamins A and C, fibe, and potassium.
Nuts and Seeds: Nuts contain healthy fatty acids. Walnuts in particular are extremely high in omega-3 fatty acids that are vital for a healthy heart and brain.
Fatty Fish: Fish is another excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids, which help to promote heart and brain health. Fish such as salmon, mackerel, sardines, albacore tuna, and trout are excellent options.
Lean Proteins: A few servings of lean protein, such as chicken, is compliant on the low sugar diet, and very helpful because protein helps you feel fuller for longer.
Herbs: Flavorings like oregano, sage, garlic, turmeric, ginger, and cinnamon can be very beneficial in sticking to a low-sugar diet. Not only will they help with seasoning and providing sugar-free options when preparing food, but they have been shown to help lower blood sugar levels in individuals with diabetes.
Non-compliant:
Fruits High on the GI Scale: While most fruits are perfectly acceptable on a low sugar diet, some are quite high on the glycemic index scale. Fruits such as melons and pineapple have a higher glycemic index.
White Bread or Flour: These should be avoided, as they have very high glycemic index levels. Opting for foods such as quinoa or whole-grain pasta is best.
Refined Sugars: Refined sugars provide empty calories with none of the added benefits that come from natural sugars. If you’re going to allow yourself some sugar, natural is the way to go. Refined sugars can be found in packaged cookies, breakfast cereals, and even in unsuspecting items like ketchup.
Sugary Drinks: This rule goes hand-in-hand with no refined sugars. Sodas, juices, energy drinks, coffee drinks, and smoothies should be avoided while on the low sugar diet.
Packaged Snack Foods: Packaged foods are filled with added sugars that you may not realize you’re consuming. Snack foods that are labeled as low fat are often filled with more sugar to improve the taste. Whole-fat options are actually better for someone trying to limit sugar intake. You don’t have to avoid packaged snack foods completely, but make sure to read the labels and check for sugar levels and sugar types before you buy.
Alcohol: Alcohol intake should be very limited on a low sugar diet, as it can interfere with blood sugar levels. If you do drink alcohol, avoid high sugar options such as champagne or dessert wine and opt for a dry red wine or dry spirits such as gin or vodka paired with soda water instead.
Recommended Timing
The low sugar diet isn’t too regimented as far as eating times go. The important part is to maintain blood sugar levels enough so that you don’t become sluggish as a result of low energy. To maintain energy, try to eat every three-four hours. Several small meals throughout the day is ideal, and adding protein can keep you fuller for longer periods of time.
For example, add lean and healthy proteins to your breakfast with some poached eggs and greens. Snack on healthy fats such as nuts and seeds.
The first few days will naturally be the hardest. Many aspects contribute to our craving of sugar, including lack of sleep, underconsumption of calories, macronutrient imbalance, emotional stress and a regular intake of sugar itself.
To help with sugar cravings try getting more sleep, opt for healthy carbs and find support.
Resources and Tips
One of the biggest tips that can help with sticking to the low sugar diet is to read labels.
Many of us buy food items without taking a look at exactly what we’re eating. Taking the time to look for sugars hiding in the food that we buy can help a great deal.
Additionally, having a firm understanding of what foods to eat and what foods to avoid will make this diet so much easier. With many sugar alternatives out in the world and numerous low sugar recipes, eating a low sugar diet is easier than ever.
To have the most success with the low sugar diet, seek out whole foods and avoid processed and pre-packaged items. Eating whole foods will make it much easier to stick to a low sugar diet because they are satiating and full of nutrients.
Modifications
The low sugar diet is ideal for even the healthiest individual. The fact of the matter is, we should all be mindful of our sugar intake and work to keep it at a healthy level.
Modifications can be made for those allergic to certain foods suggested in this diet, but overall the low sugar diet fits the needs of most.
Recently, the incidence of gluten intolerance has surged. The low-sugar diet emphasizes complex carbs, but you can choose from many options other than wheat, including amaranth, quinoa, and bulgar. Beans and starchy vegetables such as potatoes and carrots can also cover your fiber and carbohydrate needs.
The low sugar diet emphasizes fatty fish, nuts, and other common allergens. If you’re allergic to any of these, avoid them as usual and double up on something else. Just be sure that you are still covering all of the main food groups, ensuring a well rounded and healthy diet.
While the low sugar diet doesn’t specifically call for eggs or dairy, both are good low sugar additions to this diet. However, if you are allergic to either, there are plenty of dairy alternatives and faux egg products on the market. Just be sure to read labels carefully.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
Weight loss
Promotes heart health
Improved mental health
Lowers risk of diabetes
Allows for customization
Easy and plentiful recipes
Cons:
Not helpful for intense workouts
Can be complicated
Risks of disordered eating
Pros:
Weight loss: Lowering sugar intake has been shown to help with weight loss and overall well-being. Consuming high levels of sugar has been shown to increase obesity and visceral fat, which can be harmful to internal organs.
Promotes heart health: A low sugar diet can also help a great deal with heart health by lowering blood pressure. Lower sugar intake can help with the raising of good cholesterol (HDL) and the lowering of bad cholesterol (LDL). This can also help prevent strokes and heart attacks.
Improved mental health: Expect to feel sharper and more energized during a low sugar diet. Without the highs and lows of that sugar rush, feelings of depression and other mental disorders are not as common.
Lowers risks of type 2 diabetes: While sugar isn’t the sole cause of diabetes, eating less of it lowers your risk of becoming diabetic. High sugar intakes can cause weight gain which in turn greatly increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Allows for customization: As long as you keep your meals balanced, modifications and substitutions can be done with the low sugar diet. If an allergy prevents you from eating a specific food, swap it out for something else on the recommended food list. Sugar is the main component you need to remove for this diet to work best, which still allows for an abundance of foods and ingredients that will allow you to stick to a balanced and healthy meal plan.
Easy and plentiful recipes: Lowering sugar intake has risen in popularity over the years, allowing for an abundance of recipes suited to fit the needs of this diet.
Allow this diet to work for you without making it seem like work. Don’t overthink it. This diet aims to achieve balance in your meals and overall lifestyle.
Cons:
Not helpful for intense workouts: If you’re training for a marathon or consistently doing rigorous workouts, this may not be the diet for you. Carbs break down into glucose in your body, acting as fuel for the muscles during high inttensity workouts. This doesn’t mean you should splurge all the time, but the sugars found in energy and sport drinks can be helpful for building muscle.
Can be complicated: While it may be tedious, make sure to look out for sugar on food labels and be on the lookout for sugar in foods that you may not expect to have them. Hidden added sugars are hiding in a great deal of the products we buy on a daily basis. Better yet, aim to cook whole foods. It’s also helpful to make salad dressings and sauces at home instead of buying them so that you can control the sugar levels and ingredients.
Risk of disordered eating: Similarly to any other diet that involves being overly aware of your intake of certain foods, this diet can skirt the fine line between diet and obsession. The whole point of this diet is to live a healthier and more balanced lifestyle, so don’t become too caught up in the “good” or “bad” of foods.
Take these cons into consideration before considering a low sugar diet. While it’s an ideal lifestyle choice for most, a few groups don’t quite fit. Modify as needed and create a plan that will work for you.
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