Avoid simple carbohydrates Many sugar-free diets also recommend that people avoid simple carbohydrates. Simple carbohydrates include white flour, white pasta, and white rice. The body quickly breaks down the carbohydrates in these foods into sugar. This process causes a rise in blood sugar levels.
Carbs aren't bad, but some may be healthier than others. Learn why carbohydrates are important for your health and learn which ones to choose. Many dietary trends force you to severely restrict sugar and carbohydrates (for example, ketogenic) or to eliminate them altogether. More extreme versions of a sugar-free diet can also limit foods with naturally occurring sugar, such as fruits and vegetables, but this is not usually recommended as part of a healthy, balanced diet.
Following a sugar-free diet doesn't mean you have to follow a formal eating plan, so there's no advice about meal times or snacks, or even meal composition. And because these natural sugars are a beneficial part of a balanced diet, sugar-free diet plans often involve specifically reducing added sugars. For example, people on low-carb diets, such as ketogenic diets, can avoid most fruits and many complex carbohydrates, which can still be included in other variants of a sugar-free eating plan. If you're currently consuming sugar in alarming amounts for an average American, you don't need to follow a low-carb diet for now.
As your knowledge base grows, you should start making small changes to your diet to reduce your sugar intake. A sugar-free diet emphasizes whole fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains, and eliminates foods that contain added sugar. Therefore, before understanding the logic of a sugar-free diet and choosing foods from a list of foods from a sugar-free diet, it is necessary to understand the basic rules of healthy eating. Many low-carb eating plans also limit sugar intake, so these plans may resemble a sugar-free diet in some ways.
Supporters of sugar-free diets recommend drinking plain or carbonated water, unsweetened tea or coffee, and 100% fruit juice (in moderation). While you're allowed to follow a sugar-free diet, you may need to watch your calorie count with natural sugars, such as those found in fruits, if weight loss is one of your goals. Following a sugar-free diet (or even a low-sugar diet) should offer health benefits, including weight loss. The bottom line is that while a little sugar may be okay, a lot of sugar causes weight gain and chronic diseases.
Over time, following a sugar-free lifestyle can become a matter of course and not a temporary solution or a short-term diet. Soft drinks, lemonade, sweetened iced tea, and many sports and energy drinks contain added sugars and are therefore not allowed on a sugar-free diet.
