Sunday, May 3, 2020
You know you're supposed to eat less sugar. After all, the sweet stuff has been linked to obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and more chronic diseases. And it's not just in soda and candy; sugar is hidden in some of your favorite grocery store staples like pasta sauce and wheat bread. Cutting back on sugar will help you drop those unwanted pounds, but sometimes it's easier said than done.
That's why David Zinczenko developed Zero Sugar Diet. The easy-to-follow 14-day plan is designed for even the most hardcore sugar addicts to reduce their intake of added sugars and fast track their weight-loss goals. And you won't just notice the number on the scale creeping down; cutting back on sugar will help you sleep better, give you more energy, and even make you look younger.
Don't believe us? Take it from Brian Noble who bought a copy of Zero Sugar Diet and changed his life forever. He started at 371.8 pounds and went down to 336.1 pounds in just seven weeks. Noble explains just how much of a positive impact this book has had on his health habits and why he's sticking to this way of life for good.
Zero Sugar Diet Secret #1: Eat More Fiber
"I focus on getting 40 grams of fiber per day while paying attention to added sugar in all forms," he explains. This is an important tip for anyone looking to lose weight. Not only does fiber fill you up and prevent you from feeling hungry, but it also helps lower the impact added sugars have on your overall blood sugar. This will prevent blood sugar spikes and subsequent weight gain.
Zero Sugar Diet Secret #2: Ditch Sweetened Beverages
"I switched from sugar-filled beverages, such as soda, to water, milk, and unsweetened tea," Noble says. This is one of the most important changes anyone can make when cutting back on sugar. Just one can of Coke has more grams of sugar than the American Heart Association recommends you eat in a day, and soda has been linked to obesity, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes. Sip on one of our tasty fruit-infused detox waters and you won't even miss your can of pop.
Zero Sugar Diet Secret #3: Cook At Home When Possible
"We cook more meals at home in an effort to control the ingredients," he explains. "These changes have combined to lead to a reduced calorie intake as well." Although you can make some healthy food choices while dining out, making your own food helps you control exactly what ingredients you're eating and just how many calories you're consuming. Since restaurants like to hide sugar in sauces and sides, it's a surefire way to ensure no extra sweetener gets added to your meal.
Zero Sugar Diet Secret #4: Believe in Yourself
"Believe in yourself and know that you can achieve your goals," Noble says. "Know that this will take some time, but understand that it took time for you to get to your starting point. The principles outlined in this book are easily sustainable, inexpensive to follow and will provide you with basic rules that allow you to structure your life eating at home or in a restaurant if needed."
Brian Noble's Top 4 Tips From Zero Sugar Diet:
Reading Zero Sugar Diet helped Noble distinguish which types of sugars were good and which ones to avoid. Here are his biggest takeaways from the book:
1. Fruit is Best when Eaten Whole
Although there are different ways to enjoy fruit, such as dried fruit or in a cold-pressed juice, the best way to eat fruit is exactly how it is in its whole form. Juicing and dehydrating fruit strips it of its valuable fiber, leaving a more concentration of sugar. This will spike your blood sugar and cause you to store calories as fat.
2. Eat a 2:1 Ratio of Fiber to Sugar
When reading food labels, be sure to pick food that has a 2-to-1 ratio of fiber to added sugar. If the food you're eating shows grams of added sugar underneath total grams of sugar, keep the added sugar at half the grams of fiber to prevent blood sugar spikes.
3. Pay Attention to Full Nutrition Information
People tend to think of eating for weight loss in terms of calories. If they stay within their daily allotted number of calories, they'll lose weight. Unfortunately, not all calories are created equal. Noble learned that it's important to pay attention to the entire nutrition label. In fact, fiber, sugar, and the listed ingredients are more important than just overall calories: 50 calories of broccoli is much healthier for your body than 50 calories of Jolly Ranchers thanks to the fiber, vitamins, and nutrients.
4. There Are Many Names for Added Sugars
Sure, food labels will list "sugar" on an ingredient label, but sugar also comes in a number of other forms: glucose, fructose, sucrose, corn syrup, honey, dextrose, to name a few. And often times, food companies will incorporate multiple types of sugars into their products. So read your labels and keep an eye out for all the different types and avoid the highly-processed forms such as high fructose corn syrup. Confused what groceries to choose?