What to eat and what to avoid on a no-sugar diet: Say yes to spinach & kale, no to white bread (2024)

FAQs

What to eat and what not to eat in no-sugar diet? ›

Natural sugars, which are found in foods like vegetables, fruits, and dairy products, are OK to eat. The focus is on cutting out added sugars and foods high in added sugars, including sugary breakfast cereals, ice cream, cookies, cakes, candy, soda, and sweetened coffee drinks.

Avoid simple carbohydrates

Many no-sugar diets also recommend that people avoid simple carbohydrates. Simple carbs include white flour, white pasta, and white rice. The body quickly breaks down the carbohydrates in these foods into sugar. This process causes a spike in blood sugar levels.

If you're healthy and active, there's no real reason for you to avoid healthier carb sources like potatoes, fruits and whole grains. Avoid refined carbs like white flour and sugar. However, for healthy people, there is no compelling reason to avoid unrefined carbs from whole foods.

A banana's effect on blood sugar depends on its ripeness

Green (unripe) bananas contain resistant starch, which doesn't raise blood sugar levels and may improve long-term blood sugar management. Yellow (ripe) bananas contain more sugar, so they may cause a bigger rise in blood sugar.

Yes, without a doubt! Sugar-free peanut butter is a better option than regular peanut butter. Peanut butter is high in protein and healthy fats. Sugar-free peanut butter contains fewer calories than regular peanut butter.

Choose whole wheat breads, pastas, and other grains with no added sugar. Read labels to make sure you're not getting added sugar in foods.

Read labels carefully and choose sugar-free or homemade options whenever possible. White bread and pastries are refined carbohydrates that can quickly spike blood sugar levels. Opt for whole-grain bread and pastries made with minimal sugar or explore low-carb alternatives.

Seafood, pork, beef, and chicken are all sugar-free. They're also an important source of protein and omega-3 fatty acids. If you don't eat meat, soybeans, lentils, beans, nuts, and seeds are great sugar-free, high-protein foods.

What snacks have no sugar? ›

No major food groups are off-limits, but you'll need to avoid foods with a high GI. Fruits and vegetables: You can eat dozens of fruits and vegetables, but steer clear of a few (like parsnips, watermelon, and pineapple). Grains: Whole-grain bread and pasta, brown rice, and oatmeal are allowed.

However, certain foods, such as leafy greens, whole grains, eggs, and nuts, will not raise it as much as others and can help lower long-term fasting glucose levels. This means these foods will not raise a person's blood sugar, also known as blood glucose. These foods may also help them avoid a blood sugar spike.

Limit or completely avoid consumption of foods such as baked goods, potatoes, white rice, white bread, instant oatmeal, and corn/ corn flakes. These food are considered to be high glycemic carbohydrates, which means that your body rapidly breaks them down and causes a spike in blood glucose levels.

Sugary foods can cause dangerous spikes in your blood sugar levels. Carbohydrates found in most vegetables and whole grains don't affect your blood sugar as much, and the fiber in them helps you digest them slowly. This will keep your blood sugar from going high.

Eating protein — from meat and fish, tofu, nuts, eggs, and cheese — with carbs can slow that flow of glucose and help stabilize blood sugar. “Proteins hold back the sugars, slow them down, and then release them into the bloodstream slowly so that your blood sugar stays in a more normal range,” O'Meara says.