What Is a No Sugar Diet?

When diet and nutrition experts talk about "sugary" foods, they mean foods that contain lots of added sugar—which is any type of caloric sweetener that's added to foods. (Artificial sweeteners, such as sucralose, are non-caloric.) Sugar provides energy (i.e., calories) but no additional nutritional value.

A little sugar might be okay, but a lot of sugar leads to weight gain. So followers of a no sugar diet avoid added sugars to promote weight loss.

Background

The problem with sugary foods is eating or drinking too much of them as they are high in calories but not usually nutritious. They don't have enough vitamins and minerals to make up for all the extra sugar.

Some people believe high fructose corn syrup is worse for your health than regular sugar, but there isn't enough credible scientific evidence to back that claim. They're both made up of a similar combination of glucose and fructose, and both have the same effect on the body. 

Since there are several forms and types of sugars, it helps to know what you're looking for. If you see any of these on an ingredients list, the food has added sugars: 

• Sugar
• Brown sugar
• High fructose corn syrup
• Corn sugar
• Syrup
• Corn syrup
• Fructose
• Glucose
• Sucrose
• Raw sugar
• Turbinado sugar
• Honey

Look at the Nutrition Facts Label to determine how much added sugar is in each serving. It may be just a small amount, or it might be a lot. 

Honey is a natural sugar because bees make it, whereas regular sugar is made from beets, corn, or sugar cane. But nutritionally, honey is about the same as sugar or high fructose corn syrup, so foods made with honey are still considered sugary. Technically, honey does contain some nutrients, but not enough to improve your diet.

How It Works

To begin, try to limit your added sugar intake to 100 to 200 calories per day (a tablespoon of honey has about 60 calories and a tablespoon of sugar about 50). The USDA's dietary recommendations suggest that everyone should limit added sugar intake to 10% of calories or less (so, 200 if you're consuming about 2000 calories a day). Once you get there, you can work to reduce sugars even further.

Read labels and choose the products that have the least added sugar. You don't have to give up sweet foods altogether, rather, just make healthier choices.

Foods with Natural Sugars

Fruits and 100% fruit juice are naturally sweet, but they aren't classified as having added sugar (some research shows that this is confusing to consumers). The exception is fruit drinks, such as most cranberry juice beverages that are a combination of fruit juices with sugar and water.

With natural sugars like those found in fruit, you may need to watch the calorie count. A glass of fruit juice may have as many calories as the same size glass of sugary soft drink. But at least the juice also has vitamins and minerals.

Unsweetened Beverages

Soda, lemonade, sweetened iced tea, and many sports drinks and energy drinks often contain added sugars. Milk has its own natural sugar (lactose). Drink plain or carbonated water, unsweetened tea or coffee, or fruit juice (in moderation). Or use a zero-calorie sweetener like stevia or sucralose. 

Foods with Added Sugar

Pastries, cookies, candy bars, syrups, jams, jellies, and pre-sweetened breakfast cereals are all obvious sources of added sugars. But other foods such as salad dressings, sauces, condiments, flavored yogurts, instant oatmeal, and fruit smoothies can also contain added sugars.

For cereal, look for brands that have less than 5 grams sugar per serving, and choose the ones with the most fiber. Or make your own oatmeal or plain unsweetened cereal and add fruits and berries. Similarly, buy plain yogurt and add fresh fruit.

In general, choose whole foods whenever you can. Processed foods tend to have added sugar, salt, and/or fat. Similarly, simple carbohydrates (such as white flour, white rice, and pasta) don't contain added sugar, but they do break down into sugar quickly in the body. So choose complex carbohydrates, like whole grains.

Recommended Timing

This is not a formal plan, so there's no advice on when to eat. You may find that if you are just starting to cut out added sugar, it's best to do it gradually. If you're still facing sugar cravings, drink water and eat (non-sweetened, nutritious) food regularly, so you don't add extreme hunger to your sugar craving. Healthy fats are especially helpful for fighting sugar cravings.

Resources and Tips

There are many no-calorie options for artificial sweeteners, but there is also a lot of controversy. There are questions about whether sugar substitutes are safe, and whether they are effective for weight loss.

Some argue that these sweeteners are so sweet that they actually ramp up your taste for sweet foods and drinks. Others believe that they can help you make the transition from consuming caloric added sugars and cutting them out.

Modifications

Many low-carb diets also limit sugar, and a vegetarian or vegan diet can easily also be a no sugar diet. As with any diet, if you have a health condition such as diabetes, consult with your doctor about the best eating plan for you.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Weight Loss

Cutting out sugar means cutting out empty (non-nutritious) calories. Doing that should help you lose weight. And whole, nutrient-dense foods tend to be more filling, so you can eat less of them and still feel full.

Improved Health

Along with the health benefits of weight loss, a no sugar diet can help users avoid other health risks that go along with high sugar intake. For example, one research review listed three studies that showed consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages was associated with increased blood pressure, inflammatory markers, total cholesterol, and visceral (belly) fat.

Improved Dental Health

Your mom was right: Too much sugar will rot your teeth. So a no sugar diet should help lower your risk of dental decay.

Cons

Challenging to Achieve

Setting aside the common American taste for sugar, there is sugar hiding in many foods (some of them quite unexpected). And distinguishing added sugars from natural sugars can also be difficult. All this means that following a no sugar diet can be hard.

How It Compares

Many low-carb eating plans also limit sugar, so those plans can resemble a no sugar diet in some ways. And cutting sugar also aligns with government advice on healthy eating.

USDA Recommendations

The USDA's MyPlate guidelines promote a balanced mix of fruits, grains, vegetables, protein, and dairy products. There's no space for added sugars, but they're also not strictly forbidden. Instead, the USDA suggests limiting them to no more than 10 percent of daily calories.

To lose weight, you may need to track calories in addition to cutting added sugars. Avoiding those sugars will likely result in consuming fewer calories all together, but to know for sure, use this tool to calculate a daily calorie goal, and then an app or journal to track your progress meeting that goal.

Similar Diets

Many weight loss plans restrict sugar since it's an effective way to cut calories. In particular, low-carb plans tend to also be low in sugar.

No Sugar Diet

• General nutrition: Since it's not a formal plan, this diet has few guidelines other than cutting added sugars as completely as possible.
• Practicality: There's no calorie or carb counting here, or even portion control. But you'll need to become a careful reader of nutrition labels and limit many convenience foods.
• Sustainability: It's healthy and safe to eat this way indefinitely, and sugar cravings should fade over time.

Sugar Busters Diet

• General nutrition: This diet is based on its limits of not only added sugars, but also natural sugars in the form of high-glycemic foods. Thus, it is a low-carb plan that allows certain fruits and vegetables along with lean proteins and whole grains.
• Practicality: This diet also doesn't require any counting or measuring. Once you know which foods to eat and which foods to stay away from, you know what to do.
• Sustainability: The difficulty is that those foods can be hard to avoid. And nutrition experts say there's no reason some of them (such as bananas and beets) need to be excluded.

Sonoma Diet

• General nutrition: The Sonoma Diet is a low-carb plan that not only excludes sugar and artificial sweeteners, it also cuts fruit (in its first phase), certain starchy vegetables, and all processed foods.
• Practicality: Because of its restrictiveness, particularly during the first 10 days, this diet can be hard to follow. But it doesn't require carb or calorie counting and has its own simple system for portion control.
• Sustainability: The initial phase is very challenging, but the second (main) and third (maintenance) phases are more reasonable.

Mayo Clinic Diet

• General nutrition: This is an example of a weight-loss plan that cuts sugar while keeping other foods and nutrients well balanced.
• Practicality: There's no need to count calories or carbs, but you'll have to watch portion sizes and cut out many convenience foods.
• Sustainability: The diet should be safe and effective for users who follow it carefully, and it has a maintenance phase to help keep the weight off.

A Word From Verywell

If you are looking to lose weight or simply improve your health, cutting added sugars could be a smart and fairly simple choice. For weight loss, you might also consider adding fiber. But remember that weight loss is a complex process that should also include exercise, stress management, and other lifestyle factors. Discuss your plans with your physician to help create a plan that meets your needs.