No Sugar or Carb Diet

In the 90s America was obsessed with low-fat diets. Now the country is obsessed with low-carb diets. Ask any celebrity how they eat to stay in shape and the answer is often, "I cut carbs." Cutting carbs is a good idea--as long as you cut the bad carbs only. Sugar is a carb and is definitely a nutrient that you should try to eliminate completely.

No Sugar or Carbs

A carbohydrate (carb) is a sugar that your body needs to function. It is not recommended to go on a diet that contains no carbs whatsoever. Fortunately, when people say they do not eat carbs or sugar, they generally mean that they do not eat bad carbs. Bad carbs would be any processed or refined carbs. Think sugar, alcohol, white flour, candy, baked goods, sodas, white pasta and rice. They taste good, but are low in nutrition and tend to have lots of additives. You do not need these empty calories. Some experts such as the famous Dr. Atkins claim that you can safely eliminate most carbs, even good ones.

You must educate yourself if your goal it to eliminate carbs and sugar from your diet. Carbs lurk in more places than you can imagine. According to the website Lowcarb.ca, "[high] carbohydrate-containing foods are cereals, whole grains, beans and legumes, fruits, vegetables, milk and other dairy products. Some meats contain carbs too--liver and other organ meats, clams, oysters and especially processed lunch and deli meats, sausages, etc." You should focus on eating food with low carbs such as all types of leafy greens, broccoli, celery, eggplant, zucchini, green beans, asparagus, melon and berries. The rest of your diet should consist of proteins and fats including meat, poultry, fish, eggs, butter, olive oil, lard, cheese and nuts.

Pros

The best part of a no-carb, no-sugar diet is that you eliminate empty calories. It is also great for people with food allergies. You do not have to count calories to lose weight, as all the protein and fat you eat will make you feel full longer. Quick weight loss is associated with this type of diet, but part of the loss comes from water.

Cons

The worst part is the set of food restrictions. As you educate yourself in what food have high carb levels, you will find that lots of food do. You may feel uncomfortable restricting carbs. According to Lowcarbs.ca, "Many people, but not all, experience unpleasant symptoms during the initial period of switching to low-carb eating, such as intense cravings for sugars and sweets, or maybe headaches, fatigue or irritability." The Mayo Clinic points out another obvious con: "No one knows the long-term health effects of low-carb diets."