The 14-Day No Sugar Diet(15)
Soy Milk
Although cow’s milk contains natural sugar from lactose, the sugar in non-dairy milk is often the added kind. And at 19 grams per cup, chocolate soy milk really pushes the sugar boundary. Choose unsweetened or light varieties.
Soda
You already knew 12 ounces of soda was filled with chemicals and about 10 teaspoons of sugar, but did you realize that it packs more carbohydrates than an entire bowl of pasta? It’s true. A 12-ounce can of Sprite has 38 grams of carbs, while a classic cola has about 39 grams.
Whole-Wheat Pancakes
When it comes to eating a stack of pancakes, you might know you’re getting ready to carb overload, but sugar doesn’t always register. After all, if you skip the butter and fruit compote, you should be fine, right? Not always. A stack of four Harvest Grain ’N Nut Pancakes from IHOP might sound healthier than buttermilk, but they actually contain 26 grams of sugar. Add on some light maple syrup, and you’re looking at 30-plus grams in your morning meal.
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Name Your Poison
How to spot hidden sweeteners on an ingredients list
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You say Muscovado, I say turbinado. No matter how you pronounce it, our bodies know it’s sugar. You might not recognize some of the types of sugar that food manufacturers use to sweeten processed foods. Keep an eye out for these lurking on ingredients lists:
Agave nectar
Barley malt
Beet sugar
Brown sugar
Cane juice
Caramel
Carob syrup
Corn syrup
Dextrose
Fructose
Fruit juice concentrate
High-Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS)
Honey
Malt syrup
Maltodexdrin
Maltose
Molasses
Muscovado
Rice syrup
Saccharose
Sucrose
Turbinado sugar
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Steer Away from Breakfast Cereals
Avoid a bowl of added sugars; find a better morning meal
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Sure, they are easy to fix in the morning rush, but most are little more than sugar in a box despite the claims of being “part of a nutritious breakfast.” While you might expect to find a lot of carbs in General Mills’ Cocoa Puffs (you’re right, 23 g carbohydrates and 9 g sugars), you might be surprised to learn that the healthier sounding Kellogg’s Smart Start Strong Heart Original Antioxidants has nearly triple (65 g carbohydrates, 21 g sugars). The ingredients lists tells the story: rice, wheat, oat clusters, sugar, high fructose corn syrup, molasses, honey, polydextros and corn syrup. Healthy-sounding cereals can make your blood sugar soar. So, read labels. Better yet, cut cereals out of your diet. There are better foods for breakfast.
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A Cereal Sampler
Kellogg’s Raisin Bran (9 g sugars)
General Mills Reese’s Puffs (13.5 g sugars)
Instant Cream of Wheat, Apples ‘n Cinnamon (16 g sugars)
General Mills Golden Grahams (13.5 g sugars)
Quaker Oatmeal Squares (13 g sugars)
Kashi Strawberry Fields (11 g sugars)
Post Honeycomb (7 g sugars)
Quaker Natural Granola Oats & Honey (26 g sugars)
Kelloggs’ Cracklin’ Oat Bran (19 g sugars)
Quaker Instant Oatmeal, Cinnamon Roll (13 g sugars)
CHAPTER
6
Superfoods for a Bulletproof Body
Keep your kitchen filled with these powerful foods that help regulate blood sugar, stop cravings and burn fat
O UT OF SIGHT, out of belly. If you want to stop snacking on your kids’ pretzel sticks, keep them off the kitchen counter. If you want to beat your donut addiction into submission, don’t allow these sugar bombs in the house. Make “out of sight, out of belly” your mantra whenever you restock your kitchen with food for the week. If cookies and chips no longer exist in your home, you can’t eat them—that is, unless you make a special trip to the store. And who’s going to do that? Research shows that if blood-sugar-spiking foods are not within reach in your pantry, fridge or on your kitchen counter, you’re less likely to eat them. The flip side is also true: If foods that fight cravings, keep blood sugar stable, and help you lose weight are at hand, you’ll eat the good stuff.
So, stock up on the delicious foods that will help you in your effort to slash added sugars and beat diabetes. Use the superfoods in this chapter to make up your shopping list. Then create tasty breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks with them.
Know Your Macros
Our calories come from three macronutrients: carbohydrates, proteins and fats.
Carbohydrates are energy-boosting foods like fresh vegetables and fruits, legumes, and whole grains. These are good quality carbohydrates because they are not processed or just minimally processed and contain an important blood-sugar-regulating ingredient: dietary fiber. You don’t have to count carbohydrate grams (most people find that too cumbersome), just try to eat most of your calories from whole, fiber-rich carbohydrates. Tip: make vegetables, especially colorful ones and leafy greens, half to three-quarters of your plate.
We also get our carbohydrates from highly processed foods like cereals, baked goods, soda and other sweetened beverages, white bread, white rice, and non-whole grain pasta—the low-fiber foods you found in the previous chapter. Limit these blood-sugar raising foods as much as you can. Try to avoid them completely.