The 14-Day No Sugar Diet(9)

Another study at the University of Missouri compared the blood sugar impact of a high-protein breakfast to that of a high-carbohydrate breakfast in people with type 2 diabetes. For seven days, the participants ate either a 500-calorie high-protein breakfast meal consisting of 35% protein and 45% carbohydrate, or a 500-calorie high-carbohydrate breakfast meal consisting of 15% protein and 65% carbohydrate. On the seventh day, the breakfast meal was followed by a standard 500-calorie lunch 4 hours later, and blood samples were taken throughout the day to assess the subjects’ levels of glucose, insulin, and several gut hormones that help regulate the insulin response. The researchers found that the high-protein breakfast lowered blood glucose levels after both breakfast and lunch and that insulin levels were slightly elevated after lunch, indicating that the participants’ bodies were working properly to manage blood sugar.

So, you see, protein in the morning is key. But you don’t have to eat a steak’s worth of protein to get the blood-sugar benefits of the morning meal. Researchers say eating just 25 to 30 grams of protein at breakfast will satisfy your hunger and help keep blood sugar manageable. You can get that much protein by scrambling two large eggs and two large egg whites, drinking a banana avocado smoothie, or eating a Greek yogurt breakfast bowl made with quinoa. See chapters 8 and 9 for some breakfast suggestions.

Fiber is critical in the morning, too. Oatmeal makes a great anti-diabetes breakfast despite being high in carbs. That’s because it contains lots of fiber.

Oatmeal illustrates how fiber from any vegetable, fruit or grain works in your gut. Consider what happens when you pour hot water on your steel-cut oats: The oats soak up the water like a sponge and thicken, increasing in volume. That’s what happens to fiber in your belly. It puffs up like a balloon, which slows down digestion and minimizes the impact on your blood sugar. It also keeps you feeling full longer. Now, sprinkle some slivered almonds on top of your oatmeal, suggests David Katz, MD, president of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. “The nuts contain protein, fiber and healthy fats that can help stabilize insulin levels.”

Eat When You’re Hungry

Many people don’t like to eat in the early morning or they don’t have time to make a proper breakfast in the rush to get to work. That’s okay. Eat when you’re hungry, not because the clock says it’s time to eat. Just make sure you don’t wait too long to eat in the morning and become so ravenous you make poor food choices or overeat.

Try this: Wait until after you get to work, say at 10 a.m., to put something high in protein and fiber in your belly. That strategy may even help you lose more weight because you are essentially reducing your “eating window” for the day, according to scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. Your “eating window” is, essentially, your waking hours. So, if you have breakfast at 7 a.m. and have your last snack at, say, 10 p.m., that’s a 15-hour eating window, more opportunity to consume more calories. If you limit your eating window to between, say, 10 a.m. and 7 p.m., and skip an evening snack, you’ve significantly slashed your opportunities to eat by almost a third. As long as you avoid most processed carbohydrates during that window and eat belly-satisfying foods containing protein, healthy fats and fiber, you won’t be likely to overeat.

Belly-off bonus: By pushing off breakfast for a few hours, you are extending your nighttime fast. If you exercise first thing in the morning, your body will be inclined to tap fat for fuel instead of carbs because your blood sugar will automatically be lower.

Eat Simply

Simplifying your diet makes it easier to control calories and lose weight. Eating simply means not overcomplicating mealtime with too many choices. It means sticking to a routine of foods that you know are healthy for you and you know you love to eat. It’s actually a very good weight-loss strategy, especially when you are making a significant change in your normal eating habits like cutting out added sugars. Find a low-sugar cereal you like and stick to it. Discover the healthiest sandwich on a fast-food menu and order that every time you go. Pick a healthy dinner you love to eat and make enough to have two night’s worth of leftovers. Too much variety can lead you down the path of overconsumption. Think about the last time you ate at a buffet. Did you fill your plate with a little taste of everything? Studies show that the more variety of foods people are offered, the more likely they are to consume more. For example, Cornell University researchers discovered that people will eat more M&Ms candies from a bowl when there is an abundant variety of colors of candies in the dish instead of just a few different colors. And a study at the University of Texas Health Science Center in 2015 found that people who ate a more diverse diet tended to have larger waist circumferences than people whose diets were less diverse.

Steps for Eating Simply

A little planning makes eating healthier and losing weight a lot easier.

Purge your home of temptations. Do a clean sweep of your fridge and pantry to get rid of the huge variety of sweets and processed foods within that will tempt you. By eliminating fast-burning processed carbs like sodas, candy, juices, baked goods, packaged products, processed snacks and non-whole-grain white bread and pasta from your home, you’ll find ways to satisfy your hunger with healthier options.

Choose a handful of the No Sugar Diet Superfoods in chapter 6 to build your weekly meals around. For the next 14 days, at least, simplify your menu to include a handful of recipes that you love that will ensure good blood sugar control and hunger satisfaction. Remember to focus on quality carbohydrates such as fresh vegetables and fruits, legumes, and whole grains, in that order. Be sure that every meal and snack contains some protein, such as fish, poultry, eggs, legumes, nuts, seeds and cheese, and red meat, in that order. Also, have a little healthy fat with each meal to boost satiety. Good sources are olive oil, avocado, nuts, fish and cheese.