Zero Sugar Diet Foods

I’m constantly being asked about what you can eat on a low sugar diet. So to answer that question, I’ve compiled a list of things you can and can’t eat – a zero sugar diet foods list if you will. It is not  a fully comprehensive list because otherwise we’d be here all day, but I’m hoping that it will give you enough guidance to be able to make decisions for yourself, and compile a meal plan from.

Zero Sugar Diet Foods – Foods Low In Sugar

What are the Zero Sugar Diet Foods?

So, here we go, what can you eat on a low sugar diet? I’ve split up all the food items into simple categories to make them easily identifiable.

The easiest, simplest way to think about the low sugar diet, is to simply cook from scratch. You need to change your whole mind set. Forget about shopping in the freezer isles at the supermarket. All you need are the meat isles, vegetable and fruit isles and wholefoods section. If you only ever shop on those isles, you won’t go far wrong.

TIP: If you absolutely HAVE to eat any type of packeted food, check the label. If you look at the ‘per 100g’ and look at the ‘Carbohydrates of which sugar,’ the item is relatively low in sugar if that number is less than 5 (which works out at less than 5% per 100g). 

Protein

• Meat (unprocessed, organic beef, pork, chicken, turkey, lamb…etc) All meat should be unprocessed – no burgers, sausages, etc
• Fish
• Eggs
• Yoghurt
• Nuts and seeds (not-salted, plain)

Cereal

• Rolled oats
• Natural Muesli
• Porridge oats

Staple Carbohydrates

• Wholewheat pasta
• New potatoes
• Wholewheat spaghetti
• Brown Rice
• Buckwheat
• Pearl Barley
• Sweet potato
• Quinoa (technically not  a carb but a protein)
• Oatmeal crackers

Legumes

• Kidney Beans
• Butter Beans
• Chick Peas
• Lentils
• Pinto Beans
• Blackeyed Beans
• Yellow Split Peas

Vegetables

You’re pretty much OK with all vegetables on a zero sugar diet, but limit the amount of white potato. New potatoes and sweet potatoes are ok and low in starchy sugars. However white potatoes like King Edwards and Maris Piper should only be eaten in moderation. Pumpkin, parnsips and beetroot are also quite starchy but don’t cut them out of your diet. As long as you’re eating them as part of a mixed diet full of a variety of fruit and vegetables, they are perfectly fine to be eating. And they taste great!

Bread

• Wholegrain pumpernickel
• Whole wheat
• Sourdough wheat
• Sourdough rye

Snacks

• Nuts and seeds (natural, unflavoured/unsalted)
• Organic cocoa powder (ideal for homemade hot chocolates!)
• Hummus
• Nachos/Corn Chips
• Oatmeal crackers

Fruits

Again like vegetables, fruits should be eaten as part of a varied, nutritious diet. However, because fruit can be high in sugar it’s best to eat in moderation. Ensure you eat more vegetables than fruit (for example, 5 vegetables to 2 fruits per day) but don’t cut it out all together because fruit is a great source of many essential vitamins and minerals. Do however AVOID fruit juices and smoothies. Taking the fibre out of fruit makes them super high in fructose (sugar) which moves too fast through the body. This isn’t good when we’re talking about foods low in sugar. Where fruit is eaten, the WHOLE fruit should be eaten, not just the juice!

Drinks/Alcohol

• Red wine
• Beer (Bitter)
• Tea (Black and Green)
• Coffee
• Coconut Milk
• Organic Milk
• Water

 

It’s best to avoid most alcohol if you want to lead a low sugar diet. If I drink I only drink red wine and in moderation – a small glass with a meal, etc. Most alcohol is high in sugar and has little nutritional value. Even spirits usually turn out to be high in sugar as they’re mostly drunk with a mixer. I like to make my own ‘iced teas’ for a treat, take a tea bag, make a normal tea, cool it and add some crushed mint, ice and lemon. It’s quite sweet tasting!

And that’s that, a comprehensive list of Zero Sugar Diet Foods.

Still confused about what can you eat on a low sugar diet or want more foods low in sugar? Or want to know about a specific item? Just comment below and I will get back to you as soon as I can.

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Becky