Why Diets Fail (Because You're Addicted to Sugar) (16 page)

NONFIBER STARCH (G)

19.26

= SUGAR EQUIVALENT OF STARCH

14.445

TOTAL SUGAR EQUIVALENCY

62.95

FOOD ITEM (100G)

Chocolate chip cookies (regular, higher-fat)

CARBS (G)

63.86

SUGAR (G)

35.14

FIBER (G)

2.40

NONFIBER STARCH (G)

26.32

= SUGAR EQUIVALENT OF STARCH

19.74

TOTAL SUGAR EQUIVALENCY

54.88

FOOD ITEM (100G)

Archway home-style sugar-free oatmeal cookies

CARBS (G)

67.20

SUGAR (G)

1.26

FIBER (G)

1.90

NONFIBER STARCH (G)

64.04

= SUGAR EQUIVALENT OF STARCH

48.03

TOTAL SUGAR EQUIVALENCY

49.29

FOOD ITEM (100G)

Popcorn (air-popped)

CARBS (G)

77.90

SUGAR (G)

0.87

FIBER (G)

14.50

NONFIBER STARCH (G)

62.53

= SUGAR EQUIVALENT OF STARCH

46.8975

TOTAL SUGAR EQUIVALENCY

47.77

FOOD ITEM (100G)

Wheat bread

CARBS (G)

49.46

SUGAR (G)

6.08

FIBER (G)

4.20

NONFIBER STARCH (G)

39.18

= SUGAR EQUIVALENT OF STARCH

29.385

TOTAL SUGAR EQUIVALENCY

35.47

FOOD ITEM (100G)

Ice cream cone covered w/chocolate and nuts

CARBS (G)

34.38

SUGAR (G)

25.00

FIBER (G)

1.00

NONFIBER STARCH (G)

8.38

= SUGAR EQUIVALENT OF STARCH

6.285

TOTAL SUGAR EQUIVALENCY

31.29

FOOD ITEM (100G)

McDonald’s vanilla triple-thick shake

CARBS (G)

26.61

SUGAR (G)

20.43

FIBER (G)

0.00

NONFIBER STARCH (G)

6.18

= SUGAR EQUIVALENT OF STARCH

4.635

TOTAL SUGAR EQUIVALENCY

25.07

FOOD ITEM (100G)

Raw cashews

CARBS (G)

30.19

SUGAR (G)

5.91

FIBER (G)

3.30

NONFIBER STARCH (G)

20.98

= SUGAR EQUIVALENT OF STARCH

15.735

TOTAL SUGAR EQUIVALENCY

21.65

FOOD ITEM (100G)

Plain pancakes

CARBS (G)

28.30

SUGAR (G)

0.00

FIBER (G)

0.00

NONFIBER STARCH (G)

28.30

= SUGAR EQUIVALENT OF STARCH

21.225

TOTAL SUGAR EQUIVALENCY

21.23

FOOD ITEM (100G)

Cooked plain pasta

CARBS (G)

24.93

SUGAR (G)

0.00

FIBER (G)

0.00

NONFIBER STARCH (G)

24.93

= SUGAR EQUIVALENT OF STARCH

18.6975

TOTAL SUGAR EQUIVALENCY

18.70

FOOD ITEM (100G)

McDonald’s big mac

CARBS (G)

20.08

SUGAR (G)

3.97

FIBER (G)

1.60

NONFIBER STARCH (G)

14.51

= SUGAR EQUIVALENT OF STARCH

10.8825

TOTAL SUGAR EQUIVALENCY

14.85

FOOD ITEM (100G)

Raw avocados

CARBS (G)

8.53

SUGAR (G)

0.66

FIBER (G)

6.70

NONFIBER STARCH (G)

1.17

= SUGAR EQUIVALENT OF STARCH

0.8775

TOTAL SUGAR EQUIVALENCY

1.54

It should be noted that there are several foods with very low sugar equivalency values that are also very high in fat. This plan does not give you a green light for an all-you-can-eat, fat-rich diet. In moderation, fat can be an important part of a healthy diet, but don’t lose sight of the main objective of this plan: to shift from an addictive pattern of eating to a healthy one.

AVERAGE SUGAR EQUIVALENCY OF FOOD GROUPS

FOOD GROUP

Breads

AVERAGE SUGAR EQUIVALENCY

33

FOOD GROUP

Cake

AVERAGE SUGAR EQUIVALENCY

44

FOOD GROUP

Candy

AVERAGE SUGAR EQUIVALENCY

66

FOOD GROUP

Cereals

AVERAGE SUGAR EQUIVALENCY

49

FOOD GROUP

Cheese

AVERAGE SUGAR EQUIVALENCY

3

FOOD GROUP

Cookies

AVERAGE SUGAR EQUIVALENCY

56

FOOD GROUP

Dried fruit

AVERAGE SUGAR EQUIVALENCY

54

FOOD GROUP

Eggs

AVERAGE SUGAR EQUIVALENCY

1

FOOD GROUP

Fast food

AVERAGE SUGAR EQUIVALENCY

19

FOOD GROUP

Fruit

AVERAGE SUGAR EQUIVALENCY

18

FOOD GROUP

Meat

AVERAGE SUGAR EQUIVALENCY

1

FOOD GROUP

Milk

AVERAGE SUGAR EQUIVALENCY

6

FOOD GROUP

Nuts

AVERAGE SUGAR EQUIVALENCY

9

FOOD GROUP

Oil

AVERAGE SUGAR EQUIVALENCY

0

FOOD GROUP

Pasta

AVERAGE SUGAR EQUIVALENCY

24

FOOD GROUP

Potatoes

AVERAGE SUGAR EQUIVALENCY

15

FOOD GROUP

Poultry

AVERAGE SUGAR EQUIVALENCY

2

FOOD GROUP

Prepackaged dinners

AVERAGE SUGAR EQUIVALENCY

13

FOOD GROUP

Seafood

AVERAGE SUGAR EQUIVALENCY

0

FOOD GROUP

Vegetables

AVERAGE SUGAR EQUIVALENCY

6

LEARN WHICH SUGARS TO AVOID

The Sugar Equivalency Table can be a handy tool that will help you to learn and recognize the types of foods and ingredients that you should avoid. The crux of this eating plan is to reduce and avoid sugars and other carbohydrates in your diet. However, as noted in Step 2, there are many different types of sugar out there. Which ones should you avoid, and which ones are okay to continue to consume? Which ones should be consumed in moderation?

The majority of the sugars that you probably consume come from added sugars. You will eliminate your intake of these in the
first two phases of the Sugar Freedom Plan. In addition to added sugars, the other major class of sugars that you want to avoid is the kind that you consume when eating breads, pastas, cereals, and so on. These sugars will be addressed in the third phase of the Sugar Freedom Plan. Research suggests that the type of bread, pasta, or cereal that we eat can influence our blood sugar levels.
²
Whole grain bread, for example, does not increase blood glucose as rapidly as white bread. As a result, whole grain breads have a lower glycemic index than white breads. However, when looking at the Sugar Equivalency Table, you will see that most breads, pastas, and cereals, regardless of the type, are in the 20-plus equivalency range. So, if you are looking to lessen your dependence on sugar, it is best to just avoid these foods, period.

Cereals can be particularly tricky to decipher. There are some cereals that are clearly high in sugar, and unfortunately many of these are marketed toward children. Obviously, these should be avoided. In terms of the ingredients, sugary breakfast cereal drenched in milk can be remarkably similar to one of those prepackaged ice cream cones you can buy at a convenience store. Others may seem to be healthy alternatives based on the images you see on the box, but look at the labels, because they usually contain a significant amount of added sugars.

However, there are alternatives if you still really, really want to eat these types of foods. Thanks to the popularity of low-carbohydrate diets, there are many products on the market like low-carbohydrate breads and pastas. They usually have higher fiber content than traditional breads and pastas, and no added sugar. While they claim to be low-carb, and that is true in the sense that they are certainly lower in carbohydrates than other breads and pastas, they are not no-carb. So, if you do consume them, keep that in mind, and use them sparingly, if at all. It might be best to avoid them in the beginning, and as you begin to lose weight and are comfortable that you’re making progress, you can try introducing a small amount of
whole grain bread back into your diet and see if it makes a difference in your weight loss and feelings about food. Remember, this is not a one-size-fits-all approach. You will have to make modifications and changes, depending on your personal situation as well as over time.

Cutting back on the sugars that you know about is only half of the battle. There are also lots of foods with hidden sugars in them. As we discussed earlier, sugars come in many forms and go by many different names, so it can be a challenge to identify which foods actually contain sugars so you can avoid them and develop a strategy for making substitutes. That is why it is important to read and understand nutrition labels and lists of ingredients. Once you identify a food with hidden sugars (for example, ketchup), you can then plan for a substitution (such as sugar-free versions). We’ll address these hidden sugars in the reducing hidden sugars phase of the Sugar Freedom Plan.

TAKE STOCK AND RESTOCK

The next step is to reassess your food stock. You want to be sure that you have access to the types of foods that you can eat on this plan, because you certainly don’t want to be hungry for lunch and not have anything on your plan available.

If you live alone, it will be very easy to go through the kitchen and get rid of the food products that contain high amounts of sugar or that are high in simple, fast-digesting carbs; in their place, literally restock the kitchen with foods that fit with your new way of eating. However, if you don’t live by yourself, you have a couple of different options. You can go ahead and throw out all of these kinds of foods in your kitchen knowing that eating only foods allowed on this diet will not only be better for you but for the health of your children, spouse, roommates, and so on. Although they will likely tell you otherwise, your kids
don’t
need fruit juice to survive (they can drink whole fruit smoothies with fruit, ice, and milk), and your
husband or wife doesn’t need three different types of potato chips and ice cream varieties. At the least, if you are cutting out sugars, you can begin to reduce them for your family, too. Remember, you have less control over what they eat when they are away from home, so if you remove some of these options in the home, you are helping to cut back on their sugar intake. Even if your kids and spouse are not overweight, no one needs extra sugar in their diet and everyone can benefit from these items being replaced with more nutritious alternatives.

But if your spouse or children object and don’t want to participate in this new way of eating, or if you live with roommates or other people who don’t want to be a part of your diet revolution, then you’re just going to have to use some old-fashioned self-restraint and understand which foods in your kitchen you can eat and which you can’t. You might want to have a shelf in your pantry or refrigerator that is devoted to you and the foods you will eat on this plan.

Once you get rid of the foods in your kitchen that promote your addiction, identify alternative foods using the Sugar Equivalency Table and stock up on those instead. You might try some foods that are new to you. You can even take existing recipes from books and the Internet and whip them up, being sure to leave out the sugar and replace it with a healthier alternative. Many websites and online blogs now feature recipes for sugar-free and carb-free meals, and offer advice on good ingredient substitutes to make your favorite meals while adhering to your diet (we list a few of our favorite websites in the
Resources
section). And remember to plan ahead. Make sure you bring these healthy alternatives to work with you so that you can maintain your healthy lifestyle throughout the day. Keep vegetables and other healthy foods in the refrigerator at work instead of risking a trip to the vending machine.

Getting Started