Following a Sugarfree Diet Is Harder Than It Sounds

A sweet tooth is often a dieter's Achilles' heel. Instead of fighting the losing battle of giving up sweets, turn to sugarfree alternatives. Studies have shown that around 320 calories are added to the average American's diet by the 20 teaspoons of sugar we're eating every day. The USDA recommends you only consume half that amount. You are probably eating 200 pounds of sugar each year!

Because we live in a diet crazed society, it's very easy to find sugar-free versions of your favorite desserts. Puddings, cookies, brownies, and candy are all sold in sugarless forms. You can even try looking for foods marketed to diabetics as a reliable source of sugar free products. Remember, though, that sugar-free doesn't equate to calorie-free. As appealing as it is to believe the contrary, even sugarless foods have to be eaten in moderation. In fact, sometimes the naturally-sweetened version is only a few calories less than the real deal. You have to be a scrupulous reader of labels.

Let's start with the favorite hiding places of sneaky sugars. You expect to find lots of sugar in candy and non-diet soda, but it can also be hiding in foods and beverages you probably think of as rather healthy, like juice, breakfast cereals, and yogurt. Also, canned fruits and veggies are often laden with extra sugar.

Sugar Is a Master of Disguises

Sugar has many aliases. If one or more of these terms makes the top two or three listed ingredients in a food, beware:

Brown sugar
Corn sweetener
Corn syrup
Dextrose
Fructose
Glucose
Honey
Syrup
Molasses

This is only the beginning-sugar has several other AKAs to look out for. Again, if you're trying to achieve a sugar free diet, you have to be a very careful label reader.

The Sugar Busters! diet is probably the most famous sugar-free diet. Those sugar busters are a bit of a strange lot-contrary to what virtually all health experts and doctors say, the busters of sugar claim exercise and calorie counting won't have much effect on weight loss or gain for the average person. Adding further doubt to the claims of Sugar Busters! is that fact that nutrition experts are all in accordance that an entirely sugarless diet is virtually impossible. It's everywhere; even foods touted as sugar free contain naturally occurring sugars.

The bottom line is that sugar-free alternatives can help you succeed at a diet if you are eating sweets that are actually significantly lower in calories than the sugary versions. You'll never really be able to go totally without sugar, but you can avoid some of the more obvious culprits, like a can of regular Pepsi.

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