Planning a sugar-free diet: why it pays off and how you manage it

A sugar free diet can help you to raise your wellbeing, avoid cravings and lower the risk of conditions such as diabetes or cardiovascular disease. But how do you manage to banish sugar from your everyday life? Here you get a clear strategy and learn what the benefits of living sugar free in a lasting and simple way are. We also give you an insight into why sugar is such a hot topic in society. Look forward to it.

Sugar (total sugars) is a form of carbohydrate that occurs in many natural and processed foods. Chemically, sugars belong to the group of monosaccharides (single sugars) and disaccharides (double sugars). The best known types of sugar are:

• Glucose (dextrose): the body’s main source of energy, quickly digestible.
• Fructose (fruit sugar): occurs in fruit and honey, is metabolised in the liver.
• Sucrose (table sugar): a combination of glucose and fructose, widespread in foods.
• Lactose (milk sugar): consists of glucose and galactose, naturally contained in dairy products.
• Galactose: a component of lactose, which is contained in dairy products.
• Maltose (malt sugar): consists of two glucose molecules, found in sprouting grain and malt products.

Sugars that usually occur in foods left in their natural state, such as fruit, vegetables, milk and dairy products, are not the problem here. These products also supply valuable nutrients and in their natural form have their place on the menu.

What is problematic for the body, on the other hand, are the so called “added sugars” or “free sugars”. These are sugars that manufacturers or consumers add to foods, along with the sugars that occur naturally in honey, syrups, fruit juice concentrates and fruit juices. Sugar is often used as a flavour enhancer or preservative and can bring health disadvantages over the long term. (1, 2)

Sugar, glucose in particular, is one of the body’s main sources of energy. But does that mean we have to consume sugar in its simple form? The answer is no. Our body is able to obtain glucose itself from complex carbohydrates such as wholegrain products, vegetables and pulses. These are broken down into single sugars in the digestive tract and made available to the body as energy.

The German Nutrition Society (DGE) therefore recommends taking the greater part of your carbohydrates from wholesome foods rich in fibre, instead of consuming sugar sweetened foods and heavily processed foods. An excessive sugar intake can lead to insulin resistance, inflammatory reactions and a raised risk of excess weight and metabolic disease. (2)

Conclusion: your body does not need added sugar, it needs good quality carbohydrates that it can use well, from natural, wholesome foods. A conscious, sugar free way of eating can contribute to more energy and a more stable blood sugar level over the long term, and it also has further health benefits.

Eating sugar free does not only mean no longer consuming table sugar. Free sugars are often hidden in foods that look healthy at first glance. These include juices, fruit yoghurts, mueslis or even savoury ready meals, for example. The aim is to avoid these sugars above all and to focus on natural, nutrient rich foods.

A look at the list of ingredients is worth it. It lets you deliberately avoid foods with hidden sugars.

But do not worry, a sugar free diet does not have to be complicated. With a well thought out plan the switch is much easier. And this is exactly where Foodpunk comes in.

1. Find out where sugar sits in your diet: keep a food diary or use an app to find out how much sugar you take in each day. Hidden sugar lurks in many products.
2. Learn to decode food labels: look out for terms such as glucose syrup, fructose or maltodextrin. These often stand for added sugar.
3. Go for natural sweetness: instead of refined sugar you can fall back on stevia, xylitol or erythritol. Fresh fruit can also provide sweetness in recipes without driving your blood sugar up.
4. Plan your meals in advance: with a structured nutrition plan it becomes much easier to eat sugar free. Foodpunk helps you find tasty, balanced recipes that fit your needs perfectly.
5. Pay attention to your drinks: soft drinks and juices often contain a lot of sugar. Water, unsweetened teas or infused water with slices of cucumber or lemon are great alternatives.
6. Cook for yourself: that way you have control over the ingredients and can make sure that no hidden sugars end up in your food.

If you want to plan a sugar free diet, you should know which foods you can enjoy without a second thought. Here are a few examples:

• Vegetables: broccoli, spinach, courgette, peppers, cauliflower, cucumber
• Fruit low in fruit sugar: berries (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries), avocado, citrus fruit
• Protein sources: eggs, fish, poultry, tofu, tempeh
• Dairy products without added sugar: natural yoghurt, quark, unsweetened almond or coconut milk
• Pulses & nuts: lentils, chickpeas, walnuts, almonds, chia seeds
• Wholegrain products: oats, quinoa, buckwheat, wholegrain spelt bread
• Healthy fats: olive oil, linseed oil, coconut oil, grass fed butter

These foods supply you with important nutrients and help you to keep a sugar free diet going over the long term.

With these natural ingredients you can easily replace industrially produced sugar bombs. Here are a few examples:

With cakes and sweets the fun stops, you might be thinking. But you can plan a sugar free diet without going without sweet dishes. Here are a few simple and tasty recipes that you can make without sugar:

Numerous scientific studies show the positive effects of a sugar free diet on health. A high sugar intake is associated with a raised risk of excess weight, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. A comprehensive review by the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends reducing daily sugar consumption drastically in order to lower the risk of chronic disease.

The German Nutrition Society shares this position. A reduced sugar intake contributes to weight reduction through a calorie deficit and therefore lowers the risk of obesity. Dental health also benefits enormously from a sugar free diet, because sugar is a main factor in the development of tooth decay (2, 3)

By deciding in favour of a sugar free diet you can not only raise your wellbeing, you can also protect your health over the long term. A structured nutrition plan with balanced meals can help you make the switch more easily and keep it up for good.

Both the German Nutrition Society (DGE) and the World Health Organization (WHO) give clear recommendations on limiting sugar intake. Both recommend that at most 10 % of daily energy intake should come from free sugar. With an estimated total intake of 2000 kcal per day, that corresponds to a maximum intake of 50 g of free sugars.

This also includes naturally occurring sugars from honey, syrups, fruit juices and fruit juice concentrates. The recommendation is not to be understood as a recommended intake, but as a maximum upper limit. For children and young people this upper limit is lower still.

Even so, the actual sugar intake in Germany lies clearly above these values, which over the long term raises the risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. (2, 3)

The second National Nutrition Survey (Nationale Verzehrsstudie II, NVS II) examined eating behaviour in Germany. According to the results, average daily sugar consumption lies above the recommendations:

• Adults take in 90 to 100 g of sugar per day on average.
• Particularly high values were found in children and young people, above all through sweets and sweetened drinks.
• The largest share of sugar comes from processed foods and drinks, often without consumers knowing. (4)

To reduce excessive sugar consumption and its health consequences, many countries rely on political measures. In Germany the National Reduction and Innovation Strategy for sugar, fats and salt in ready made products was introduced in 2018. This strategy relies on voluntary agreements with the food industry in order to lower sugar content step by step. Critics complain, however, that progress has so far been slow.

Other countries take a far more consistent approach:

• The United Kingdom introduced a sugar tax on soft drinks in 2018. Manufacturers then reduced the sugar content of their drinks significantly.
• France, Mexico and Norway have also introduced sugar taxes, which have noticeably lowered consumption of sweet drinks.
• Chile relies not only on a sugar tax, but also on warning labels on packaging that inform consumers about the high sugar content. (5, 6, 7)

Even though it is scientifically proven that sugar harms us, sufficient state regulation (structural prevention) to reduce sugar consumption is missing.

That is why we see it as our responsibility to inform you about a healthy way of eating, so that you can make decisions on your own responsibility that are good for your health (behavioural prevention).

Both approaches matter, yet studies show that political measures and clear labelling are often more effective than information alone. (6, 7)

A sugar free diet is a big step towards health and wellbeing. With the right strategy, and a nutrition plan that is tailored to you, the switch works much more easily. So why make it complicated when it can be simple?

Start now with your personalised Foodpunk plan and see how tasty and straightforward a sugar free diet can be.