Sugar Busters diet program is based on using 30% protein, 40% fat, and 30% carbohydrates. Although the authors
of this diet book say that counting calories or measuring food is not a part of the
Sugar Busters plan, they suggest you "look at portion size". The diet, according to most nutrition experts, is easy to follow, and if you follow their 14-day plan exactly, you should lose weight.
"You must virtually eliminate potatoes, corn, white rice, bread from refined flour, beets, carrots, and of course, refined sugar, corn syrup, molasses, honey, sugared colas, and beer."
That basic plan is to eat high-fiber vegetables, stone-ground whole grains, lean and trimmed meats, fish and fruits. If you choose alcohol, you should drink red wine. Bake, broil or grill meat, and cook with an oil that is high in mono-and polyunsaturated fats and low in saturated fats, such as canola. You eat three meals a day of moderate portions, and you can have snacks such as fruit and nuts. Potatoes are a no-no, as is white bread, pasta, white rice, and most sugar. However, you may use small amounts of whole grain bread, whole-wheat pasta and oats.
The authors use basic science to explain their theory--up to a point. A snack or meal that is high in carbohydrates (of which sugar is the basic building block) raises the level of glucose in the bloodstream quickly. This stimulates the pancreas to release the hormone insulin. The result of that insulin production is stored fat.
However, a high-protein, low-carbohydrate meal causes only an imperceptible rise in blood glucose and consequently a very small rise in insulin, but a significant increase in the
glycogen level, claim the authors.
The most controversial claim of the Sugar Busters Diet is that by keeping the need for insulin low by eliminating or severely restricting certain foods, we can reduce insulin resistance, a condition wherein our bodies have become insensitive to normal levels of circulating insulin in the bloodstream.
Among weight loss programs, some may consider this to be one of
the fad diets built around a diet book bestseller. It's a do-it-yourself diet
plan that may not fully address psychological issues such as emotional eating,
stress management, etc.
Some nutrition and obesity experts don’t like the Sugar Busters! theory very much. In their opinion, the diet perpetuates the myth that your body can distinguish from sugars that are naturally occurring in food products and sugars that are added to a manufactured product. This is false. The body can’t do this.
A variety of nutrition experts say that a diet does not cause insulin resistance. Rather, insulin resistance is a medical condition that must be diagnosed by a physician. Then why are people losing weight on this diet? Simply, because each menu averages a mere 1,000 calories per day. Just about anyone can lose weight on 1,000 calories a day.
While you will lose weight on this diet, realize that it cuts calories—and that you will lose weight mainly because of that. In addition, some experts are critical of the diet’s claims to control certain types of diabetes-related problems. It’s true that high insulin levels increase the risk of heart disease, but there is little if any evidence that insulin causes extra fat storage. In addition, some clinical studies have shown that diets with no sugar have lower compliance rates.
Despite the negatives listed above, in
BestDietForMe.com’s opinion, this diet plan still promotes enough healthy eating to be valid. One should also consider that the book is NOT complemented by any website that provides additional information, interactive tools or online support, unlike other diet bestsellers.