No Sugar Diet Meal Plan

If you’re worried about what you can eat when on a sugar free diet, don’t worry! I’ll share tips and meal ideas on a no sugar diet.

First, let’s talk about why sugar is a problem.

Sugar consumption is at an all-time high. The average American consumes at least 17 teaspoons of sugar a day, when the recommended amount is ideally less than 6 teaspoons for women and 9 teaspoons for men.

If you’re following a standard American diet, chances are that you’ll find sugar in nearly everything you eat. Sugar is sneaky, making its way into even savory foods–you likely have no idea how much you’re actually consuming.

Food manufacturers use different names for sugar to help hide them in food labels. This is particularly true of processed foods, which often make up the majority of some Americans’ diets. Roughly 39% of Americans are obese, and there’s evidence that sugar is a major culprit.

When you consume sugar, whether natural or refined, your body has to go through a variety of metabolic processes. First, your blood sugar levels raise. Your pancreas gets the signal to produce insulin, whose job it is to send the sugar to your cells for use or to be stored as fat.

The issue with sugar and weight management primarily comes when we consume more sugar than needed for cellular function. Insulin will move the excess sugar to be stored as fat for a rainy day (or, at least one when there’s no food available!)

In addition, the constant stress of insulin secretion in response to blood sugar swings from simple sugars plays a key factor in the body’s ability to maintain a healthy weight. When you’re stressed, your body naturally feels unsafe and is more likely to store food as fat in the event that you need glycogen to fuel your muscles (if you’re running from a tiger) or if a famine is on the horizon (if there’s not enough food to sustain health).

The dramatic blood sugar spike and drop from consuming sugar can trigger your body’s stress response, which includes an inflammatory response. If your blood sugar is constantly spiking and crashing, you’re experiencing inflammation each time.

Living in a constant state of inflammation can cause a multitude of issues like autoimmune diseases, Type 2 diabetes, and mood disorders. A low diet low in sugars and therefore lower in inflammation is the best PCOS diet and is also good for keeping hormones in balance.

Most of us try very hard to steer clear of harmful addictive drugs. We know they’re bad for us and that they hijack the body to make us crave them. But if you’re not considering sugar to be one of these addictive drugs–think again!

Sugar and sweeteners have a hyperpalatable taste that trigger your brain’s reward center, eventually rewiring your brain to seek out these substances to continue reaping the dopamine rush. So, make no mistake, sugar can be highly addictive. If you think you are addicted to sugar, then you should read my article about how to beat sugar addiction.

You should also check out my full list of sugar-free diet benefits.

If you’re concerned about what you can eat on a no-sugar diet, then rest assured that there are tons of choices. In fact, if you decided to avoid processed foods and just ate whole foods, then you would naturally be close to an anti-inflammatory diet that is very low in added sugars.

A sugar-free diet doesn’t have to be limited or leave you hungry and unsatisfied. I’ll share some delicious and nourishing breakfast, lunch and dinner ideas below that are all made without any added sugars.

You can also check out my clean eating food list for a list of foods that I consider to be part of a real food approach. You might also like my post about how to eat clean without starving yourself.

Also, if you’re going sugar-free, you might want to check out my tips for going sugar-free without going crazy.

If you’re going sugar-free, a savory breakfast will be your friend! You’ll help reduce sugar cravings by signaling to your brain first thing that sugar is not available.

But, don’t be afraid of adding fruit to your breakfast either. Fruit in moderation is healthy for almost everyone and does not include added sugars. Fruit in its whole form (as opposed to fruit juice) contains antioxidants, fiber, and natural sugars.

When planning your breakfast, shoot for at least 25 grams of protein to help keep blood sugar stable and reduce hunger the rest of the day.

If you need some sweetness for your coffee, then check out my article with the best sugar substitutes. It’s probably best to avoid artificial sweeteners whenever possible.

No sugar breakfast ideas include:

• Egg muffins made with hams, sausage or bacon
• Green smoothie made with collagen protein and berries
• Leftovers from dinner the day before
• Chia pudding sweetened with fresh berries

While you should probably skip fruit juice and breakfast cereals with breakfast, you can certainly fill up on other healthy foods.

It’s also a good idea to avoid sugar-laden coffee drinks found at most coffee shops. Instead, stick with black coffee or tea. Use just a tiny bit of sugar or a natural sugar substitute if you want to sweeten your coffee.

Lunch is a good time to get some antioxidants from fruit, starchy veggies, or greens, plus protein and fat.

By balancing your meals with macronutrients (fats, carbs, and protein), any natural sugars or carbohydrates you consume at lunch will be used as energy throughout your afternoon rather than stored as fat.

Make your own homemade salad dressings to avoid added sugar, and make sure you read the labels and ingredients list on any packaged foods.

No sugar lunch ideas include:

• Power bowl with whole grains, legume, baked fish or roast chicken, and avocado
• Salad topped with a hamburger patty or sliced sausage and tons of raw shredded veggies
• Hot soup with veggies, lean protein, beans, and a dollop of coconut yogurt (check out my low-carb Instant Pot Vegetable Beef Stew)

If you went without sugar all day, feel free to pair your dinner with a piece of fruit or a healthy baked treat for dessert. Some people also enjoy a piece of dark chocolate as a healthy after-dinner treat.

No sugar dinner ideas include:

• Hearty stew made with veggies, a grass-fed roast, and red potatoes (check out my Slow Cooker Pot Roast)
• Beans and rice bowl topped with guacamole
• Roast chicken served with roasted butternut squash and steamed spinach (or something like my Crockpot Chicken Thighs with Green Chiles)
• Instant Pot Beef Chili with Sweet Potatoes

This No Sugar Diet Meal Plan is meant to serve as an example of what it’s like to eat for seven days with no added sugars.

So, while you might be giving up added sugars like honey, cane sugar, and maple syrup, you can still get added sweetness from natural sugars in fruit and sweet potatoes.

I think you’ll find that after the first week of going sugar-free, it will get much easier to avoid the sweet stuff and choose foods higher in nutritional value. A low-sugar diet will also help with consistent energy levels and reduce your chance of heart disease and insulin resistance.

Of course, always consult with your health care provider before making any changes to your diet.

Monday

• Breakfast Strawberry Zucchini Smoothie
• Lunch Easy Clean Eating Chicken Salad served on greens or cooked quinoa
• Dinner Lentil Salad with Wild Rice (serve with avocado for a healthy fat source) or Instant Pot Pork Chops and Rice

Tuesday

• Breakfast Whole30 Vanilla Chia Pudding
• Lunch Erewhon Kale Salad served with grilled salmon or your choice of lean protein
• Dinner Instant Pot Easy Chicken & Sweet Potato Dinner

Wednesday

• Breakfast Chocolate Cherry Smoothie
• Lunch Healthy Chicken Salad served on greens or cooked quinoa (leftovers from Monday)
• Dinner Vegan Lentil Coconut Curry served with rice or Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole

Thursday 

• Breakfast Overnight Protein Oats (leave out the maple syrup or honey, top with sliced banana instead) or any of my Cancer Fighting Smoothies
• Lunch Salmon Salad with Mayo served on top of greens or cooked quinoa, rice, or wild rice (be sure that the relish for the salad is sugar-free)
• Dinner Crockpot Chicken Thighs with Green Chiles served with rice and steamed veggies or Mexican Potatoes

Friday 

• Breakfast Strawberry Beet Smoothie
• Lunch Salmon Salad with Mayo served on top of greens or cooked quinoa, rice, or wild rice (leftovers from Thursday)
• Dinner Instant Pot Thai Curry Chicken Soup (leave out the coconut sugar)

Saturday 

• Breakfast Acai Smoothie with Coconut or Over Medium Eggs with your choice of sides
• Lunch Healthy Tuna Pasta Salad
• Dinner Instant Pot Chicken Curry

Sunday

• Breakfast Cauliflower Smoothie
• Lunch Healthy Tuna Pasta Salad leftovers from Saturday
• Dinner Vegetarian Black Bean Burgers with Sweet Potato Fries

Sugar Free Snacks

• Air Fryer Kale Chips
• Garlic Roasted Chickpeas
• Peanut Butter Chia Pudding
• Keto Deviled Eggs
• Keto Trail Mix
• Sugar Free Pomegranate Popsicles

Other simple snacks with no added sugars include:

• Hard-boiled eggs
• Baby carrots with hummus
• Greek yogurt with berries
• Handful of almonds or other nuts or seeds
• Apple and nut butter (check the label to make sure there are no sugars in the ingredients)
• and leftovers from breakfast, lunch, or dinner

More Resources You Might Like

• Sugar-Free Foods to Stock Your Pantry
• Best Sugar-Free Jerky
• Weight Loss Tips for Women
• Join my 30-Day Sugar Free Challenge. It’s free!
• Multo Kitchen Appliance Review