Parmi les différentes méthodes de perte de poids, plusieurs misent sur la réduction des glucides, plus précisément des sucres.
The term “sugar-free” nutritionally means no added sugar or processed sugar and carbohydrates in moderate amounts.
Rest assured, not everything must be removed. On the contrary, it’s very important to provide calories for energy and general well-being, preferably in the form of high-quality proteins and fats.
Discover my tips for following a 1-week sugar-free plan to lose weight, with tasty menus. And the potential benefits of such a diet on the body.
📚 Lire aussi | Une diététicienne a testé les 10 meilleurs programmes minceur
How to build your sugar-free menus
We consume too much sugar
Sugar, especially added sugar, is omnipresent in our modern diet.
According to the WHO (World Health Organization), consumption of added sugar should not exceed 10% of total daily caloric intake (between 25–50 g).
In France, it is estimated to be around 90 g per day.
Choosing the right foods
Quelle que soit la méthode sans sucre que vous choisissez (low carb, cétogène, LCHF, IG bas…), les aliments à privilégier doivent être riches en :
- Fiber: vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, nuts and seeds
- protéines animales : viandes maigres, poissons blancs (et gras 2 fois par semaine), oeufs (catégorie A et Bio)
- Plant proteins: legumes, whole grains, nuts, seeds, soy and derivatives
- Protein powders if you’re an athlete: whey isolate or vegan
- bon gras : avocat, oléagineux, graines et huiles végétales comme l’huile d’olive ou de colza, poissons gras (2 fois par semaine)
And low in sugar. Choose natural foods, fresh or frozen, and unprocessed. Avoid those containing added sugars.
📚 Lire aussi | Les 4 meilleures whey isolate après test d’un diététicien
How to read labels properly
Indeed, sugar can hide under different names:
- Glucose
- Fructose
- Sucrose
- Glucose syrup, glucose-fructose syrup, corn syrup
- Dextrose
- Maltose
If you see them in the ingredient list, distinguish them from the natural sugars in foods. And avoid them.
Also beware of reduced-sugar products, often higher in fat or made with appetite-stimulating sweeteners.
5 to 10 g of carbohydrates per serving is considered reasonable. Beyond that, the product is too sweet and I recommend reserving it as an occasional treat.
Foods to avoid during your sugar-free week
To achieve your sugar-free weight loss goal, here are the ingredients best avoided:
- les boissons sucrées : jus de fruits, sodas et boissons alcoolisées
- Ultra-processed foods savory: pizzas, snack crackers, sauces, ready-to-eat meals, and sweet: breakfast cereals, cookies, viennoiseries, industrial pastries
- Refined sugars: white flour; quick-cook pasta, rice, and semolina; table sugar
🎧 Écouter le podcast | Le Sucre ou la Vie ?
My week of sugar-free menus, healthy and delicious
Monday
- Petit déjeuner : Shaker au lait d’amande avec 1 dose de protéines végétales en poudre, 1 banane et 1 cuillère à soupe de purée d’amande blanche.
- Lunch: Buddha bowl with quinoa, roasted chickpeas, avocado, grilled vegetables (zucchini, bell peppers), and tahini sauce.
- Snack: a handful of nuts and raw vegetable sticks with coconut dip.
- Dîner : brocolis vapeur avec une sauce au citron et tofu grillé, tomates-cerises à croquer.
Tuesday
- Petit-déjeuner : porridge d’avoine avec des graines de lin, des noix et des myrtilles et thé vert sans sucre.
- Déjeuner : wraps de laitue avec crevettes grillées, dés de mangue, légumes sautés à l’huile d’olive et citron vert.
- Snack : apple slices, peanut butter.
- Dîner : soupe de légumes maison et quinoa, épinards et dés de fêta.
Wednesday healthy little pleasures
- Petit-déjeuner : pancakes à la farine de coco, 2 carrés de chocolat noir 75-90%, un yaourt au lait d’amande et un café sans sucre.
- Déjeuner : ratatouille maison avec du riz complet.
- Snack: a handful of hazelnuts and a banana.
- Dinner : a fennel salad with an orange and walnut oil vinaigrette, sweet potato fries and homemade hummus.
Thursday
- Breakfast : mushroom omelette with spinach and sun-dried tomatoes, mint-infused water.
- Lunch : oven-baked white fish with an herb crust, served with roasted cauliflower and green beans.
- Dinner : kale salad with nuts and a mustard dressing, stuffed eggplants with quinoa and vegetables.
Friday
- Petit-déjeuner : pudding de chia à la mangue
- Déjeuner : saumon grillé et flan de petits légumes
- Dinner : zucchini ribbons and cashews in a salad, red lentil curry with peppers
Saturday
- Brunch : avocado toast, banana omelette, unsweetened herbal infusion
- Dîner : pâtes complètes avec sauce tomate maison, champignons, et épinards, parmesan râpé
Sunday
- Weekly meal of your choice
- Snack: recipe for no-added-sugar cookies
Ingredients for 6-8 cookies:
- 50 g of buckwheat flour
- 10 g of hazelnut powder
- 1 banana, mashed with a fork
- 1 pinch of baking soda
- 1 pinch of fleur de sel
- 20 g of unsweetened applesauce
- 30 g of hazelnut purée
- A few 75% dark chocolate chips
- A few hazelnuts
Preparation:
- Mix all the dry ingredients, then add the applesauce, hazelnut purée, and banana purée.
- Formez des petites boules entre vos mains. Décorer de quelques noisettes et pépites de chocolat.
- Bake for 10–12 minutes at 180°C, then let cool for a few minutes before enjoying. They keep for 3–5 days in an airtight container.
The benefits of a low-carbohydrate diet
Rapid weight loss
According to this study, cutting sugar would be more effective for quickly losing weight due to the elimination of excess body water, and over the long term, compared with a low-fat diet.
Improved insulin sensitivity and lipid profile
Fewer carbohydrates means less sugar for the body to process, which allows the insulin to act more effectively, but that’s not all.
This study conducted in obese children demonstrated an improvement in fasting blood glucose, cholesterol and blood pressure after only 10 days.
Greater satiety
Less sugar in your daily diet helps you better regulate appetite hormones: leptin and ghrelin, beneficial for more stable emotional hunger.
Increased energy
In the long term, you condition the body to draw on fat stores to provide energy and thus improve your physical and cognitive performance.
In the Nutrients journal, the ketogenic diet appears to prevent the energy fluctuations often associated with high-carbohydrate diets.
To ease this nutritional transition to sugar-free, I recommend taking good care of your mood by providing enough calories, magnesium and omega-3s.
Sources and scientific studies
Samaha, F. F., Iqbal, N., Seshadri, P., et al. A low-carbohydrate as compared with a low-fat diet in severe obesity – NEJ. of Medicine, 2003
Feinman, R. D., Pogozelski, W. K., Astrup, A., et al. – Dietary carbohydrate restriction as the first approach in diabetes management: Critical review and evidence base – Nutrition, 2015
Lustig, R. , Mulligan, K., Noworolski & Schwarz, J. M. – Isocaloric Fructose Restriction and Metabolic Improvement in Children with Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome – Obesity, 2015
Weigle, D. S., Breen, P. A., Matthys, C. C., et al. – A high-protein diet induces sustained reductions in appetite, ad libitum caloric intake, and body weight despite compensatory changes in diurnal plasma leptin and ghrelin concentrations. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition – 2005
Paoli, A., Rubini, A., Volek, J. S., et al. – Beyond weight loss: A review of the therapeutic uses of very-low-carbohydrate (ketogenic) diets, Nutrients, 2013
