A spoonful of sugar may help the medicine go down but sugar is not necessarily good for you according to the authors of Sugar Busters! The average American consumes 22 teaspoons of sugar every day and authors H. Leighton Steward, Morrison C. Bethea MD, Samuel S. Andrews MD, and Luis A. Balart MD want to cut that number down significantly because they believe sugar is toxic to your body. They believe sugar stimulates insulin production in your body which then leads to weight gain.

Sugar Busters is a high protein, low carbohydrate diet which focuses on eating foods with a low glycemic index. You won’t have to count calories on this diet program but you will have to be mindful about your portion sizes and the glycemic index value of the foods you eat.

Sugar Busters provides you with 1,200 calories per day split up between your meals and snacks. The main premise of the diet is to eat foods with a low glycemic index value and eliminate high glycemic index foods from your diet. Avoid saturated fats, eat fruit either alone or before your meal, and try not to eat 2 to 3 hours before bedtime.

While following the Sugar Busters diet protocol, you can eat these foods.

• Lean protein such as poultry, eggs, beef, pork, fish, shellfish, Canadian bacon and game meats like venison.
• Whole grains such as brown rice, oatmeal and whole grain flour products.
• Vegetables including spinach, lettuce, cabbage, cucumbers, squash, zucchini, asparagus, broccoli, eggplant, celery, mushrooms, artichokes, brussel sprouts, and onions.
• Legumes like beans, lentils and peas.
• Fruits including apples, pears, kiwis, oranges, tomatoes, grapefruit, melons (but not watermelon), apricots, cherries, raspberries, lemon and lime.
• Low or nonfat dairy products without added sugar.
• Healthy fats from nuts, nut butters, flaxseeds, olive oil and canola oil.

In addition to the above list you can consume dark chocolate, herbs & spices, butter, mayonnaise and other sauces that contain no added sugars, artificial sweeteners, and fruit juices. An occasional glass of red wine is also allowed.

In order to bust the sugars out of your diet you will need to avoid the following foods.

• Refined grains such as pasta, white rice, any products made with white flour  
• Refined sugar, corn syrup, molasses, honey and jams and jellies with added sugar.
• Potatoes and potato-based products 
• High glycemic index fruits and vegetables such as ripe bananas, raisins, pineapple, carrots, and corn 
• Beverages such as beer, sugary sodas, and fruit drinks containing added sugar 
• Baked beans
• Bacon, fried chicken, and most cold cuts

A typical daily menu looks like this:

Breakfast: Grapes with two slices whole-grain toast with two scrambled eggs and bell peppers and coffee or tea.

Snack: Slice of cheese

Lunch: Vegetarian sandwich: whole-wheat pita pocket with avocado, alfalfa sprouts, shaved carrots, cucumbers, other vegetables and diet drink/tea/water

Snack: Apple

Dinner: Grilled salmon with asparagus, brown rice cooked with one can of Swanson’s fat-free, sodium-limited broth and water

Dessert: No-sugar added ice cream

The authors discuss exercise and its benefits, and recommends exercising four times per week for at least 20 minutes.

• A low glycemic index diet can help lower your triglycerides and increase your good HDL cholesterol levels thus reducing your risk for cardiovascular disease. 
• Watching your sugar intake will reduce your risk for developing cavities. 
• You get a 14-day menu plan and recipes to help you get started. 

• There is not enough research demonstrating the glycemic index as an effective means for weight loss. 
• Diet does not cause insulin resistance leading to weight gain, too many calories do and it takes more energy to convert sugar to fat than fat to fat, for storage.
• Any diet that encourages high protein intake can lead to bone loss. Too much protein changes the pH level of your blood making it more acidic. Since your body wants to maintain a healthy balance, it will strip calcium carbonate from your bones to counteract the acidity of your blood leading to bone loss.

The authors state that moderate exercise will not help in weight loss if you are still eating sugary foods. This is only true if you are eating TOO MANY calories than what you are burning off through exercise. Mark Haub, a professor of human nutrition at Kansas State University experimented with a Twinkie diet (loaded with sugar) and lost 27 pounds in 10 weeks! Don’t blame sugar itself; blame the excess calories for weight gain.

Reducing the amount of sugar you consume is beneficial in cutting extra calories but don’t eliminate foods you love that contain sugar, it will only set you up for failure. Instead, eat your sweets in moderation while enjoying your pasta dinners, beers, corn-on-the-cob and baked potatoes.

The American Heart Association recommends that you get no more than 6 teaspoons of sugars a day and that does NOT include sugars found in fruit, vegetables or dairy products. 

If you have a serious sweet tooth and you're desperate to find a way to out of the sugar maze, get your copy of Sugar Busters! today. Click here now for more details.