Delectable diets can be satisfying and free of refined sugar.
Finding a refined sugar free diet can seem complicated, but several popular dietary regimes eliminate refined sugar through a variety of approaches. Knowing the difference between refined and unrefined sugars is the key to finding that diet.
Refined Sugars
Refined sugars are those that are processed, concentrating the amounts of glucose and fructose---the most common of sweet-tasting compounds---and eliminating components that keep them from tasting neutral. Cane sugar is an example: in its raw form, evaporated cane juice (which becomes crystalline) retains its molasses taste, rendering it unsuitable for commercially sweetened foods like soft drinks, cookies, cakes and cereal. Product labels indicate refined sugars with terms like corn syrup, fructose and sugar.
Unrefined Sweeteners
Products without refined sugars use terms such as evaporated cane juice, palm sugar, raw honey, agave nectar, rice syrup, barley malt and stevia---a non-caloric sweetener made from the stevia plant. Processed foods with these sweeteners are not commonly found in grocery stores, but in health food stores and specialty shops.
Refined Sugar Free Diets
Whole or real food diets emphasize foods as they are found in nature. They depend on sweet fruits and unrefined sweeteners for desserts and baked goods. Similar to real food diets, paleo or primal diets eliminate refined sugars by choosing foods that our hunter/gatherer ancestors ate prior to the cultivation of fruits, vegetables and grains. Low carb diets reduce carbohydrates of all kinds, which in turn eliminates most sugars, both refined and unrefined.
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