Sugar Busters is a diet plan that promises weight loss, as a result of removing refined sugar from the dietary plan. I had never heard of this diet before so I was intrigued to understand more about the theory behind it.
The Sugar Busters diet has been created by three doctors from New Orleans, Morrison C. Bethea, MD, Samuel S. Andrews, MD, and Luis A. Balart, MD and they explain how food is broken down in the body, and the insulin-glucagon reaction that occurs as a result of eating too much refined sugar products.
When someone has a meal that is high in refined sugars the sugar which is broken down into glucose molecules and released quickly into the blood. This reaction causes large amounts of insulin to be released from the pancreas to help the glucose to move into individual cells.
Any excess glucose in the blood is first converted to glycogen and then into fat stores. This occurs with sugary foods, breads, and pastas, cookies and cakes. However when someone eats a high protein meal and low sugar meal, then instead of having the high insulin response the other hormone, glucagon is released and creates a fat burning environment instead.
The foods that would promote this response are meats or poultry. The authors suggest this diet is good for diabetes especially because of its ability to help control blood sugar levels.
The diet then focuses on proteins and vegetables, and expects you to avoid sugary food, refined foods, breads, pastas, and fruits. The authors ask the participants to pay attention to portion sizes instead of counting calories.
However portion sizes and calories are usually related so smaller portions will create lower calories. Weight loss is a simple equation, with the number of calories taken in during one day being less than the number of calories burned in a day.
Smaller portions help create that scenario in the body, regardless of the type of food consumed. The average daily meal plan averages about 1,200 calories per day and that would cause most adults to lose weight.
Critics of the Sugar Busters diet are concerned about the high protein amounts that are offered in the diet. Excess protein requires extra work by the kidneys and people that have been diagnosed with diabetes have higher rates of kidney complications than others, so that needs to be monitored if they are on this diet.
Maureen Storey, PhD, associate director of the Center for Food and Nutrition Policy at Georgetown University is concerned about perpetuating the idea that the body can recognize the difference between how sugars that naturally occur in nature, and sugars that are added to products in foods, break down in the body, but it can not. Even very healthy carbohydrates like kale still have sugars that must break down in the body.
It is interesting that as I review many of these popular diets the first three have all basically had the same philosophy of high protein/ low carbohydrates as a way to lose weight. The next time I look into diets I will choose another philosophy to see what benefits or problems they have to offer.
Live Vibrantly,
Dr. Dae
Dr. Dae's website: www.healthydaes.com
Dr. Dae's book: Daelicious! Recipes for Vibrant Living can be purchased @ www.healthydaes.com
Sources:
Daniels, June. "Fad diets: Slim on good nutrition." Nursing 34.12 (2004): 22-23. Print.
Moyad, Mark. "Fad Diets and Obesity - Part III: A Rapid Review of Some of the More Popular Low-Carbohydrate Diets." Urologic Nursing 24.5 (2004): 442-445. Print.
"Sugar Busters Diet Plan Review: Food List, How It Works, and More." WebMD - Better information. Better health.. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2011. http://www.webmd.com/diet/sugar-busters-what-it-is.
Dr. Dae's Bio:
“Dr. Dae" (pronounced Dr. Day) Daemon Jones is a Naturopathic Physician who treats the whole person using safe and effective combinations of traditional and natural methods to produce optimal health and well-being in the lives of her patients.
Reviewed December 16, 2011
by Michele Blacksberg RN
Edited by Jody Smith