Feel & Look Your Best with a No Grains, No Sugar Diet

If you eat a lot of refined carbs (a huge part of the standard American diet) you may not realize exactly how bad you feel until you remove them from your diet.

You may think, "If I just don't eat chips or crackers or fast food, I'll be alright."

It's not that simple.

When people talk about "processed" foods, your mind may immediately go to things that have been sealed in a package or in cans, or fried up on a fast food chain griddle. You don't often hear people refer to grains as being processed.

Think about it... you can't go out into a field of wheat and pull a few seeds off the plant and just eat them. Or, if you did, your stomach might not like it. There has to be a process that the grain goes through before you can consume it. The same can be said for pretty much any grain, whether it's wheat, corn or quinoa.

The same also goes for sugar. The sugar you put in your coffee or on your cereal didn't just appear that way. It had to come from sugar cane or sugar beets and be refined and processed.

In short, grains and sugar are two very highly processed foods that often get away with being labeled "all natural" or "heart healthy" or "wholesome."

What about the sugars that are in fruits, vegetables or dairy?

As long as you're getting sugar from these direct sources (note, NOT fruit juices or vegetable juices), it's OK.

But, what if you want to add a little something sweet to your cup of joe? Are artificial sweeteners an option?

Absolutely not.

Your body (and brain) cannot tell the difference between real sugar and artificial sugar. It will still send down the message to activate your leptin, ghrelin and cortisol hormones. You can still "get fat" using artificial sweeteners.

In what other ways does a no grains, no sugar diet benefit your health? And, what are some healthy snacks you can turn to instead of refined, processed food?

Fitness and nutrition expert, Vinnie Tortorich, joins Andrea and Lisa to share more about the no grains, no sugar approach and how it can improve your health.