The NSNG Diet is one of those diet trends that have gained popularity online in the past year. NSNG stands for “No Sugar No Grains”, so it’s pretty clear what this diet is all about. It restricts the consumption of sugar and grains, so it’s somewhat similar to low carb diets like keto.
Related reading: No Added Sugar Diet for Immense Health Benefits
In this article, we’ll take a closer look at the NSNG Diet to understand its benefits and find out how it is similar to the keto diet.
What is NSNG?
As the name suggests, the NSNG Diet requires eliminating processed sugars and all grains from your diet. It was established by Vinnie Tortorich, a fitness trainer who trained Hollywood actors, helping them prepare their bodies for movies.
Related reading: No Added Sugar Diet For Immense Health Benefits
A champion athlete with a degree of physical education, Tortorich spent several years developing healthy lifestyles for his clients. He believes that sugars and grains should not have a place in any healthy diet plan. He referred to the NSNG diet as the “carnivorous vegan” way of dieting. According to Tortorich,
“With the NSNG Diet, you have lots and lots of healthy vegetables and meat in your diet. For vegans or vegetarians, however, the concept is the same, but they just don’t have meat in their diet.”
When he tried cutting out all carbs, sugars, and grains from his diet, he noticed an increase in his energy levels. He also feels more athletic than before, and his body is less inflamed even after working out longer. Tortorich realized that cutting out sugar and grains is a great lifestyle choice, helping him to lose weight and achieve his fitness goals.
The entire focus of the NSNG diet is to cut all forms of sugar and processed grains, which means you should not eat rice, bread, pasta, ice cream, etc. It eliminates everything your body cannot process well, giving your body only the necessary nutrients. The main focus is to eat healthy and fulfilling foods high in healthy fats and vital nutrients.
Related reading: No Carb Diet: Is it Good for You?
Why We Should Avoid Sugar and Grains?
The Standard American Diet is full of carbs and grains. It’s also high in sugar, toxins, and excess insoluble fiber. xxx
Diets high in carbs and added sugars can lead to the following:
- Promote chronic inflammation – inflammatory diseases are among the leading causes of death, and high sugar intake can contribute to chronic inflammation.
- Imbalance your gut microbiome – eating a high amount of carbs can lead to a “leaky gut”, a condition more correctly called “increased intestinal permeability.”
- Increases risk of type 2 diabetes and heart diseases.
- Promote cellular and tissue aging.
- Increases the level of stress hormones and depletes minerals and antioxidants.
Is the NSNG Diet a Keto Diet?
The NSNG diet is very similar to the keto diet since it eliminates carbs and encourages the consumption of fats. However, it does not require you to follow specific macronutrient ratios. It will only require you to cut added sugars and grains but does not specify how much you need to cut.
Related reading: Low Carb Diet Versus Keto
In addition, the keto diet’s goal is to put your body in the state of ketosis by eating less than 25 grams of net carbs per day. At this state, your body will start burning fats for fuel. But with the NSNG diet, there is no guarantee that you will reach ketosis, especially since it does not require you to keep track of your macros.
However, some people who avoid sugar and grains could end up boosting their fat intake, which may put their bodies into ketosis without even realizing it.
While the NSNG and keto diets are similar in many ways, the NSNG is not necessarily a keto diet.\
Related reading: 5 Amazing Health Benefits of a Keto Diet
Should You Switch to the NSNG Diet?
While the No Sugar, No Grains Diet is a healthy diet that may help you lose some weight, the diet lacks further guidelines that could prevent people from getting the most out of their dietary intake.
Related reading: Does Low Carb Dieting Result In Successful Weight Loss?
It’s a good diet to try if you want to lose weight. But before you decide to switch to the NSNG diet, there are some issues about the diet that is worth highlighting:
- The diet encourages the consumption of fruits and veggies. However, some vegetables and fruits are high in carbs. While they may have nutrients in them, consuming them in excess could put you at risk of chronic diseases, which defeats the purpose of the diet.
- It did not take into account the anti-nutrients and plant toxins. Cutting out grains can eliminate natural plant toxins such as lectins, phytates, and gluten.However, the NSNG diet allows an unlimited amount of fruits, veggies, and legumes, which could still expose you to plant toxins that could damage your organs and intestines and cause inflammation.
- When eliminating carbs and grains from your diet, you have to increase your fat consumption because that’s where you will get your energy from. However, some people could be overwhelmed by boosting their fat intake with unhealthy and fatty meats, such as bacon and steaks.These foods are high in saturated fats, which could depending on your genets raise cholesterol levels, increasing your risk of coronary heart disease. If you focus on eating lots of fruits and vegetables on the NSNG diet, you’ll end up with an excessively high amount of fiber. Although fiber is good, too much of it can be irritating to the gut for some.Related reading: How a Low Carb High Fat Diet Affects your Cholesterol
It can also cause gut issues like constipation, IBS, and bloating. Fiber can also act as an anti-nutrient by blocking the body’s absorption of essential minerals.
Final Thoughts
The NSNG diet is a healthy eating plan that requires you to cut out carbs coming from added sugar and grains. It eliminates foods that often contribute to excess weight gain, heart disease, and chronic inflammation. Instead, it encourages the consumption of meats, fruits, and veggies.
While it has a similar approach to keto, it cannot be considered a keto diet since its goal is not to put you into ketosis. But, if you’re looking to improve your health and well-being, the NSNG diet may be a great diet to try. Just try to also minimize your consumption of high-carb fruits and veggies.
