In January, to kick off the year, J.Lo and ex (though at the time still boyfriend) A-Rod launched into a 10-day challenge, wherein they cut out carbs and sugar. Kotb then challenged her fellow Today show hosts, and the diet (apparently) had a lot of people curious. We broke it down for you here. A no-carb diet is pretty strict on its own and is a more extreme form of a low-carb diet that also includes restricting even “healthy” whole grains and some fruits and vegetables. Here’s a breakdown of the foods you should plan to cut out and the ones you’ll become very friendly with when trying a no-carb diet. According to the discussion on the Today show, the list of things you have to avoid on the J.Lo challenge includes cutting out bananas, apples, grapes, oranges, milk, yogurt, and caffeine in addition to the things already restricted by a no-carb diet. It does, however, explicitly allow blackberries, blueberries, and strawberries along with occasional indulgences in sugar-free products like sugar-free Jell-O or protein pancakes with sugar-free syrup. When looked at specifically in regard to J.Lo’s 10-day challenge, the diet also goes hand-in-hand with regular gym sessions. If you truly dedicate your diet to a no-carb scenario, it’s more restrictive than keto, which allows for around 50 grams of total carbohydrates each day. This allows the body to enter natural ketosis, the namesake (and goal) of going keto. The other key component of keto is an emphasis on also eating a high-fat diet, which is not necessarily a component of the no-carb, no-sugar model. However, in limiting carbohydrates, one may inadvertently begin to eat a high-fat diet as well. “If used as a reset and opportunity to get back in the game, then this is great!” Wendie Trubow, M.D., told mbg. “If used as an excuse to load up on carbs and sugar afterward, then that defeats the entire purpose of the removal,” she concluded. It’s important to remember that cutting out carbs and sugar (and caffeine, if you so choose) “cold turkey” may result in some withdrawal symptoms. Common symptoms include headaches and irritability, so be prepared. But you can look forward to the benefits, which makes it worth it (and there are some great tips that can help you better manage quitting). It may even be able to help you curb sugar cravings in the long run or serve as a catalyst for learning some new healthy recipes. If this sounds too extreme for you, we have tons of information and plans for people thinking about the keto diet, from how to do keto if you’re vegan or vegetarian to a list of keto-friendly foods and our beginner’s guide to keto.
