I Quit Sugar is often compared to our Paleo brethren, thanks to a few shared principles like eating whole, unprocessed foods and (obviously) cutting out sugar.
But while we share some things, there are also a few core differences we’d like to explain further here.
1. What is Paleo anyway?
The Paleo diet has its roots in what we used to eat in the “Paleolithic” period – 10,000 years ago, before the advent of agriculture, or before we grew grains and farmed animals.
The Paleo diet cuts out sugar, but it also cuts out grains and legumes, and in some cases (there are different “flavours” of the Paleo diet), nuts and dairy.
2. What are the differences between I Quit Sugar and Paleo?
While our 8-Week Program tends to be low-carb oriented, that’s not our main focus. Quitting sugar is. However, when you cut out sugar, it naturally cuts out a lot of refined carbohydrates from your diet.
In fact, our Meal Plans incorporate pasta, quinoa, oats, buckwheat, rice, root vegetables and good quality bread (i.e. carbs!).
The beauty of our Program is that all of our recipes are easily adaptable to be grain-free if needed. It’s just not required like in Paleo.
3. Should you quit carbs when you quit sugar?
We get asked this a lot. Some people report feeling better removing carbohydrates from their diet as well as sugar (to fully eliminate the blood sugar spikes that can keep them on the sugar roller-coaster).
But our recommendation is this… do one thing at a time.
Quit sugar first. Detox, get your insides clean and then see if your body wants to try quitting something else.
Quitting sugar is a big undertaking that will require all of your focus and willpower. Trying to quit other things at the same time could be taxing both mentally and physically.
But once you’ve mastered quitting sugar and you’re keen to keep going, try cutting carbs for 4–6 weeks and see if it suits YOUR body.
Don’t get caught up in what everyone else is doing. Experiment and learn for yourself – it’s the only way to truly know if something works for you.
