Mastering the Art of Reducing Sugar Intake with 10 Expert Tips
Sugar can be hard to reduce in your diet. It's no secret that sugar is everywhere, and it can be hard to stay away from it. I know this because I was a sugar junkie myself. In this article, I'm gonna share my top tips for reducing your sugar intake. Before we get started, I want to make a couple of points. First, this article is about reducing added sugar, not natural sugar. So, if you want to reduce your sugar intake, it's best to cut back on added sugar in your breakfast, processed food, snacks, and candy. I don't think it's a problem with natural foods since they have lots of vitamins and minerals but added sugar is still a problem. The World Health Organization has a limit of 50 g of added sugar per day, which isn't too much, but it's recommended to stay below that limit. To put it into context, if you had 40 g of soda per day, you wouldn't have much room for any more sugar.
Now if you're looking for maximum health benefits, the recommendation is below 25 g per day. Now that you know the details and the background, let's dive into the tips.
Number 1: Read the labels on all of your processed foods.
So I'm not a big fan of eating processed foods. I try to stick to whole foods, but sometimes you gotta eat processed foods. How can you tell if you're having too much sugar or not? Learn to read the labels. On the ingredient list, all the ingredients that were used to make the food are listed. The first ingredient is typically the one that is used the most and the last ingredient is the one that is used in the least quantity. So look through the ingredient list and try to look for words that signify sugar. Now the problem is sugar has 60 different names! I don't know all of them and I don't expect you to know all of them. The most common word you want to look for is sugar. And syrup - so brown rice syrup..malt syrup. Then you have high fructose corn syrup. So look for the word syrup and also look for words that end with -OSE. one. Glucose, fructose, dextrose. Those are all sugars, so try to avoid foods that have a lot of sugars in them.
Number 2: Eat more whole foods.
Whole foods are foods that are in their natural form. So for example, fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, nuts, seeds, that sort of thing. When you eat whole foods, there are no added sugars. It’s not processed, no one added sugar to it. So if you have a diet that is primarily whole foods you automatically reduce the amount of sugar in your diet.
Number 3: Try not to drink your calories.
One of the easiest ways to have too much sugar is to drink it. Because it doesn't feel like we're getting that much. And it's just very easy to overdo it. So whenever I am drinking something, I am very mindful of the amount of sugar in it. I try to ask for unsweetened beverages whenever I am going to a cafe. If I'm getting an iced tea or an iced coffee, I try to get it unsweetened. And if you're going for bottled beverages, refer to point 1, which was to read the label. So try not to drink all of your calories in the form of sugar.
Number 4: Don’t get carried away with the natural sweeteners.
And I wish someone had told me this. When I transitioned from a high-sugar diet to a low-sugar diet, I went from using white sugar to using things like coconut sugar, and maple syrup. I used honey. I used brown rice syrup. I used all these natural sweeteners and you know what? I replaced my white sugar addiction with a natural sugar addiction. I was still addicted to sugar and I still overdid it. Now I’m not saying you can never have natural sugar. Just bear in mind that is very concentrated and it isn’t as good for your health as having fresh fruit.
Number 5: Eat more protein.
When you don’t eat enough protein with every single meal, your blood sugar tends to be a little bit erratic. So let’s say you have breakfast, it’s a sugary breakfast cereal with a little bit of milk. And you’re out the door at around 8 o’clock. So you’ve had your breakfast around 7:30. By the time 10:30 rolls around you’re probably going to be hungry. That’s because your breakfast didn’t have enough protein and it had too much sugar. So your blood sugar went up and then you had that dip and during that dip, you have that sugar craving. Now if you want to prevent that sugar craving, a good idea is to get enough protein with every single meal. So I recommend at least 15-20 grams of protein as a minimum per meal, so you’re getting your protein throughout the day and you’re stabilizing your blood sugar levels and you’re not going to have those cravings.
Number 6: Eat more fat, this is along the same lines as eating more protein.
So basically when you eat enough fat with all of your meals, you're less likely to have those sugar cravings because your blood sugar levels are stable and you're fuller for longer. So I recommend that you eat fats from whole foods sources, not from things like oil. Because when you have fat from whole food sources, you're getting all of the nutrition. So let me give you an example. Let's say you were to compare avocado oil to avocados. Avocado oil is just pure fat - there is nothing in there fat. But avocados have vitamins such as vitamins B, they have K vitamin, they also have vitamin E and fiber. So when you're getting your fat from avocado, actual avocado, not the oil, you're getting a lot more nutrient bang for your buck. Try to stick to whole food sources whenever possible for your meals. So you can have avocado, nuts, seeds, coconut, that sort of thing. Limit your oils.
Find out how to naturally stop Diabetes with a secret food. Watch the video.
Number 7: Remove temptation.
Now if you have sugary snacks lying in your cupboard, you’re more likely to eat them. It’s because they are right there. You’re not going to have sugary snacks if they are not in your home. So it’s sort of like an out-of-sight, out-of-mind situation. It’s very unlikely that you’re going to get dressed, get in your car, and go to the grocery store when that sugar craving strikes.
Number 8. Keeping some low-sugar snacks around at home.
You can keep freshly cut fruit in your fridge if that helps, but sometimes you want something a little extra. So one simple thing that you could do is freeze grapes. So grapes are naturally very sweet and once you freeze them, they take on a very different texture and they become a little bit more enjoyable. Now frozen grapes are one thing. The second thing I like to do is frozen bananas. You can make frozen banana popsicles. So take a ripe banana, peel it, and put a popsicle stick in it if you have one, you don't have to use a popsicle stick. Put it in the freezer for 24 hours or until it completely hardens. And the next day when you have that sugar craving, you can take that frozen banana, dip it in a little bit of melted dark chocolate, put some shredded coconut on top and you have a frozen banana popsicle. It's got fruit, it's got healthy fat from the coconut and it's got dark chocolate. You can't go wrong with that. Another example is apple nachos. I'm not going to tell you exactly how to make it here as this article will become too long.
Number 9: Don’t use sugar as a way to relieve stress.
Now when I was in engineering, I used to have a lot of sugar. I was very stressed out and sugar was the first thing I reached for as a form of stress relief. Now sugar does lower your stress, however, it’s a short-term solution, it’s not a long-term solution. I have realized over the years that the best way to manage your stress, is not through food, it’s not through sugar, it’s through other avenues. Things like meditation, yoga, going for a walk in the park, having a bubble bath, anything that works for you. Anything that reduces your stress is a good way to do it. One of the things I find helps with stress management is self-care.
Number 10: Never say never.
The problem with having a black-and-white approach to sugar is that it doesn’t work long-term. Life is about finding balance. Now I’m not saying to have sugar in moderation because I don’t think you can have sugar in moderation. It is very difficult to stay in the moderation zone. But having sugar occasionally, when the occasion warrants it is not a problem. Let me give you an example. Let’s say it’s your grandma’s 90th birthday and she’s baked a cake. All by herself for her birthday. Are you gonna say no to that? I don’t think so. Because that’s a special occasion. That’s an occasion that warrants having a piece of cake. You don’t have to have the whole thing - you could share it with somebody. But sometimes it’s okay to have the sugar, so give yourself that allowance. A lot of things in life, nutrition included, are about finding balance, so find that balance that works for you.
If you enjoyed the article and you learned something new, give it a clap because you know how that makes me feel, and don't forget to follow. If you follow, you'll get your weekly dose of the whole happy life. Anyway, I will see you in the next blog post. Bye!
“Note: Some of the links mentioned on this page are affiliate links. That means, when you use those links to buy products, I earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. That way I can run this website for years to come.”
