Sugar is omnipresent, making it difficult to avoid. There are obvious sources like cakes, cookies and candy. Less obvious sources of sugar include yogurt, ketchup, and supplements. All these foods contain what is supposed to be added sugar.
As the name suggests, added sugar is a type of carbohydrate that is added to food or beverages to make them taste sweeter. Added sugar is common in food manufacturing facilities, restaurants, home kitchens, and even at the dinner table.
added sugar Can come from man-made or natural sources, the most common of which are dextrose, syrup, honey, table sugar (sucrose) and sugar derived from fruit or vegetable juices.
The problem is that these sources of sugar provide little or no nutritional value. They contain no protein, no omega-3 fatty acids, no fiber and certainly no vitamins and minerals. However, added sugar provides four calories per gram.
In fact, the average American consumes 270 calories from added sugar each day. By eliminating excess sugar from your diet, you can lose one pound of fat in two weeks. Needless to say, you can reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
Sounds pretty simple, right? Truth is this. But if you need help getting started on the path to sweet success, use the following tips as a guide.
These are the simplest ways to reduce excess sugar from your diet. To give you a goal, American Heart Association Recommends limiting added sugar to less than 6% of your total daily calories.
1. Check labels for added sugars
Your first step should be to assess which foods and beverages are contributing the most sugar to your diet. Never assume that a food is completely nutritious because the label is green or the product name indicates “healthy.”
Let’s look at some of the most popular breakfast cereals as examples. Some of them tout heart-health benefits but they have more added sugar than a plain donut.
Reading the nutrition facts label carefully is the only sure way to know how much sugar is in a serving, so you can either serve yourself a smaller portion or find a better alternative. You may be surprised by how many foods contain added sugar.
Common sources include:
- spices
- Curd
- soda
- candy and chocolate
- baked goods
- fruit juice or fruit punch
- sweet coffee
- Sports drink
2. Eat in small portions
One serving of Oreos There are three cookies, but how many people only eat three cookies at a time? It’s hard to reduce the parts, but it works. Remember, checking the label tells you how much sugar is in a serving size of a particular food.
By eating less than the recommended amount, you automatically reduce your sugar intake.
This also works for unpackaged foods. Even if there aren’t any labels to read, start cutting your usual portions of sugary foods in half. You may not know exactly how many grams of sugar you’re eating, but one less sugar can make a big difference.
3. Dilute your drink
If you can’t cut it Number Try to reduce the concentration of sugar-sweetened beverages you consume daily. The easiest solution is to fill half of an 8-ounce glass with regular juice, lemonade, sweet tea or sports drink and then fill the rest of the glass with pure water.
Unfortunately, diluting with water doesn’t work well with soda. To quench that carbonated craving, choose cola-flavored seltzer water. Some seltzer brands still add sugar, but the amount is much less per serving.
12-ounce can Poppy Classic ColaFor example, it contains about 88% less sugar than the same amount of Coca-Cola.
4. Include more natural sugars
Whether sugar comes from a whole fresh apple or Grandma’s famous apple pie, it breaks down into the same thing in your body: glucose. That being said, incorporating more natural sources of sugar — like a piece of fruit — is beneficial in the long run.
For one, many natural sugar sources provide essential vitamins, minerals, fiber, and sometimes even protein. Both fiber and protein help slow digestion, which means you feel full for longer. Slow digestion also means a continuous release of glucose.
These two things alone help curb intense hunger, so you’re not tempted to eat more calories or more sugar than your body needs.
Comment: There are some exceptions to this rule, such as fruit juice, honey, agave, maple syrup, and coconut sugar. Although these may be natural sources of sugar, they lack dietary fiber which slows digestion. As a result, these foods and beverages are digested quickly, which can cause serious problems. increased blood sugar level.
When choosing natural sugar sources, choose whole fruits, low-fat or fat-free dairy products and starchy vegetables (potatoes, winter squash and peas).
5. Use sweet spices and extracts
The spices and extracts are sugar-free and calorie-free. But what they lack in nutrients, they more than make up for in taste. The best part is that you may already have many sweet spices and extracts in your pantry cabinet.
Take one and add a pinch, dash or a few drops to your coffee, tea, yogurt, oatmeal or favorite baking recipe. A study published in Food Science Journal Found that adding spices to a low-sugar apple crisp recipe makes it just as appealing as the original, full-sugar recipe.
- Spices to try: Cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, allspice, nutmeg, pumpkin spice or ginger.
- Bits to try: Almond, vanilla, maple or lemon.
6. Improve recipes
Unfortunately, the use of sweet spices and extracts only goes so far. Some recipes – especially baked goods – require large amounts of sugar or dairy to achieve the best consistency and texture.
However, there are many ways to reduce sugar without compromising taste or texture.
- Reduce the recommended amount of sugar in a recipe by one-third.
- replace sugar in equal quantity Unsweetened Applesauce In baked goods.
- Use mashed bananas or pumpkin puree to add moisture and sweetness to breads, muffins, cakes and pies.
- Top or fill your sweet treats with unsweetened jams or jellies.
- Bake a batch of cookies with unsweetened dried fruits instead of chocolate chips.
7. Use sugar substitutes
You’ve probably heard of Splenda, Sweet’n Low, and Equal, or at least recognize these colorful packets from your favorite coffee shop. These are non-nutritious sugar substitutes. “Non-nutritive sugar substitutes” is a broad term for man-made and plant-based sweeteners.
Some sugar substitutes are up to 20,000 times sweeter than regular sugar, so you don’t need to use nearly as much. Plus, these products provide little or no calories and won’t spike blood sugar levels.
However, try not to rely solely on sugar substitutes. some research Studies have shown that these sweeteners can alter the gut microbiome, which can lead to poor blood sugar control. Most of these studies have been conducted on animals, meaning the results may not apply directly to humans. better safe than sorry.