Too much sugar can have adverse effects on your body and your health in general. This can be the prelude to a number of deadly diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, and even kidney disease.
Sugar found in fruits and vegetables is generally healthy and this is the kind that your body needs. However, additional sugar that can be found in processed food is what’s dangerous. To help you, here are ten simple tips that can help you cut sugar from your meals.
1. Read food labels
You might not be familiar with this but sugar has at the very least, 61 different names. You can find these names on the food labels of items you buy at the grocery store. Knowing these names can help you eliminate or lessen sugar in your overall diet.
Here are some of the most common names for sugar found on food labels:
- Muscovado
- Sucanat
- Demerara
- Panela
- Piloncillo
- Turbinado
- Honey
- Rice syrup
- Maple syrup
- Agave syrup
- Cane syrup
It should be noted that anything on the list of ingredients ending with “-ose” is sugar so this should also be avoided. Some of these include sucrose, glucose, dextrose, fructose, and lactose. Even traditionally non-sweet food such as condiments or salad dressings have sugar in them.
2. Opt for whole foods
Refined or processed food most likely contain a lot of additives and other artificial substances. And this is most likely a lot of sugar. You can choose from the following whole foods to augment your meal plan:
- Vegetables
- Fruits
- Fish
- Lean meat
- Tofu
- Whole grains or legumes
- Nuts and seeds
Also, you can include a wee bit of dairy – simple cheeses, plain yogurt, and fresh milk.
3. Plan your meals
If you don’t plan meals, the most likely that would happen is that you would binge-eat when you get hungry. Or you’ll just grab the most convenient snacks lying around. And these snacks just happen to be the least nutritious such as junk food or have an insane amount of sugar like chocolate bars.
4. Use herbs for flavor
Sometimes, our taste buds crave for sugar because there are no other flavors in the food that we’re eating. This can be remedied by adding sweet-tasting herbs and spices to your food so that you won’t feel the urge to add sugar.
5. Healthy and processed don’t go together
If it’s processed, most likely it’s not healthy. The market is filled with supposedly “healthy” snacks that contain a lot of sugar and other additives. For example, granola bars or even protein bars can contain the same amount of sugar that chocolate bars have.
6. Avoid breakfast food laden with sugar
The amount of added sugar is highest in breakfast cereals so you’re better off avoiding that or replacing that altogether in your breakfast food. Also, granola, marketed as healthy cereals, might contain the same amount of sugar as that of usual breakfast cereals. Also, the most common breakfast food – pancakes, waffles, and muffins – contain an insane amount of sugar.
7. Eat more protein and fat
Eating sugar-rich food will just increase your appetite, making you eat more. On the other hand, food rich in protein and fat can reduce your appetite and hunger, making you feel full already. Once you feel full, you’re less likely to crave for the quick hunger fix that foods rich in sugar can provide.
8. Replace with natural sweeteners
In the long run, sugar can be as addictive as alcohol, or even illegal drugs. Addiction to sugar simple means that your tolerance for it gradually increases, making it difficult for you to be sated with just token amounts of it. Also, you’ll most likely suffer from sugar withdrawal if you start decreasing your sugar consumption.
9. Don’t shop when you’re hungry
If you’re shopping while you’re hungry, the tendency is that you’ll buy more food, with most coming from the unhealthy variety. Studies show that shopping while hungry doesn’t just affect the number of groceries you purchased but also the types of food you buy. You’re most likely to opt for high-calorie products if you shopped while hungry.
10. Get enough sleep
If you’re tired or you don’t get enough sleep, you tend to favor high-calorie foods that are often very salty or sweet. Also, if you’re sleep deprived, you’re more likely to consume junk food and sweet drinks, and fewer veggies and fruits.
Take an herbal supplement for blood sugar
It wouldn’t hurt for you to also start taking an herbal food supplement to augment your fight against excess sugar. Taking an herbal food supplement for blood sugar support can help ensure that your blood glucose level stays at the normal level and not overboard or too low. Reducing sugar in your diet doesn’t mean that you eliminate it completely, more so that sugar or carbs serve as the energy fuel of your body.
