Even though we know the health consequences of having too much sugar in our diets, many of us find it hard to give it up. Sugar-proofing our diet is tricky, especially today, with the flood of processed foods. Luckily for us, there are a few easy ways we can cut down on sugar.
- Identify the main culprit in your diet and start there
Think about your diet and identify your main source of sugar intake. Is it sugary snacks? Or does your sugar habit come from sodas and juices? Once you know what you need to cut down on, make a plan to gradually reduce your consumption. Cutting down on your main source will help you notice improvement and encourage you to continue. - Learn sugar’s alternate names
Sugar can be sneaky and hide behind different names, even in seemingly healthy foods. On food labels, look for words including brown sugar, corn syrup, maltose, fructose, dextrose, molasses, agave, brown rice syrup, cane sugar, cane syrup and evaporated cane juice. From the neck down, your body processes all sugars the same way, no matter what it’s called. - Sweeten foods yourself
Instead of adding sugar in your coffee, try to use extracts like almond or vanilla. You can also enhance your food with spices instead of sugar. Try ginger, allspice, cinnamon or nutmeg instead. - Don’t go artificial
You might be tempted to switch to artificial sweeteners when cutting back on sugar. However, these substitutes don’t actually give your body the calories and nutrition your body expects when you eat something sweet, and may be the reason why fake sugars are associated with weight gain. - Try to incorporate protein and healthy fats into meals
Incorporating healthy sources of protein and fats in your meals will help control your blood sugar levels and prevent sugar cravings. Try adding avocado and nuts to your salad for a healthy source of fat. To get more protein, consider adding more lean meats, eggs, fish and beans into your diet.
Cutting down on sugar might not be easy at first, but if you stick with it, you’ll start to notice foods that are too sweet taste unpleasant, and the natural sweetness of fruits and vegetables will be satisfying.