Easy Ways to Stop Eating Sugar
By Sara Butler
Eating too much sugar is bad for your health. Sugar has been shown to increase your chances of developing chronic disease, such as cancer, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and heart disease -- not to mention how it impacts the health of your teeth! Sugar can be found naturally in many foods, which is why you need to work to limit the extra sugar you get in your diet. Here are a few easy ways to do just that!
Reduce Sugar-Filled Drinks
How much soda do you drink each day? Sodas, sports drinks, fruit drinks, and energy drinks all have added sugar, and some studies say they account for 44 percent of the added sugar in the American diet. Even drinks that claim to be healthy have a lot of added sugar, so it’s important to watch how much sugar you’re drinking. Avoiding these types of things is important to keep you healthy.
Some alternatives to high sugar drinks include:
- Water
- Sparkling water
- Herbal tea
- Fruit tea
- Coffee
Avoiding Desserts
Desserts may be tasty, but they don’t offer much in the way of nutrition. In fact, the sugar contained in a lot of desserts makes your blood sugar rise and then crash, leaving you tired and craving more sugar. If you really want something sweet after dinner, then reach for:
- Fresh fruit
- Baked fruit
- Greek yogurt
- Dark chocolate
- Dates
If you can swap out sugar-laden desserts, then it will help reduce sugar in your diet and add important vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber that your body needs to stay healthy.
Avoid Sauces
When cooking, sauces seem like an innocent way to add flavor to what you’re eating. But they can also be a source of a lot of added sugar in your diet. Ketchup, for example, has as much as one teaspoon of added sugar in a tablespoon. Instead of sauces to enhance the flavor, you can add:
- Herbs and spices
- Yellow mustard
- Vinegar
- Chili peppers
- Pesto
Opt for Full Fat
Many low-fat foods have added sugar, so it might be helpful to go for the full-fat versions of your favorite foods instead to help reduce sugar in your diet. Fat also helps you to feel fuller for longer, so may help to reduce the number of calories you eat each day, which can be helpful for reaching and maintaining a healthy weight.
You can reduce sugar in your diet easily and these tips will help you get off to a great start!
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Aurora, Colo.