Did you know that sugar was considered a spice in 12th century England instead of a sweetener? Nowadays, sugar is a sweetener in more foods than you think, from your favorite chocolate cookies to spaghetti sauce.
Sugar feels unavoidable because it’s in so many foods, and if you want to cut back for weight or health reasons, it can handle not easy. Keep reading, and we will guide you through seven tips and tricks to cutting down on sugar.
1. Less Sugary Drinks
Did you know that a single can of Coke has 39 grams of sugar? In a typical American’s diet, about 24% of added sugar intake comes from drinks.
When it comes to looking at how to reduce sugar in your diet, you will want to take a careful look and what you’re drinking. Drinking more water might seem obvious, but it can help fill you up and curb your cravings.
If you have health issues, such as diabetes, you can try chocolate meal replacement shakes. Check out the best diabetic meal replacement shakes.
2. Eat Fresh
When you’re starting to think about how to cut out sugar, you would be surprised at the amount of sugar in everything you buy from the grocery store. This is especially true with processed foods.
You want to eat fresh and choose sweeteners closest to their natural form. For example, have an apple with honey or peanut butter instead of a bag of pretzels or chips.
3. Try To Cook More Meals At Home
Eating food that doesn’t come from a box or bag that you cook at home is the best tip for eating less sugar. You can find simple, fresh meals or a healthy meal service that will send you the ingredients and recipe.
4. Healthy Snacks Throughout The Day
When you are super hungry, you tend to crave things that aren’t healthy for you, like that bag of chips and dip or a box of cookies. If you eat five small meals or three hearty meals with a snack, you will fill your body up and crave less sugar.
5. Try Dates or Dark Chocolate
Dates are high in natural sugar but also fiber. You can use it as a base for making desserts.
Unsweetened dark chocolate is another great dessert alternative. If you’re thinking, “How much sugar should I eat?” the American Heart Association recommends women have 24 grams of sugar a day and men 39 grams, you can still incorporate some sweet treats into your day.
6. Be More Aware Of Labels
When you’re grocery shopping, start checking the ingredients labels. You will see more sugar than you think in boxed items, and you can find replacement items with less sugar.
7. Watch Out For Sneaky Sugars
Spaghetti sauce and hummus are two examples of products with added sugar to help with shelf life. Make sure you are getting the fresh versions of these unsuspecting foods.
Start Cutting Down On Sugar
Now that you know the seven tips and tricks for cutting down on sugar, you’re ready to reassess your diet.
Whether you want to cut out sugar for weight or health reasons, you can do it by checking labels and being more aware of what you’re eating and drinking, snacking and cooking more, and eating fresh.
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