Sugar tastes amazing and makes your desserts taste great. But, do you know it has many harmful effects on the body. Addiction to sugar can lead to diseases like Obesity, Cancer, Tooth decay, and Diabetes. So, you need to stop eating sugar in excess amounts.
The natural sugar that is found in fruits has no effects on the body and is considered safe. It’s the added sugar that is present in sweets and processed foods that harm the body. Also, if you add sugar to tea and coffee, then it is about time you change your habit. The harmful effects of sugar can also cause premature aging on the skin.
In the case of sugar, ‘less is enough’. If you are addicted to sugar, it can pose long-term risks to your health. You need to stop eating sugar to stay healthy and active.
How will you do that? If you want to make the right effort, then here are:
17 Simple Ways to Stop Eating Sugar
1. Opt For Natural Sweets
Sweets have natural sugar so swap sweets with fruits in your diet plan. Intake of fruits can readjust the flavor palate and also save on added calories. Desserts don’t provide any kind of nutritional value to the body as they are loaded with only sugar. Fruits are not only loaded with sweetness, but they are also rich in nutrients, fiber, and vitamins for the body.
2. Eat a Balanced Breakfast
Always start your day by eating a breakfast that is healthy and loaded with fiber and protein. Don’t have sugar-rich doughnuts or pastries early in the morning as that’ll do more harm than good. If you have protein-rich foods in the morning, it’ll help to curb your hunger pangs and also keep your blood sugar level in control.
3. Avoid Sauces
If you love to use sauces like tomato ketchup, barbecue, and sweet chili sauce in your meals, then you need to stop. A single serving of ketchup may contain almost 4 gms of sugar, so that’s quite a lot. Most sauces have added sugar, so you need to read the label before you buy a sauce. Swap sauces for natural pesto or yellow mustard paste. Home-made sauces and pastes have no added sugar, so they are safe to consume.
4. Eat Whole-grain Foods
Limit refined grains in your diet plan and stick to whole grains. Whole grains provide a valuable source of fiber and other nutrients to the body. It is always advisable to have whole grains in good quantities in the diet. Whole-grain foods also keep the sugar level down in the body, so replace refined foods with whole-grain foods.
5. Stay Hydrated
Drinking water not only keeps your body hydrated, but it also saves you from consuming unnecessary calories. When people feel hungry, they generally binge on sugary products like chocolates and candy bars. But when you drink water, you’ll be able to subside your hunger pangs. The next time you feel hungry; simply have two glasses of water.
6. Say No to Soda
A can of soda drink surely tastes good, but it provides empty calories to your body. Most soda drinks are loaded with added sugar, so it’s just the taste and nothing more. Soda drinks have added sugar that can harm your body. It also causes weight gain. Even diet soda has some amount of sugar, so refrain from having it.
7. Look Out For Canned Food
Canned food is a useful alternative for you but not good for your health. Most canned foods contain a lot of added sugar that can raise your normal blood sugar level. You need to completely avoid canned foods that have sugar in the ingredient list or are packed in sugar syrup. If you need to use canned veggies and fruits, simply rinse them under water before use.
8. Buy Unsweetened Food Options
There are many unsweetened versions of foods available today, buy those options to stop eating sugar. Replace your normal peanut butter with unsweetened peanut butter. Similarly, replace your milk alternatives with no sugar alternatives. Unsweetened food options cut both calories and sugar from your diet, which is good for the body.
9. Cut Back on Dried Fruits
Dried fruit manufactures often add sugar in dried fruits or canned fruit options to extend the shelf life. Cut back on dried fruit in your diet plan. You also need to cut back on available juice concentrations. Natural is always the best, stick to natural fruit options.
10. Keep a Food Diary
Make a little effort and maintain a food diary or journal. Note down your normal sugar consumption for the day. It’s the best way to cut back on sugar as you’ll have a written record of your consumption. You also have an option to download a calorie tracker app to record your calories for the day. Keep a record of sugar intake through the app.
11. Have Dark Chocolate
If you crave chocolate, choose dark chocolate instead of white chocolate. White chocolate has twice the sugar content that can harm the body. Dark chocolate has more iron and fiber as compared to normal milk chocolate. A piece of dark chocolate will satisfy your chocolate craving without even harming your body.
12. Do Check For Labels
When you buy groceries, check for food labels. Some savory foods like bread also contain sugar. So, look for ingredients on the label before you buy those foods. Most food companies use different names of sugar in the ingredient list. So, if you read maltose, corn syrup, and rice syrup in the list, it’s a form of sugar only. Identify the sugar on the package before purchase.
13. Sleep Well
Do you know sleeping can overcome your sugar addiction? Good sleeping habits have an impact on food cravings. Its believed that inadequate sleeping can cause sugar cravings. So, if you sleep well, you won’t crave more sugar and sweets. Sleep for at least eight hours to cut down on your sugar addiction.
14. Beware of Snack Bars
Snack bars might be healthy, but these bars are also loaded with sugar. Most snack bars have sugar content in them. If you need to have a bar, stick to natural bars without sugar. A low sugar protein bar is also a good option for snacking.
15. Stay Stress-free
Have you heard about ’emotional eating’? Emotional eating is associated with stress, and when in stress, people tend to eat more sugar-rich foods. Most people binge on chocolates when they are stressed, so it is important to stay stress-free to avoid sugar intake. Practice yoga and meditation or follow a hobby to stay stress-free.
16. Make Your Salad Dressing
The salad dressing that you get in stores has added sugar. For cutting down the sugar intake, simply make your salad dressing using olive oil, honey, and lemon. Natural salad dressing is healthy, and there is no sugar count.
17. Chew Fennel Seeds
Fennel seeds help to quell your sugar cravings without affecting your body. Fennel seeds are also good for indigestion and bloating caused by the consumption of heavy foods. Chew some fennel seeds after every meal.
In Brief,
Excess sugar is harmful, and you need to cut back on sugar to stay healthy. Your little effort can help you deal with your sugar addiction. Make small changes in your diet plan to stop eating sugar. Have a balanced diet plan with natural veggies and fruits. Also, find a natural replacement for sugar to avoid the harmful effects of sugar on your body.
