Tips to Cut Down on Your Sugar Intake from Today!
Sugar is a substance that is used by almost everyone as a sweetening agent to their foods. Consuming a minimal amount of sugars is not harmful, but large amounts of sugar are proven to be unhealthy and can lead to headaches, low energy levels, and inflammation. Bloating can also be caused by consuming more amounts of sugar. Reducing the quota of sugar in your diet or completely cutting it out can help manage the conditions mentioned and can also help in weight loss for people. Prominently it also acts as a health insurance against possible risks to diabetes. There are different types of added sugars in everyday products. They are listed below:
- Sucrose
- Glucose
- Fructose
- Maltose
- Fruit juice
- Molasses
- Hydrolyzed starch
- Invert sugar
- Corn syrup
Tips To Remove Sugar From Your Diet
Removing sugar from your diet is really tough but it can be done by strictly using the following methods:
1. Cutting Back on Sugary Drinks: Drinks like sodas and energy drinks contain a large number of sugars, which are not healthy for the human body. By reducing the intake of these, the sugar level in the blood can be regulated. It also helps in weight loss for some people. There are many alternatives available for sugary drinks, like water, for example. Water with a slice of cucumber or lemon can be a healthy alternative. It also leaves a fresh feel to the mouth. Tea and coffee are considered to be an alternative, as well.
2. Adding Fruit to Your Diet: Adding more fresh fruit to your diet by substituting it for sugar in breakfast foods like cereals and oatmeals can really make a difference. One can even use dried fruit like raisins, cranberries, and apricots if preferred. Canned fruits that have been canned in syrup are to be avoided, and if using the syrup should be strained, and only the fruits should be used.
Also Read: Food items to reduce blood sugar at home
3. Avoiding Sugar-Rich Breakfast Foods: Breakfast cereals have one of the highest sugar content among all packaged food products. Therefore, switching to more healthy options like oatmeal, Greek yogurt with fresh fruits, boiled eggs, and avocado toasts are advisable. These are so much better compared to pancakes, waffles, muffins, and jams, which are loaded with sugar.
4. Checking For Sugar in Fast Foods: Most fast foods contain insane amounts of sugar, which are bad for everyone. The effective way of avoiding these foods with high sugar content is to read their product labels in order to gain information on the percentage of sugar in it and what type of sugar it contains. This would help to decide whether the product in question should be purchased or if it should be switched with a better alternative.
5. Considering Natural Sweeteners: Reducing sugar may not be as easy as it sounds. For people who have a huge sugar craving, these methods might not work. Natural sweeteners like Stevia, Erythritol, and Xylitol can be used by these people. Natural sweeteners are an alternative to traditional sugar, which makes it a better choice.
Conclusion
Type-2 diabetes is caused by the resistance of insulin due to excessive sugar in the blood and that is the reason why sugar control is important. Cutting out sugar completely is a difficult process but can be made simple by following the alternative methods listed above. In addition to these, getting enough sleep can reduce sugar cravings. Cutting down on table sugar and consuming meals made from scratch containing whole foods also prove to be effective in cutting down sugar from the everyday diet.
Disclaimer: This article is issued in the general public interest and meant for general information purposes only. Readers are advised not to rely on the contents of the article as conclusive in nature and should research further or consult an expert in this regard.