5 Easy Ways to Reduce Your Sugar Intake

Many believe it is nearly impossible to stay on track with a sugar-free lifestyle. However, there are positive changes you can make in your life so you aren’t consuming too much sugar and putting yourself at risk for type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and other illnesses. Here are five easy ways to reduce your sugar intake:

1. Replace Fizzy Drinks with Sparkling Water

Fizzy drinks are one of the most significant sources of added sugar in the average Brit’s diet. If you drink fizzy drinks such as cola on a regular basis, try replacing it with sparkling water as it will still give you the fizzy feeling without all that sweet stuff. Don’t forget that even ‘diet’ options are invariably full of unhealthy sugar substitutes, so sparkling water is still a better option.

2. Start Your Day with a High-Protein Breakfast

Instead of reaching for the sweet stuff in the morning, load up on protein and healthy fats like eggs, avocado, or nuts. This helps you stay full longer and reduces cravings. It also improves blood sugar regulation and keeps you from feeling hungry before lunchtime.

Also, look for whole grains instead of refined grains when possible. Whole grains contain fibre, which helps slow digestion, so your body absorbs nutrients better rather than sending them away unused as waste products.

Refined grains are stripped of this fibre during processing and can lead to blood sugar spikes unless eaten with other nutrient-rich foods like fruits or vegetables at meals to slow down digestion even further.

3. Try to Exercise First Thing in The Morning

Exercising before breakfast can help keep your sugar levels in check throughout the day, according to the Mayo Clinic. Plus, exercising on an empty stomach burns fat and boosts your metabolism for a couple of hours after you finish working out.

Research suggests that exercise increases levels of a brain chemical called norepinephrine, which suppresses appetite. A study published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism found that even a single bout of moderate-intensity exercise improved insulin sensitivity which helps control blood sugar for up to 24 hours afterwards.

If you’re looking for a way to stay active and healthy, at-home workouts can be a great option.

4. Add More Fruits and Vegetables To Your Diet

Fruits have natural sugars but provide fibre and other healthful nutrients. Vegetables contain fibre, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that help protect against heart disease, cancer, stroke, and other chronic diseases.

Choose fresh fruit over canned fruit in juice or heavy syrup. You can use canned fruit in a recipe, but don’t eat it by itself as a snack or dessert unless it’s low in added sugars (like pineapple chunks).

Eat fresh vegetables instead of canned vegetables packed in sauce or other liquids that contain added sugars and salt. Fresh vegetables are lower in calories and sodium than canned vegetable counterparts.

If you like yoghurt or sour cream on your baked potato, skip the topping that contains added sugars like honey or corn syrup solids (often called “corn sweetener”). Instead, try topping your baked potato with salsa (which has no added sugars), chopped onions, or bell peppers.

5. Read Labels

Read labels of products before you buy them. A single serving of many foods contains a lot more sugar than you might think, especially when they’re not eaten as part of a meal.

For example, one serving of breakfast cereal has 8 grams (g) of sugar; one serving of yoghurt has 15 g; one serving of granola has 10 g, and one serving of soda has 41 g! It’s easy to eat more than one serving at a time without realising it.

Know what foods have sugar so you can make smarter choices when shopping or eating out. The following foods have added sugars: candy, cakes, cookies, pies, sweetened cereals, sugary drinks like fruit juices and sodas, jams and jellies, ketchup and barbecue sauce.

Endnote

Life without sugar isn’t the end of the world, and with knowledge and a commitment to staying away from it, you can definitely find ways to reduce your sugar intake and stay so much healthier.