Too much sugar can put us all at risk for obesity, diabetes and heart disease. Having sugar in moderation is fine, but many of us donât know when enough is enough.
âThe only things that smell good are fat and sugar. Tofu being boiled doesn’t smell good. Anything that smells good is fattening.â â John Madden
Cutting sugar from your diet can be incredibly beneficial for your health. Pediatric endocrinologist Dr. Robert Lustig says, âWe need to wean ourselves off. We need to de-sweeten our lives. We need to make sugar a treat, not a diet staple.â
Most people tend to have a bit of a sweet tooth and think cutting out soda and candy will suffice. This is a good start, but there are even better tricks to getting sugar out of your diet. Health experts have all kinds of ways to help you eliminate sugar from your diet and give your body a boost. These five tricks will make your diet well-rounded and sugar-free.
Health Experts Reveal 5 Ways To Eliminate Extra Sugar From Your Diet
1. Fresh fruits over dried fruits
Fresh fruits have sugar in them, but theyâre way better for you than fruit juices, or dried fruits. Dried fruits are basically pure sugar. âSince it is dehydrated, the sugar [and the] calories are concentrated in a relatively small amount of food, which means it can be very easy to eat a lot of them without really realizing it. This is the reason why it only takes 1/4 cup to make up a serving,â says registered dietician Andy De Santis.
Apple juice, grape juice, and other juices are also pure sugar. While theyâre delicious, itâs all because of the sugar. If youâre looking to eliminate some of the sugar from your diet, opt for fresh fruit instead of dried fruit or juice. Apples, berries, and grapes are great fresh fruits to add to your diet.
2. Switch to dark chocolate
Dark chocolate isnât everyoneâs cup of tea. Itâs an acquired taste. But, if youâve already acquired a taste for dark chocolate, youâll be able to cut some sugar out of your diet. Milk chocolate is full of sugar, and most people donât realize how much sugar theyâre actually getting. Â Not only does dark chocolate have less sugar, it also has many other health benefits for you.
âVery dark chocolate could crank down your appetite by turning down levels of the hunger hormone,â says author, neurophysiologist, neuroscientist, and nutritionist, Dr. Will Clower. Itâs a little more bitter than milk chocolate, so you may have to become acclimated to the taste. However, if candy is your weak spot, the dark chocolate is a great substitute.
3. Buy âunsweetenedâ food and drink
Thereâs a medley of things that come in both âsweetenedâ and âunsweetenedâ, like almond milk, canned fruits, different nut butters, and apple sauces. The âsweetenedâ versions of these usually come with a whole load of added sugar. Because theyâre not foods we usually associate with sugar, we tend not to notice. But, our bodies sure do. When shopping for these specific foods and drinks, itâs best to go with unsweetened. You can also get âno added sugarâ. Either way, youâll be able to cut a lot of sugar out of your diet by choosing âunsweetened.” And to be honest, you probably wonât even notice the taste difference!
4. Drink tea
If youâre not a tea drinker, it might be time to start, especially if youâre looking to help control your sugar cravings. Eliminating sugar from your diet can be hard, especially when you get those constant cravings. Pouring yourself a cup of tea is a great way to soothe those cravings without cracking open a sugary soda. Chai or cinnamon tea can give you that delicious, sugary flavor without filling you up with sugar. If you need more sweetness, try melting some honey into your tea. Itâs healthy, delicious, and has less sugar than soda or juice.
5. No more âlow fatâ or ânot fatâ foods
When fat gets moved from a type of food, usually so does a lot of the flavor. What food companies do in that case is to focus on adding sugar to give some flavor back into the foods.
âWhen you have fresh foods like fruit and vegetables, they don’t even claim to be low fat because it’s self-evident. It’s the manufactured foods that are the problem. The food industry has worked out that saying a product is ‘very low in fat’ or ‘non-fat’ sells,â says Professor Kerin O’Dea.
If youâre trying to watch your weight, donât get tricked into using low-fat foods. The sugar will do the same thing that the fat would have. So, enjoy the great taste of the full-fat foods and help cut sugar out of your diet at the same time.
Final thoughts
Sugar is tasty, but it isnât the best thing for us. If youâre looking to cut sugar out of your diet and lower your risk of obesity or heart disease, these five easy steps are the right place to start. Everyone knows about cutting out candy and soda, but these tricks will put you ahead of the game. Health experts all agree that these tips will keep you healthy and put you on the path to eliminating sugar from your diet.
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