Reducing sugar intake is an important part of any healthy diet plan. In addition to being a source of empty calories, sugar has no nutritional value and a high-sugar diet leads to food cravings and increases hunger. This is because eating foods high in sugar temporarily raises blood glucose levels. The body then produces extra insulin in response to elevated glucose levels, which in turn causes blood sugar levels to crash. The body interprets this drop in blood glucose as hunger. To improve your chances of losing weight and keeping it off, reduce your sugar intake gradually and engage in regular exercise.
Step 1
Read food labels carefully for hidden sugars. Glucose, sucrose, fructose, dextrose and maltose are all forms of sugar. Syrup, honey, concentrated fruit juice, raw sugar, brown sugar, muscovite, molasses and cane sugar may sound natural and therefore healthier, but these are also types of sugar to avoid if you want to lose weight and improve your health. The closer the sugar is to the beginning of the ingredient list, the more sugar the product contains.
Step 2
Drink unsweetened fruit juices instead of soda or artificially sweetened juices. These should help satisfy your desire for something sweet while reducing your intake of sugar and increasing your intake of important vitamins. Do not replace water with fruit juices, however, as water is still the best thing to drink if you want to lose weight.
Step 3
Buy fresh fruit instead of canned fruit, or choose canned fruit packed in natural juices or water instead of heavy syrups.
Step 4
Reduce the quantity of sugar you add to recipes. In most cases, you can reduce sugar measurements to half of what a recipe calls for, or you can make up the difference by adding in a little fruit juice or applesauce. Although honey has more carbohydrates and calories per serving than granulated sugar, explains MayoClinic.com, it is sweeter and you may therefore be able to exchange a small amount of honey for a larger amount of sugar in recipes.
Step 5
Eat whole-grain crackers, raw vegetables or other healthy foods instead of sugary cakes, cookies and candy. Bananas, grapes and other fruits can be just as satisfying as cookies when you have the desire for something sweet.
Step 6
Have whole-grain cereals with no added sugars for breakfast instead of sugar-coated brands or pancakes soaked in syrup. Jam, marmalade, honey and syrup can add a tremendous amount of sugar to your first meal of the day. Grits and oatmeal are other healthy alternatives to ready-to-eat breakfast cereals, as long as you can refrain from sweetening them with honey or other high-sugar foods.
Tips and Warnings
- Sources of dietary sugar may be surprising. Common foods such as bottled pasta sauces, muffin mixes, barbecue sauces, salad dressings and packaged diet foods typically contain large amounts of sugar per serving.
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