5 Ways to Cut Sugar


The average American consumes an average of 20 teaspoons of sugar a day. That's almost twice the recommended amount. In an effort to pursue a healthier lifestyle many families are looking for ways to reduce sugar intake. Sugar is found in anything sweet we consume including candy, cookies cakes and also sweet drinks like soda, fruit juices and surprisingly in fairly large amounts too in white breads and rolls.

There are obvious reasons to help kids reduce sugar consumption, the first of which is to avoid tooth decay as your dentist will remind you about frequently. Another very good reason to reduce sugar intake in children is to help them better manage their behavior and moods.

Even for adults, consuming large amounts of sugar causes a burst of energy in our body as the sugars hit the blood stream all at once. Unfortunately, the blast of energy doesn't last and we quickly drop into a crash, often feeling drained and easily irritated.

There are good medical reasons to cut your sugar intake as well. The body responds to sugar by increasing insulin levels. After some time high insulin levels can lead to insulin resistance and that leads to Type 2 Diabetes.

One easy step that you can follow everyday to reduce your sugar intake is to become more aware of where that sugar shows up. Start to read the nutritional label on foods you eat. Just check out the back or side of the package to see how many grams of carbohydrates a product has and its daily percentage per serving. You can also look at the list of ingredients.

Here are five easy ways to cut your sugar intake:

1. Keep away from sweetened breakfast cereals. A serving of plain Cheerios only has one gram of sugar. Compare that to one serving of Frosted Cheerios with fourteen grams of sugar. Exchange your sugary bowl of morning cereal with a yogurt and fruit or a breakfast smoothie sweetened with fresh or frozen berries.

2. Drink less soda. Cut back on sodas and drink water with ice and lemon instead. Soda pop is loaded with sugar. You can choose a diet soda and miss the sugar but some studies have shown that our bodies still respond to the artificial sweeteners.

3. Choose foods without added sugars. Foods like jelly and ice cream are loaded with added sugars but are also available without 'added sugars'. They're still sweet and taste great but do not increase your sugar level as much as their highly sweetened counterparts. Look for 'all fruit' spreads and 'no sugar added' ice cream. Stick to healthy diet that consists of plenty of fresh vegetables and lean meats. Fix a salad with dinner, but pay attention to your salad dressing.

4. Choose whole grains. Simple carbohydrates turn into sugar in your body. Complex carbohydrates take more effort for the body to use up. The more whole grains that you choose -- the better for your body. A good rule of thumb is to opt for brown bread, rice, and pasta whenever possible.

5. Sweeten naturally when possible. It will help you break the sugar habit if you start to turn to naturally sweet alternatives in place of sugar. Use a natural sugar substitute such as stevia instead of sugar in your coffee. Do you know that you can make deliciously sweet lemonade by juicing two plump apples with a half of a lemon? Pour the fresh juice over ice and enjoy without any added sugar at all.

You can sweeten your tea with honey or use applesauce to replace some of the sugar called for in your cake mix. Every little bit helps.



 


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Detox Diet
Information and guide on body detoxification and detox diets.

Healthy Eating on a Budget

Low Calorie Diet

Benefits Of Low Calorie Diet

Is Very Low Calorie Diet The Right Choice

Why Organic Food

Juicing For Health

The Importance of Antioxidants

Green Tea Antioxidants

Choosing Healthier Beverages

5 Ways to Cut Sugar

Acai Berry Cleanse

Acai Berry Detox Health Benefits
Acai Berry contains very powerful antioxidant - Find out how it can benefit you ...

 

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