5 Ways to Cut Sugar for Weight Loss
By now, you know that one of the number one things you can do for your health is to cut sugar out of your daily routine. Sugar is one of the leading causes of inflammation in the body. Excess sugar consumption is linked to increased risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and some cancers. You’ve already decided to skip the candy, but you may still be eating too much sugar. Here are five starting points to get results.
1. Drink water.
Maybe have a little coffee or tea, but have it without sugar. If you feel it needs a little sweetness, add a tiny bit of organic heavy cream, coconut milk, or a sprinkle of cinnamon. But you don’t need to drink your sugar! Skip soda, juice, flavored vitamin waters, sports drinks, and energy drinks. Even many drinks marketed as health drinks, such as kombucha, contain added sugar. Read your labels and opt for plain water.
2. Skip artificial sweeteners and rebalance your palate.
Artificial sweeteners may not have the same effect on your blood sugar levels as glucose, but they do still trigger sweetness addictions in your brain. It is better for your body and your palate to skip artificial sweeteners and readjust to what real food tastes like without added sugars. It takes between ten and fourteen days to rebalance your palate.
3. Rethink breakfast.
American breakfast food is often loaded with white flour and sugar (both of which affect your glucose levels). Waffles, pancakes, syrup, sweetened yogurts, sweetened cereals, danishes, muffins, and granola are all packed with more sugar than you need in a whole day. When you eat this for breakfast, you will experience a blood sugar spike, and then you will experience the dreaded afternoon blood sugar crash. By two or three in the afternoon you will be desperate for chocolate, coffee, or a nap. Instead, give your body some slow-burning fuel to start the day to ensure a steady supply of energy that will take you through lunch and all the way to dinner. Choose high quality protein, good fats, and complex carbohydrates for your breakfast. You could try plain Greek yogurt with a handful of nuts and berries, eggs with veggies, or chia seed pudding with coconut milk and berries.
4. Watch your fruit intake.
Although you may hear the recommendation to eat more fruits and vegetables, it’s likely that all you need are more vegetables. Although fruit does contain fiber and phytonutrients, it also contains fructose, which is sugar. Try to keep your fruit intake to five or less a day, and choose low-glycemic fruits like berries, granny smith apples, stone fruits, and grapefruit. If you eat one piece of fruit at breakfast, midmorning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, and for dessert after dinner, you have five servings of fruit.
5. Make your own sauce.
Sauces, marinades, and dressings are often unexpected sources of sugar. Ketchup and tomato sauce have added sugar. By learning how to make your own pasta sauces, salad dressings, condiments, and stir-fry sauces, you can control what kind and how much sugar you add.
Let these tips be your starting point as you take this important step in your health journey. There is no denying the pleasure we get from eating sweet things but by rebalancing your palate and making mindful choices, you can enjoy the perfect sweetness of a tree-ripened peach, or a bowl of strawberries, as it was created to be enjoyed.