Are you feeling guilty about that extra slice of cake or a third scoop of ice cream?
If you're like most people, you crave sugar from time to time. You may even feel like you can't live without it.
But did you know that too much sugar can have some pretty nasty side effects?
Although sugar is necessary for our overall health, too much of it can lead to some major problems – like obesity and type II diabetes.
In this article, you discover tactics for cutting sugar from your diet. You’ll also learn tips on how to curb cravings and stay on track. Whether you're looking to improve your health or just want to feel better overall, this is for you.
Remove Extra Sugar
How can we reduce our sugar intake? First, we should take a look into our own kitchen cupboards and try to remove any additional source of sugar. This could be molasses, syrup, or honey. It would be better to not have these in your kitchen than if you were to buy some sort of pastry.
If you use sugar frequently in your daily cooking or baking or often find yourself adding it to drinks like your morning coffee or tea, we recommend trying the following modifications to cut down on your daily sugar intake:
reduce the amount of sugar in your coffee by half
use applesauce instead of sugar when baking
Swap those sugar-loaded sodas out with flavored, carbonated water
drink fresh fruit juices and skip the added sugar juice drinks.
Other Alternatives For Sugar
Another thing you can do is use spices when cooking, like ginger, cinnamon, or nutmeg. You can also use safe artificial sweeteners, like Stevia and monk fruit. But remember to pay attention to serving sizes.
When looking at the list of ingredients in an item you pick at the grocery, a good rule of thumb to follow is this; if you don't know what an ingredient is, or if the list of ingredients is too long, put the item back! You can also help reduce sugar cravings by getting more protein and healthy fats in your diet to help balance your blood sugars.
Get Healthy Fats and Probiotics
There are healthy fats, like wild Alaskan salmon, avocado, nuts, and seeds that can help you burn fat. You should also get plenty of fiber every day, between 25 and 40 grams. Fiber can leave you feeling fuller for longer and also helps with detoxification. Probiotics can help fight candida, which is a kind of yeast that thrives on sugar. The presence of candida can lead to sugar cravings.
There are a few things you can do to improve your health. The most important thing is to read the labels on food packaging and try to stick to whole foods that were grown from the ground that God created.
Curbing Sugar Cravings
What are some tips or tricks to help curb sugar cravings? You can replace an ingredient or something you can incorporate into your routine to help curb those cravings. For example, you can use coconut sugar, and unsweetened apple sauce, especially in baking. You have to deal with your sugar cravings for they can lead to more cravings.
It’s crazy that some animal studies show that animals want more sugar. I understand why animals want more sugar, just like humans do when I experienced it myself. This happens when I'm around my kids. They offer me a gluten-free cookie. I started with a little nibble, and then it left me wanting more.
Six Teaspoons A Day
It is fascinating that some foods that you think are healthy, like granola bars, actually have a lot of sugar in them. Women should only eat about six teaspoons or 25 grams of sugar per day. It can be hard to do that, but over the next week try to pay attention to how much sugar you eat each day.
To check how much sugar you're eating, look at the labels of the food you eat every day. Write down how much sugar is in each thing. After a week or so, you will be able to see where most of your sugar is coming from. You can later make some changes based on that information. It's hard to do, but it's worth it.
Little Yogurt has a lot of sugar. We could reduce the sugar by using plain yogurt and sweetening it with berries. You could also put some cinnamon and flax seeds in it. It doesn't have to be cow's milk. It could be almond milk or coconut milk, same benefit. Little things that you can do to modify that will cut the sugar by quite a bit.
Using Substitutes For Regular Sugar
You can use honey, molasses, and sorghum syrup as substitutes for regular sugar in baking. However, you will need to use less of them because they are still sugar.
For example, instead of using a cup of sugar, you can use three–fourths of honey. If the ingredients call for a one-half cup of honey, you can use a quarter of it.
You can make sorghum cookies and muffins using molasses or sorghum syrup. It is good if these things and other substitutes are present in your pantry or kitchen.
Despite these being substitutes, you still have to reduce the amount in moderation. It is important to consider that people who are having metabolic dysfunction, diabetes, or insulin resistance have to watch the amount of sugar intake.
It is alright if your metabolism is fine, everything is stable, and you have a clean diet, but those substitutes are still a better alternative than regular sugar.
Other Delicious Treats
You can try making protein balls with nut butter and honey. It's a quick and easy way to get some protein for the kids on the go. As long as you are the one cooking them, it's perfectly fine.
Another treat is Lily's chocolate chips. These chips have many ingredients, one of which is a sugar alcohol (Erythritol). This ingredient is okay as long as you are aware of the possible sensitivities some people may have. If you are aware of this, then you can avoid eating these chips.
Ingredients in treats can vary, but the fewer ingredients the better. These healthy on-the-go treats have a little natural sugar. That's okay. It's probably better than what you would get from a vending machine or fast food place on the way to the field.
Keep Track of Your Sugar Intake
I encourage you to pay attention to where you are getting your sugar from and how much sugar is in what you are eating for the next few days. Take this challenge for yourself and your loved ones. You'll be glad you did later when all those cravings disappear.
How can you cut sugar from your diet? You can try doing those tactics and tips presented and discussed above.
But, If you're really struggling, consider seeking out help from a health professional who can create a personalized plan for you. Contact us – we can help!
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DISCLAIMER: The information in this email is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. All content is for general informational purposes only and does not replace a consultation with your own doctor/health professional
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