Reduce Sugar In Your Diet With These Simple Steps

Sugar is a major contributor to obesity and diabetes. Instead of quitting it suddenly, you must cut it back gradually to avoid withdrawal. The goal isn’t to eliminate it entirely; your body still needs some. The WHO recommends keeping sugar to under 10% of daily energy intake, about 50g or 12 teaspoons.

Meanwhile, cutting back can be tough, but with dedication and an understanding of how food impacts your health, it gets easier. Your body responds to what you consume, so staying mindful can lead to lasting, healthier habits.

It’s clear that sugar moderation is a necessity. However, the real objective is balancing our diet, which improves our health and body.

Now, let’s discuss simple, easy-to-follow steps you can take to make your diet have less and less sugar.

Hydration Is Key For Reducing Sugar In Your Diet

Drink water, lose weight, easy-peasy.

We weren’t kidding about the simple steps, as hydration is one of the easiest ways to reduce sugar from your diet. There are enormous health benefits of staying hydrated. Sugar constantly taps into the dopamine reserves in our brains, which is a chemical that makes us feel happy. It’s why people love consuming lots of sugar-heavy drinks like sodas or sweet snacks like pastries, chocolates, and donuts.

Drinking water is a way to keep that craving in check. The idea is that instead of putting more sugar in our blood, the water we drink will break down the pre-existing high concentration of sugar already there. This will actually balance out the sudden cravings and even reduce the blood sugar levels.

Foods With Natural Sugar Over Added/Refined

Consciously choosing food options with natural sugar will significantly reduce the reliance on added sugar in your daily diet.

If you’re looking to lose weight but your sugar intake in your daily diet is really high, then consider a slight change in your daily meals. Specifically, you should cut out the foods that are high in added or refined sugar content. Checking food labels and reading them thoroughly will help you figure out which processed foods to avoid.

Now, to replace those harmful sugar-rich food options, you should transition to natural sugar.

Opt For Gradual Sugar Reduction In Your Daily Diet

Reduce sugar intake by reducing sugar intake.

It’s not easy to cut down on sugar in your daily diet, especially because it’s in almost everything we consume. But there’s an easy fix. You must engage in self-restraint and satisfy your sugar cravings at a minimum capacity. Instead of taking two spoonfuls of sugar or a couple of sugar cubes in your coffee, take one.

Similarly, if you like having a doughnut every now and then, don’t eat it all in one go, and share it with someone. If you like eating a pack of cookies, reduce it to half at a time, and gradually lower it even further. This is boundary-setting with yourself. It’s a good way to limit and reduce daily sugar consumption without the strain.

You can even take breaks throughout the week and set a designated time where you will treat yourself to something for your patience, kind of like intermittent fasting.

Avoid Condiments And Dips With Sugar In Them

Sauces have a lot of sugar, so reduce their consumption in your daily diet.

Sometimes, you consume more sugar in your daily diet without realizing it. Well, to be more precise, it’s more like we choose to remain oblivious to the indirect sugar sources because they’re so delicious. We’re talking about dips and sauces like ketchup, mayonnaise, and sweet chilli condiments and their variants.

The trouble with these delicious flavorings is that while they seem less in every serving, since their taste is so addictive, people tend to have lots of them. That’s where the danger is, as dipping even healthy food in large quantities of dip can drastically increase the sugar consumed daily.

Reduce Sugar Intake With Mindful Eating

Reduce sugar in your daily diet with mindful eating.

Mindfulness is currently the talk of the town. Just like how mindfulness helps in reducing stress, mindful eating helps us to be conscious so we don’t get carried away with our cravings. You can achieve mindful eating by being more focused when eating.

Incentivize Your Reduced Sugar Intake

Reward yourself for a job well-done.

Start with making a reward chart or a habit tracker. Set a daily goal to reduce sugar consumption in your daily diet (which should obviously be less than your current intake). At the end of the day, when you find yourself staying within the limit, mark it.

When the week ends, you can choose to reward yourself with something that you enjoy.

Sleep Well To Reduce Sugar Cravings

Sleep well, and your sugar cravings will lower considerably.

Many studies have proven a strong link between sleep deprivation and increased sugar cravings. When you are deprived and tired, your brain seeks food that will provide quick energy. Sugar is an easy target because it can provide a ‘quick fix’.

Sleep deprivation also numbs the part of your brain that gives you a cue when you are full, hence you end up eating more than usual.

In conclusion, lots of sugar in your daily diet can lead to various health issues, and reducing it is critical. While the taste of the sugar leaves you feeling euphoric, the sensation is short-lived; it poses several health risks in the long run. Hence, it’s important to work on your sugar cravings at their earliest. Adopting a healthy lifestyle, having a good night’s sleep, and starting your day with a breakfast that includes whole foods is the key to tackling your sugar cravings and ultimately reducing sugar intake in your daily diet.