You probably already know that you should be reducing the amounts of sugar in your diet. Most experts are saying that sugar is posing a significant risk to your health, especially to children and adolescents.
It is incredibly easy to get too much sugar in today’s diet consisting of too many processed foods and sugary drinks. In fact, you could already be trying to avoid it only to find that they sneak it into even the “healthiest” of foods!
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Of course, there are natural sugars found in fruits, but this does not mean that you should avoid fruits too. Although fruits contain sugar, they are also high in antioxidants which neutralize free radicals and keep them from damaging your DNA and cells. Fruits also contain other beneficial components such as fiber, which is important for digestive health.
So, let’s talk about why sugar is so bad for you in the first place.
Why Is Sugar Bad For You?
1. Obesity- Sugar consumption contributes to obesity. There are a number of ways in which this occurs, but simply put, when you eat sugar, the hormone insulin is released into your bloodstream. Insulin is needed to allow your body to store blood sugar in your cells so that the sugar can be used for energy when it is needed. However, when insulin levels are always raised in your bloodstream, the tendency is to gain weight.
Another way that sugar consumption has been found to contribute to obesity is through “leptin resistance.” Leptin is a hormone that is supposed to be secreted when you have had enough to eat. However, when your body develops leptin resistance, it doesn’t recognize when it has had enough to eat and will overeat, leading to increased risk for obesity.
2. Heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, and diabetes- With obesity, comes increased risk of cardiovascular events that involve your heart, its blood vessels, and/or your brain. In addition, your risk of type 2 diabetes increases with obesity. These can all affect how long you live or the quality of your life.
3. Cancer- At this time, there are no studies confirming that high sugar consumption causes cancer. However, other studies have demonstrated that certain cancers such as those of the pancreas, prostate, colon, and rectum seem to be increased with sugar intake.
6 Best Ways To Control Sugar Intake
It’s easy to tell someone to limit their sugar intake. But even the best of us get caught off guard. I don’t know how many times I’ve bought something I thought was healthy (whole grain bread, beet slices, tomato soup, granola, etc.) only to see sugar listed as one of the main ingredients!
Food companies sure know how to trick us! We have to get proactive if we want to take back control of our sugar intake.
Here are some of the best tips for eating less sugar:
1. Avoid sugary desserts. This one is a no-brainer, but I couldn’t skip it. Pies, cakes, pastries, milk chocolate, bars, ice cream, etc. There are easy food swaps for these types of foods, such as dark chocolate, fresh fruit, and Greek yogurt. Of course, it will take some getting used to if you are addicted to desserts. But over time your body won’t crave them anymore.
2. Avoid breakfast cereals. These are notorious for having way too much sugar in them. Buy cereals with less (or no) sugar, or get creative with your breakfast food. There is no reason to stick to the traditional breakfast staples. There’s no rule saying you can’t eat a salad or chicken or vegetables for breakfast. To me, breakfast is simply the first meal of the day, not a small selection of categorized foods.
3. Eat only whole fresh fruits. Like I mentioned earlier, fruit is a tricky thing. We’ve been conditioned to drink fruit juice or sprinkle dried fruits into our salads because it’s easier and more convenient. But fruit juices do not contain the beneficial fiber, and dried fruits have even more added sugar! So always eat your fruit whole and fresh.
4. Eat more protein and fat. Contrary to what mainstream nutrition has led us to believe, fat isn’t as bad as we think it is. It’s definitely not as bad as sugar. Our bodies (especially our brains) need fat to function properly. Protein and fat keep us satiated so we don’t crave dessert or sugary foods nearly as much. After I eat a filling meal with protein and fat, my sweet tooth can be satisfied with just a few bites of dark chocolate.
5. Choose unrefined, whole-grain foods such as brown rice, whole grain bread, and pastas made from lentils, chickpeas, etc. Make sure the fiber content is higher if the carb content is also high. As I mentioned, some companies even put extra sugar in their breads, so one way to guarantee you aren’t eating sugar is to check the labels. Which brings me to the best of these tips…
6. Read food labels! I have an article about reading ingredient labels and I also talk a lot about Bobby Parish and his YouTube channel Flav City where he shows us how to read food labels properly. This is one of the best ways we can take back control of what we are putting into our bodies. The closer an ingredient is to the front of the list, the more there is. If sugar is listed in the first line, it’s definitely not worth buying!
In Conclusion
By taking small steps to living a sugar-free life, you are taking big steps towards good health in the long run. It can be done, and it is so worth it! Break your sugar addiction starting today and you can look forward to a healthier future!
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