How to Eat Less Sugar - Part2 Altering Your Diet

1 Limit your carbohydrate intake. Some people choose to cut sugary, carbohydrate-rich foods like white rice, bread, pasta, and potatoes out of their diet completely. If that seems too drastic, you can keep them in your diet, but make sure to eat them in moderation. These foods draw you into a cycle of sugar cravings by causing a sudden sugar spike in your system. Your body releases a large amount of insulin to manage the spike, which then causes your blood sugar levels to drop. This, in turn, makes your body crave more sugar, restarting the cycle.

·         The “white” varieties of bread, rice, and pasta are the most dangerous. In place of simple carbohydrates, incorporate complex carbohydrates like sweet potatoes, quinoa, and oats, whole grain bread, brown rice, and whole grain pasta.

2 Cook your own meals. When you eat out, you have only a limited idea what's going into your meals. When you cook for yourself, you have complete control over what goes into your body. Cook natural products like vegetables, fruits, meats, and grains from scratch rather than preparing boxed meals.

·         When you eat out, don't feel uncomfortable making special requests. You can ask for your meat grilled instead of fried and your vegetables steamed instead of sautéed in oils.

·         You can use an online nutrient calculator to make sure the ingredients you use in a given meal provide a balanced diet. A balanced diet is really important. It is generally accepted that you should get the following macronutrient percentages:

o   40% of your calories from protein

o   40% from carbohydrates

o   20% from fat

·         If you actually track your macronutrient intake, you will likely notice that you aren't consuming nearly enough protein, and you are way high on carbohydrates and fat. Apps like My Fitness Pal help you to become aware of what you are putting into your body.

3 Replace refined sugars with natural ones. The sugars in most processed foods are bad for your health, but those found naturally in fruits and in vegetables come packaged with other health benefits. Replace your candy bar with nutrient-packed fruits like bananas and dates. Even when baking, you can replace sugar with fruits! Puree bananas, cooked apples, or cooked butternut squash to sweeten your cakes, ice creams, or smoothies. Many fruits can be baked to make them dessert-like. For example, you can bake an apple and then add cinnamon. And in many packaged cake, cookie, and brownie mixes, you can often substitute apple sauce for some of the ingredients to make it lighter.—Just make sure to check the nutrition label to ensure that the apple sauce has no added sugar.

4 Cut fast food out of your diet. Even savory fast foods that don’t taste particularly sweet are often full of refined sugars. For example, a “grilled” or “charbroiled” chicken breast at a fast food restaurant likely achieves that taste with sugar. Fast food chains try to achieve taste as quickly and cheaply as possible and almost always use sugar as a shortcut for good cooking. Instead, eat at a restaurant that spends a little more time on its food, or just cook your own meals at home.

·         Three out of every four teaspoons of sugar Americans eat is consumed through processed food.

·         Eating out is often inevitable. It will happen from time to time. And, when it does, take the time to look up the menu of the restaurant ahead of time and decide what the healthiest option is. Your body will thank you.

5 Avoid products that list sugar among the first three ingredients. The ingredient list on a nutrition label lists ingredients in descending order based on how much of of each one is found in the product. If you find sugar (or any of its aliases) listed in the first three ingredients, the sugar content is too high. And, if the nutrition information lists more than one type of sugar in the product, you should avoid that food at all costs.

·         Be wary of products claiming to be a "natural" or "organic" substitute for sugar. These sweeteners still have calories, but don't add any nutrients to your diet.

·         "Reduced-sugar" products still have sugar in them, and are best avoided. Whatever product was used to replace the original sugar content will most likely be bad for your health as well.

6 Stop drinking sugary drinks. The average soft drink has nine teaspoons of sugar in it, compared to the World Health Organization recommendation of six teaspoons per day. Diet sodas might not have calories, but they’re still full of artificial sugars that increase the risk for diabetes and obesity.

·         While energy drinks might give you the boost you need to get through the workday, they’re packed with unhealthy sugars.

·         Sugary drinks are such a common pitfall in a modern diet. Some iced teas and sodas have almost half of your recommended daily limit of carbohydrates and sugar. Be conscious of how much sugar you’re drinking!

·         Even healthy, natural juices that have no added sweeteners are packed with naturally occurring fructose. The natural sugars are more healthful, but water is better.

7 Don't skip breakfast, and make sure it's a healthy and moderate feast. Eat a good breakfast of toast or whole grain cereals or oatmeal/porridge to keep you going through the day. These release energy slowly, so you will be less likely to crave sugar. You should also get some fat and protein in your breakfast through animal protein from eggs, bacon, sausage, or similar foods.

·         Avoid sugary cereals an look, instead, for wholesome cereals that brag about having no sugar. Explore the different varieties of porridge you can make, fromamaranth to barley. A few blueberries sprinkled on top makes it super delicious!

8Reduce the amount of sugar in your cooking and baking. Unlike yeast, flour, and fat, reducing sugar won't affect your final product apart from from the taste. Instead of relying on sugar, use various spices to flavor your food—cinnamon and nutmeg, for example.

·         For cakes, add one fresh piece of fruit rather than sugar. Bananas are often a great addition, even when they're overripe and good for little else!

·         For dessert, use fruit's natural sweetness without added sugar. Poached fruit is always delicious, sprinkled with a spice or served with vanilla custard that is sugar-free.

·         Add fresh, unflavored plain yogurt as a topping to a fruit salad. Other delicious choices include a baked apple or frozen berries.

·         Toasted sprout bread or some bagels with slices of fruit or a thin layer of sugar-reduced jam can be a hearty substitute for candy cravings.

9 Replace soda with plain or flavored water. Soda is a leading cause of sugar-related obesity, so it’s very important that you curb your soda habit if you have one. Switching from regular to diet soda affects calorie intake, but might serve to feed your sugar cravings.

·         If regular water isn’t enough to keep you happy, try flavoring it with natural flavors. Squeeze some lemon or orange into you water for a citrus drink. Soak cucumber slices or strawberry slices in a pitcher of water for a refreshing, summery glass. You can also buy a water bottle with an infuser to flavor your water. You just add the fruit to the infuser so it keeps the water and fruit separate.

·         Unsweetened teas might give you some of the stronger flavors you crave.

·         Some people miss the feeling of drinking out of a can, in which case a flavored, sparkling water drink might be a good option for you to help kick a soda habit. These drinks have a wide variety of flavors, from lime to pomegranate, but make sure you choose one that has no added sugar.

10 Eat healthier snacks throughout the day. Sugary snacks have a habit of sneaking into your daily diet in all sorts of seemingly harmless ways: the morning muffin, the afternoon candy bar, or the evening candies. These soon add up, and mindless munching is not good for your health. To keep yourself satisfied throughout the day, eat healthier snacks like carrot and celery sticks, hummus, a few nuts, or an apple. Be careful of dried fruit; it's full of calories and fructose.