Around the world, over 400 million people live with diabetes. While getting diagnosed with diabetes does not mean that a person likes to eat a lot of sugary items, the problem does start with sugar. Taking too much sugar can also contribute to cancer, heart disease and tooth decay. One of the worst habits that you can have is to enjoy sugar, as it can bring on so many complications to your health. It becomes a problem when there is no control over how much sugar your body is taking. If you have realised that you enjoy a bit too much sugar on a daily basis, here are ways on how you can cut back. If it is difficult for you to stop at once, you can cut back little by little. However, the sooner you do it, the healthier your body will be.
Avoid sugary drinks
Drinks that are not natural and contain too much sugar become a problem for your body if you consume too much of it. Fruit drinks, energy drinks and sodas are generally bad to be consumed for far too long. Even though energy drinks are supposed to give you more energy and make you stronger, it can make you crave for even more sugar and can also make you tired if taking over a long period of time. If you enjoy drinking these types of sugary drinks, you have to either slowly cut down or replace it completely with water. By gradually cutting down on sugary drinks, you can also lose weight and get healthier. Be careful not to consume too much fruit juice either – even the fresh ones. They may be ‘healthier’ than soft drinks but even fresh juice contains fructose (a type of sugar) and it would be more beneficial to eat the fruit itself rather than drink the juice, which has been stripped of the fibre.
Don’t enjoy too many desserts
These days, there are desserts that are being made with no sugar. If you enjoy desserts, you can now switch to healthier desserts. Desserts, such as ice cream, cookies, doughnuts, pies and cakes, are not healthy for your body. It might be a while before you are used to the way they taste, but once you do it will be better for your health. If you would like an alternative, you can try fresh fruits or yoghurt (preferably sweetened with fruit). That said, feel free to indulge once in a while. The keyword is moderation.
Reduce tasty food condiments
Some food condiments are really tasty when added to a meal, but tasty doesn’t always mean that it is healthy for your body. Ketchup, chilli sauces and barbecue sauce consist of a lot of sugar as part of its ingredients. If you enjoy having these food condiments in your meal, you can either cut down or switch to brands that have less sugar (read your labels carefully!). If you really like to have strong flavours in your food, then you can opt for fresh or dried herbs or even yellow mustard, which is known to contain no sugar or calories. Vinegar is perfect for salads and other food items and it is considered quite healthy as it does not contain sugar and calories. There are brands that contain either no sugar or a very low level of sugar as part of its ingredients. It is always better to go for the healthier option when you have a choice.
Go for full-fat
Losing weight has become such an obsession now for everyone, regardless of their weight, that a lot of focus is given to consuming low-fat food items. What most people don’t know is that low-fat food contains even more sugar and calories than full-fat versions. There are low-fat food items that do not have that much sugar in it, but that is not the same for all food items. If you are going for low-fat food to really lose weight, it won’t happen if the food is too high on sugar and calories. It is safer to consume full-fat food, but do remember to check its contents and ingredients to make sure you are consuming the ones with lesser sugar and calories.
Food high on sugar
It is common knowledge that junk food is not good for our body. If you enjoy too much junk food such as burgers, fried chicken, fries and many more, choose to have whole, fresh food instead. Canned foods are not also healthy to be consumed for a long period of time. Foods that are not processed or refined do not include additives or other artificial ingredients. Ultra-processed foods contain more sugar than any other type of food items. By cooking from scratch, you are at a better position to put something healthy in your body. Always check the ingredients and contents of the food that you are purchasing to know beforehand what you are putting your body through. By being consistent in cutting down your sugar habits, your body will feel healthy again. Need inspiration on what to cook? Check out our list of recipes that are both healthy and delicious!
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