Why cut back on sugar you ask?
Well here's what I've found the health benefits to be:
- you will feel more satisfied after you eat...ever finish eating a sweet treat or pancake breakfast and find you're still craving more?
- you will start to see a flatter stomach... fructose is converted to fat so less fructose = less fat!
- you will have more energy... no more sugar crash!
- you may find your digestive system isn't acting up so much....sugar can feed bad bacteria in your system (no bueno)
- you'll stop binge eating... sugar is addicting & sometimes you just can't stop
So that leads to reasons why you should monitor sugar intake...excess sugar can:
- be so addicting!! When is the last time you had only one bit of dessert or candy?
- rob your body of essential minerals
- stress you out!
- lower your immune system
- have negative effects on your pancreas
- fire up inflammation (this could cause the digestion problems)
- make you feel crappy & tired
- cause diseases like Diabetes (I've heard success stories of curing themselves of Diabetes once quitting processed sugar and unhealthy treats)
1. Use half a banana instead of a whole
Don't get me wrong, I love bananas, they are one of my favorite fruits! Great for smoothies, baking, and pancakes :) BUT it's been a wake up call to how much sugar they contain. One average size banana is about 15-20% sugar (12-15g of sugar per banana). You don't have to stop eating bananas because they have their benefits like potassium and calcium but if you're going to be eating other sugar containing products throughout the day, be conscious. Just use half in your smoothie or oatmeal instead of a whole one, cutting the sugar intake by half.
2. Monitor the dried fruit & fruit juices
Dried fruit concentrates the nutrients of the fruit but increases the sugar. Plus, it's very rare to find dried fruit without added sugar on top of the sugar already inside the fruit! The suggested amount of fruit to consume every day is about 2 cups but if you replace that with dried fruit you cut that in half to only 1 cup. A big part of eating is with the eyes, this can be deceiving to your brain thinking you're getting less and cause overeating and a BIG sugar overload.
As far as fruit juice goes, even freshly squeezed fruit juice such as apple, can contain the same amount of sugar as a glass of coke, about 10-12 tsps (SHOCKING - YES, I KNOW!). So, you have a few options, dilute half of your fruit juice with water or just drink water, herbal tea, or homemade nut milk instead!
3. Choose your fruits wisely!
If you know your sugar count is already high for the day or you plan on having some dessert after dinner, choose fruits with low sugar content like berries, grapefruit, & pears. Fruits aren't the enemy, don't get me wrong, they have their benefits but are best to have in small portions. Try grabbing some celery or cucumber to snack on, they're both great detoxifying foods to help rid your body of toxins.
4. Swap your flavored yogurt for plain yogurt
Flavored yogurts such as "fruit on the bottom" or "key lime pie" etc. can have anywhere from 12-30g of sugar! Take a moment to read the ingredient lists and nutrition facts before you grab one of these little sugar bombs because many also have a lot of those gibberish "natural" flavors. Instead, try grabbing plain yogurt (with no added sugar) and adding some cinnamon. You can add your own fruit is necessary but little hint, fruit is actually digested best when eaten alone.
5. Leave out the sweetener all together & add those healthy fats
Even some 'natural' sweeteners like honey, maple syrup, and agave can have high fructose content so try adding some warm spices like cinnamon & nutmeg or some naturally sweet tasting add-ons like homemade coconut/almond milk, coconut oil, almond butter or shredded coconut. Adding these healthy fats will also help curb sugar cravings. Plus, the less you sweeten, your taste buds will adjust and you won't always need that extra sweetness. You could also try out superfood powders like maca & lucuma which have a maple, butterscotch flavor that add a delicious touch to baked goods.
Note that all of this information is from personal experience and research. I highly recommend reads like I Quit Sugar by Sarah Wilson & Crazy Sexy Diet by Kris Carr.
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