{"id":11585,"date":"2012-10-11T21:52:17","date_gmt":"2012-10-12T05:52:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/?p=11585"},"modified":"2013-09-20T13:01:49","modified_gmt":"2013-09-20T21:01:49","slug":"7-ways-to-remove-sugar-from-your-diet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/7-ways-to-remove-sugar-from-your-diet\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Ways To Remove Sugar From Your Diet"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Sugar comes in many forms, and has become a huge part of the American and other \u201cWesternized\u201d diets.\u00a0 Consumption of sugar has increased 23{54c12dad2cc2b53ae830e39915b1a3e70288dbcbbeb8bbf8395437c5dc3c512c} in the last 30 years.\u00a0 Not all sugar is bad though.\u00a0 Sugar is naturally found in fruits and dairy products.\u00a0 These are healthy sugars, and should be included as part of a healthy diet.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, sugar is added to many foods, especially processed foods, to make them taste better.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0It is hidden in foods that you wouldn\u2019t even think would contain sugar such as, salad dressing.\u00a0 It is also added to fat-free foods to make them taste better.\u00a0 Added sugars are the ones that we want to remove mostly, if not completely, from our diets.<\/p>\n

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Sugar doesn\u2019t offer any nutritional benefit<\/h2>\n

Consuming excess sugar does not offer any benefit since sugar is very low in nutrients that are good for our bodies; so, it is basically providing empty calories.\u00a0 It would be much better for us to eat a nutrient dense food.\u00a0 Consuming a diet high in excess sugar can significantly decrease the quality of your diet.\u00a0 When the excess sugar is consumed, and is not needed for energy, just like any other extra calories that are eaten, it will turn into fat.\u00a0 Excess sugar can also increase your chances of developing dental cavities by promoting acid production in the mouth.<\/p>\n

So while it is nearly impossible to completely remove sugar from your diet, as it is found naturally in some healthy foods, there are some things that you can do to get rid of the added sugars.<\/strong><\/p>\n

1. When grocery shopping, read the ingredients and nutrition facts of your foods.\u00a0 <\/strong>Since sugar is added to so many foods, you can\u2019t tell which foods are going to contain sugar just by looking at them.\u00a0 You actually need to read the nutrition label and the ingredient list.<\/p>\n

The recommendation is to have no more than 10{54c12dad2cc2b53ae830e39915b1a3e70288dbcbbeb8bbf8395437c5dc3c512c} of your total calorie intake from added sugars, which, based on a 2000 calorie diet, is about 50g\/day.\u00a0 So, when reading the nutrition label, try to stay away from foods that contain a high amount of sugar.\u00a0 Also, read the ingredient list.\u00a0 You want to try to avoid foods where sugar is listed as one of the first few ingredients as the ingredients are listed according to how much of it is in the product.\u00a0 And, sugar may not even be listed as \u2018sugar\u2019.<\/p>\n

Some other more common ingredient names that mean sugar are barley malt, beet sugar, brown sugar, cane sugar, caramel, corn syrup, corn syrup solids, dextrose, fructose, fruit juice, glucose, high fructose corn syrup, honey, maltodextrin, maltose, malt syrup, rice syrup, sucrose, etc.<\/strong><\/p>\n

2. Buy fresh fruits instead of canned fruits.\u00a0 <\/strong>Often, canned fruits are packed in sugary syrups.\u00a0 You may buy the canned fruit thinking that it is a healthy choice because it is fruit.\u00a0 But, if it is packed in heavy syrup, it contains extra added sugars, not to mention, extra calories.\u00a0 If you still want to buy canned fruit, choose the ones that are packed in water, juice, or light syrup.<\/strong><\/p>\n

3. Try to reduce the sugar that you use when you are making food at home.<\/strong>\u00a0 You can do this by looking for recipes that use sugar substitutions.\u00a0 While artificial sweeteners have their own negatives, sometimes, especially if you have a health condition that requires you to cut down on sugar, it can be beneficial to use them instead.\u00a0 Although it is best to avoid making the foods all together, you can search for recipes online that are low in sugar or that use other ingredients, besides sugar, as a sweetener. <\/strong><\/p>\n

4. Try to cut down on the sugar that you add to your food.\u00a0 <\/strong>Do you really need to add 3 packets of sugar to your coffee?\u00a0 And, do you need to put sugar in your cereal?\u00a0 Try at least decreasing, if not completely eliminating, the amount that you add to your food.\u00a0 Eventually you will get used to the taste of food without the sugar, and you will find that you don\u2019t need it.\u00a0 You may even find that you enjoy the food more.<\/strong><\/p>\n

5. Choose to eat foods that are naturally sweet instead.<\/strong>\u00a0 Fruit has natural sugars in it, and makes a great dessert or snack.\u00a0 If you feel that you are craving something sweet, eat a piece of fruit, and wait 15 minutes to see if your craving goes away. <\/strong><\/p>\n

6. Cut down on the amount of sugary beverages you drink.<\/strong>\u00a0 Beverages containing sugar is a major source of the added sugars that are consumed.\u00a0 Sugar is found in many beverages such as soda, fruit juice, some alcoholic beverages, iced tea, etc.\u00a0 An article from The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition <\/em>found that weight gain and obesity is associated with increased consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages.\u00a0 Water and milk are much better options.<\/strong><\/p>\n

7. Don\u2019t buy foods that contain sugar.\u00a0 <\/strong>There are certain foods that are mainly sugar, and are terrible for you.\u00a0 Candies, such as gummy candy, hard candy, suckers, and caramels, are mainly sugar.\u00a0 If this is something that you eat regularly, you may just want to avoid buying it as it doesn\u2019t provide any nutritional value to your diet.<\/p>\n

These are just some of the suggestions on how you can get rid of, or cut down on, the sugar that you consume.\u00a0 Following these suggestions can really make a difference.\u00a0 Reducing the sugar that you consume can really improve the quality of your diet as sugar doesn\u2019t offer any nutritional benefit.\u00a0 It will also decrease or eliminate the negative side effects that sugar provides.<\/p>\n

Author bio (avatar email myln100@yahoo.com):<\/em><\/p>\n

Alex Chris is the chief editor of <\/em>Calorie Secrets<\/em><\/strong><\/a>, a fitness blog providing weight loss tips and advice for a healthier lifestyle. Alex has been writing about nutrition and fitness for more than 6 years and he is constantly in search for a healthier and happier life.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

References:<\/p>\n

Murphy, S., & Johnson, R. (2003). The scientific basis of recent us guidance on sugars intake.\u00a0American Journal of Clinical Nutrition<\/em>,\u00a078<\/em>(4), 827S-833S.<\/p>\n

Malik, V., Schulze, M., & Hu, F. (2006). Intake of sugar-sweetened beverages and weight gain: a systematic review.\u00a0American Journal of Clinical Nutrition<\/em>,84<\/em>(2), 274-288.<\/p>\n

Brown, J. (2005).\u00a0Nutrition now<\/em>. (4 ed., pp. 12-3-12-6). Belmont: Thomson Wadsworth.<\/p>\n

Wardlaw, G., & Hampl, J. (2007).\u00a0Perspectives in nutrition<\/em>. (7 ed., pp. 169-171). McGraw-Hill.<\/p>\n

Photo credit: ‘Sugar<\/a>‘ by Big Stock<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sugar comes in many forms, and has become a huge part of the American and other \u201cWesternized\u201d diets. Consumption of sugar has increased 23{54c12dad2cc2b53ae830e39915b1a3e70288dbcbbeb8bbf8395437c5dc3c512c} in the last 30 years. Not all sugar is bad though. Sugar is naturally found in fruits and dairy products. These are healthy sugars, and should be included as part of a healthy diet. 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