Cutting down on sugar is one of the hardest challenges to stick to when improving our everyday health.
I am, like most people in the UK, a sugar addict.
I have a constant battle where I crave it so much it’s difficult to shake off. In the last four years however, I have managed to really cut down on my sugar intake generally, and have weeks where I don’t feel the need to gorge on sweet foods anymore. So if you’ve fallen victim to a sugar blow-out, or just want to reduce how much sugar you’re eating in your diet, here are my top 5 simple ways to cut down on sugar.
5 Simple Ways To Cut Down On Sugar
1. Eat more fat
Now I don’t mean dive head first into bacon, sausages and butter, but making sure you have a good handful of nuts a day, or a tablespoon of chia seeds in your overnight oats can really help to keep us full and off of the sugar.
Avocados are also a really great way of adding more fat to your eggs in the morning or a lunchtime salad. Now that avocados are out of season, they tend to be more expensive to buy in supermarkets during the Autumn and Winter. However, don’t let this put you off. If I added up all the money I’d spent on last minute snacks I’d have enough to buy an avocado farm!
Another great way to get more fat into your diet, is to drizzle a good quality virgin olive oil over salads and eat more quality oily fish for lunch such as an oven-baked salmon. I never use microwaves so I eat this cold for lunch at work – it’s really not as bad as it sounds!
2. Eat a rainbow diet
Did you know that sugar is in a lot of savoury foods? Yes really! Bread, pastries and even sausage rolls can contain excess amounts of sugar. An easy way to ensure you’re eating a nutrient-dense diet, is to make sure you’re eating a colourful, rainbow of foods at each meal. There are so many different possibilities to throw some extra vegetables on the side of your plate at dinner, add in a handful of spinach, mushrooms and tomatoes to your eggs at breakfast, or snack on raw carrot, celery, pepper sticks and cucumber.
Eating a rainbow diet and ensuring your getting a wide range of nutrients, will help you curb your sugar cravings and stop reaching for the beige foods.
3. Drink more water
A few years ago, I’d be lucky if I had one glass of water in an entire day. Now, I drink near on 3 litres of plain water every single day, and I absolutely love it! There’s nothing worse than constantly feeling parched, with banging headaches and a dry mouth. Everything about dehydration makes us feel awful, and if something as simple as a drinking water throughout the day can help then I’m all for it.
The bonus with drinking more water too, is that most of the time we think we’re hungry, we’re actually dehydrated. Ensuring that we keep sipping on water throughout the day, can help cut down on sugar and curb those cravings.
4. Drink herbal teas
Have you ever eaten your dinner and then half an hour later think you could demolish something sweet? Say hello to one of your life-savers: herbal teas. Herbal teas are a fantastic way to satisfy your sweet tooth, while also aiding your health goals. Some of my favourites over the years have been Clipper and Pukka teas. Both provide plastic-free tea bags, and contain natural ingredients.
Quick tip: Don’t be fooled by some of the infusion teas, as these tend to contain sweeteners which won’t always help you curb your cravings.
5. Visualise the amount of sugar in a product
Last but not least, and probably THE most effective way to curb your sugar cravings, is to actually visualise the percentage of sugar in a product. A can of Coca Cola for example, contains a whopping 35g of sugar! When I first started cutting down on sugar, I found this tip a really helpful way to put me off the sweet stuff.
How do you know how much sugar to visualise?
Check the labels! If you have a can of Coca Cola, the amount of total sugars per 100ml is 10.6g. In a standard size can of 330ml, this means that if you drink the whole can in one go, your body is getting a hit of 35g of sugar. The average teaspoon of sugar is about 4 grams, so having a can of Coca Cola is equivalent to having 8.75 teaspoons of sugar! When I visualised spooning that much into a can, it made me feel so sick. No wonder my stomach always feels awful after drinking it!
Another method is to visualise the percentage if that’s easier. On packaged foods, look under the 100g or 100ml column at the total sugar content. If for example it says 25 grams of sugar per 100ml, 25% of the product is sugar.
While it’s virtually impossible to completely eliminate sugar from our diet, there are ways we can significantly reduce our daily intake. Starting with these 5 simple ways to cut down on sugar will help you make a positive change that will leave you feeling more energised and not fall victim (as much) to the cookie jar.
