Decreasing Sugar Intake

[frazzledmom]

I have been trying to cut down on the amount of sugar in my diet, with little success. What tricks have you found to limit your sugar intake, without feeling too deprived? 

[graumary]

I've been trying to do the same for a while too. I have noticed that if I cut the grains in my diet, I loose a lot of sugar cravings too. (But it's hard at the beginning, since I love bread and pasta.) Anyway, it should help if you fill your storages with a lots of healthy choices before you try to cut out something less healthy. At least it has helped me a lot.

[writerpal]

Try including spices like nutmeg and ginger in your diet. I have read that these spices help in controlling our appetite. The average amount of sugar needed for an adult is six teaspoons per day. So, measure six teaspoons of sugar and keep it in a bowl or small bottle in your kitchen every morning. This will surely help to keep your direct sugar intake in check.

[bluewhale]

Have you heard about Stevia yet? A potent sugar substitute with zero side-effects. Yes, you can now stop sugar for good without ever troubled by sugar cravings.

Stevia is a natural sweetener and is a safe alternative to sugar. FDA has granted GRAS(Generally Recognized as Safe) status to purified form of Stevia in 2008. It has a glycemic index of zero, doesn't feed candida, contains no calories, and is a whole lot sweeter than sugar. You can order a pack of Stevia extract from Amazon. 

So, go ahead and pamper your sweet tooth.

Cheers!

[Kelly302]

The first thing I did when trying to quit sugar was realize that I did not have to eliminate it completely from my diet. Sugar is hard to eliminate completely but very easy to limit. I started taking my coffee black instead of with cream and sugar, this was hard the first few days, but I love it now. Next I bought a bunch of fruit, yes it has sugar, but natural sugar is better for you. If you get a sugar craving, grab an apple or orange. Fruits are loaded with vitamins and help cure the sugar crave!

[JotequeA]

This is a constant battle for me and the reason being is that I'm not just trying to reduce my sugar intake but i'm also looking out for my friends and family. I couldn't help but to think sometimes they think I'm annoying on the subject. Nevertheless, I fight on. I've managed to cut out the carbonated sodas plus reduce the juice intake while screening the juices to verify that they are 100 per cent natural. I've reduced cereals, DEFINITELY increase drinking water, particularly on hot days and just before going to bed. Occasionally, I would drink some Alkaline water, which is a purer form of water that helps the body to regulate the Blood's PH balance. This neutralizes the acid in the body which creates a healthier environment throughout. If people realized the effects of sugar and the increased acidity levels that it burdens the body with they will try their endeavor to avoid this bitter sweet end to their health!

[Bay#123]

Limiting sugar can seem like a challenge but I find the biggest help is eating foods that are minimally processed.  Eating minimally processed food allows for an individual to reduce sugar intake with more natural food as oppose to the large amounts that are found in processed items.  Another strategy is reading food labels and checking the sugar amount in all items.  Sugar is high in sweet processed foods as well as items not expected like spaghetti sauce, T.V. dinners and even foods that claim to be "healthy".

[ElderflowerFizz]

I find it helpful to have healthy sweet foods in the house, preferably things that are quick and easy to eat, for those times when I'm craving something sugary. Bananas are good. I also regularly make homemade granola, sweetened with honey. Sometimes I just have a small bowl of that to satisfy my sweet tooth! I think the main thing is to cut down in small steps though, so it's not all at once. Otherwise it can feel overwhelming and impossible, and you'll be more likely to give up. 

[BigUncleCarl]

Step 1. Grab your salad serving bowl, and fill it with half vegetables, and half fruit. (Starchy vegetables don't count. Like potatoes or corn)

Step 2. Find a way to eat that entire bowl everyday. (Smoothies, make a soup, put it in the crockpot)

Step 3. Once you've cleared that bowl, you can eat whatever you want. That's your incentive.

 

Eventually your body becomes used to eating much more produce and will naturally crave less sugar from less healthy sources. You'll probably stop desiring so many sweets anyway.

Overall, it's easier to focus on what you CAN eat than trying to limit what you can't eat. If you've eaten that much produce in a day, you probably don't have much room for tons of sugar by then anyway. Good luck!

Source is from Eat to Live by Dr. Joel Furhman

[btcguru81]

Healthy substitutions are an excellent way to navigate the pitfalls of a sweet tooth. Fresh fruits like oranges, pears, apples, and bananas will hit that spot almost as good as candy does if you are willing to give it the week or two it takes to adjust. The good news about fructose in fruit is that it comes packaged with a healthy dose of fiber. This slows down the absorption of sugar in your intestines while moving it along faster so more of it passes through. On the other hand, make sure you are not relying on sugar alternatives to quell your sweet tooth. Recent research is suggesting the taste of sweetness in your mouth is all it takes to trigger an insulin response in your body, raising your risk for resistance and playing a sort of metabolic joke on your body. It also keep the unhealthy craving for sweetness alive instead of reeducating you palate to prefer different, healthier snacks between meals.

[Kayla]

On 7/8/2017 at 4:34 PM, btcguru81 said:

Healthy substitutions are an excellent way to navigate the pitfalls of a sweet tooth. Fresh fruits like oranges, pears, apples, and bananas will hit that spot almost as good as candy does if you are willing to give it the week or two it takes to adjust. The good news about fructose in fruit is that it comes packaged with a healthy dose of fiber. This slows down the absorption of sugar in your intestines while moving it along faster so more of it passes through. On the other hand, make sure you are not relying on sugar alternatives to quell your sweet tooth. Recent research is suggesting the taste of sweetness in your mouth is all it takes to trigger an insulin response in your body, raising your risk for resistance and playing a sort of metabolic joke on your body. It also keep the unhealthy craving for sweetness alive instead of reeducating you palate to prefer different, healthier snacks between meals.

I've had good luck with the vegetable fruits like cucumbers, tomatoes and sweet red, orange and yellow peppers. Cucumbers are especially helpful, probably because they contain so much potassium which, in turn, helps balance sodium and release retained fluids, thus making you feel much better within just a few minutes.

"btcguru81" is right about "the taste of sweetness in your mouth is all it takes to trigger an insulin response in your body." Even sugarless chewing gum will induce your pancreas to pump insulin into your bloodstream because it's trying to get your body ready to deal with what it senses is an onslaught of sugar to come. You can prove this to yourself by taking stock of how "low" you're starting feel about 20-30 minutes after chewing it.

Also, low-blood-sugar hunger or "fake" hunger and real hunger are two different things. Real hunger feels dry in your mouth and hollow in your stomach, whereas "fake" hunger feels like you “gotta get a fix" as soon as possible just in order to feel "normal" again. I've even heard it said that an addiction to sugar is harder to "kick" than an addiction to cocaine.