4 Simple Ways To Reduce Your Sugar Intake

Are your jeans a bit tight? Do you find yourself feeling sluggish throughout the day or experiencing intense brain fog? Overindulgence in sugar causes several problems. Harvard Medical emphasizes that excess amounts could lead to heart and health conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes and inflammation. In addition, some people experience weight gain and mood changes.

Sugar tastes good to most people; however, continued excess could be proving hard on the body and mind. The American Heart Association recommends no more than 36 from sugar a day for men and 24 grams for most women. The organization also emphasizes that the ingredient poses little to no value in the daily diet. Therefore, cutting it down is essential for many reasons but could prove hard in today's society. If you're looking to minimize your intake, try one or more of the following methods.

Be Aware of Hidden Sugar on Labels

Your stomach begins to growl, so you pick up a snack to satisfy the craving. But what are you eating? Is it full of sugar? Is it going to encourage your sweet desire, or are you going to find yourself longing for more? You scan the bag or package of that convenient processed food and find it doesn't have the word sugar, and it says sucrose instead. What is sucrose in food? This term is another word for table sugar, listed in its chemical form.

Other terms include fructose, glucose, lactose and dextrose. If you see these, sugar is present. Check the label for the amount of sugar added to the item. 

Track Your Sugar Intake

Many phone and tablet applications track not only calories but nutrient intake. Input your food throughout the day, and it tabulates how much sodium, fat and sugar you have already had. This activity allows you to monitor your choices throughout the day and begin to select things with lower sugar content.

Consider Other Flavor Enhancers

Some people prefer intense flavors over something simple and, perhaps, seemingly bland. For instance, do you dislike plain water? Are you constantly choosing tea, soda or juice instead so that you can experience taste? Think about why you are making these selections. You need to hydrate, but those extra cans of cola or sweet tea are adding in sugar.

Supertasters need flavor, but they could still minimize sugar. Instead, look for low-sugar alternatives that still create taste. Try starting with natural fruits such as berries, lemon or lime. You could even add in mint to amp it up even more.

Do you want to smother your food's in syrup or sauces? Look for more herbs and spices to rev up those dishes. Instead of drowning pancakes in mapley goodness, cut up some strawberries and bananas.

Reevaluate Your Recipes

You can't say farewell to cookies and cake. Eventually, cutting it out ultimately could make you want it more. Instead, consider learning to adjust how you cook to reduce sugar in your everyday recipes. Are you making brownies? Consider adding applesauce instead of oil. Rather than 1/2 cup of sugar, use 1/4 cup. Gradually bring down the numbers, letting your taste buds acclimate.

Then, look at other ingredients to see if you could be buying something a bit more nutritious. Pasta sauce often has quite a bit of sugar added. Browse shelves to try a product that has no added sugar or at least less than your current favorite. These small decisions add up throughout the day.

To get your sugar intake under control, you should be mindful of how foods are made and how much you eat. Begin by knowing what forms sugar looks like on labels, examining which selections are out of your consumption range. Track your daily intake with an online application and modify how you cook at home. Finally, if you're tempted, eat a cookie, don't keep yourself from it completely. Enjoy it. Just try not to eat an entire tray.