How to Reduce Added Sugar in Your Life: Part 2 Whole Food Sources

How to Reduce Added Sugar in Your Life: Part 2 Whole Food Sources

by | Sep 11, 2017 | Health, Home

Welcome to Part 2!  On my last post I described my suggestions for how to begin reducing sugar.  See the full post for details but, to recap: we want to avoid added sources of sugar and ideally try a week without any added sweeteners.   Whether or not you have yet tried a sugar detox, this post might be helpful.  Whole foods are the best and ideal alternative to added-sugar foods that allow us to intake sugar in a balanced manner. 

Before we get into today’s post, I will say it is important to recognize that sugar is a carbohydrate.  Carbohydrates can come from simple sources, like a teaspoon of white table sugar, or a complex source, like an apple.  Complex carbs are the better option and can be found in whole foods.  Typical sources of whole food complex carbs are: fruit, grains, legumes, and vegetables.  Although there are some natural sugars inherent in all complex carbs, we won’t feel the sharp rise and fall in our energy from whole food sugars as much as we would with simple carbohydrates. 

Why do whole food carbohydrates react differently in our bodies than refined or simple carbohydrates?  It all comes down to nutrition.  An apple, for example, has slower-digesting carbs, minuscule amounts of protein and fat, but also fiber which plain sugar on its own simply does not have.  Together, the nutrients found in a whole food, like the apple, help slow the absorption of the natural sugars in our bodies. 

The take away point here is to choose whole foods over straight-up sugar. 

how tor educe sugar part 2

Maybe you tried a sugar detox already but you’re wondering how well you can maintain the no sugar lifestyle.  You might be thinking: okay, I want to reduce my sugar intake but eating an apple is NOT as satisfying as a slice of chocolate chip banana bread.  I hear ya!  We will feel the cravings for sugar most when we do not eat the previously mentioned, whole foods and slow-digesting complex carbohydrates. 

Consequently, the key is to banish those sugar desires is to increase the satiating aspect of food.  More than likely, the nutrient to increase is fat.  Sugar is what contributes to cravings for unhealthier treats and quick carbs but, fat keeps us satiated.  Most importantly, fat isn’t going to make you fat. 🙂  I digress.

Here are some of my favorite ways easy ways to swap out sugar from the food I already make:

  • In homemade salad dressing, simply omit the sweetener.  If desired, chop up a little bit of fruit to accent the salad you are eating.
  • Balance out homemade sauces and dressings by adding a bit more olive oil or acid like lemon juice or apple cider vinegar to add more zing!  This way the sauce will still be super flavorful but you won’t miss even miss the sweetness!
  • Substitute date paste for maple syrup or honey in baked goods.  Minimalist Baker has a great date caramel tutorial and I’ve had success substituting it in muffins, loaves, and other baked goods.
  • Instead of drizzling honey on your banana toast, how about using nut butter or coconut butter + cinnamon?
  • Enhance the sweetness of foods with a pinch of salt.  I love sprinkling pink Himalayan sea salt on top of fruit like peaches or bananas, on salads, and even a dash in my smoothies will enhance the sweetness!

Okay, I’m calling this a wrap now.  Though, I’m thinking of assembling a list of some of my favorite sugar-free ideas and recipes but that’s still TBD.  Is that something y’all would be interested in?  Let me know what you think or what you want to see more of by commenting down below or emailing me.  Thanks for reading! 🙂

Disclaimer: I am not a nutritionist or dietician.  Nor have I ever claimed to be.  I am merely fascinated by health research and have seen positive results from my own reduction in sugar.  I am only sharing this to encourage others to reevaluate their sugar intake but, by all means, do your own research, too!

 

How to Reduce Sugar in Your Life: Part 1 The Why.

How to Reduce Sugar in Your Life: Part 1 The Why.

by | Sep 7, 2017 | Health, Home

I’m not talking about your boyfriend or girlfriend.  That form of sugar can stay 😉  Bad pun?

Right now, I am concerned about the sugar added to food.  A few months back, I was startled to realize how much sugar I had on a daily basis.  It doesn’t even have to be obvious culprits like candy or ice cream.  There is sugar in other places, too.  It requires some investigation and lots of label-reading but, once we have the knowledge of where to spot sugar, we can work to reduce our sugar intake.

 

Let’s start with the basics: any sugar that does not naturally occur in food is considered added sugar.  The same goes for artificial sweeteners.  Real or fake added sugars are most common in processed food.  Processed food is anything pre-made like: store-bought granola, cereals, canned tomato sauce or marinara, portioned fruit cups, applesauce, and snack bars.  As well, “sugar-free” snacks, gums, coffee creamers, or other products are often laden with artificial sweeteners (AKA fake sugar) that we want to stay away from.  Occasional added sugar isn’t bad but the tricky part is determining how often you have that added sugar.  You may likely have added sugar in each meal or snack throughout your day.  See some common names for sneaky sugar here.

So, we’ve established there are lots of places sugar can sneak into our food.  Perhaps, now you just wonder what the big deal is.  Why should we reduce sugar intake?  Well, a diet high in added sugars can contribute to:

Cardiovascular Disease

Hormone imbalance (this is a big reason why I started cycle-syncing!)

Weight gain

Dental cavities and diseases

Blood sugar imbalance that contributes to rapid energy surges and crashes, including inconsistent energy levels

Cognitive issues related to memory, stress, and moods

Of course, this list is a slimmed down version of sugar’s detrimental effects.  Please, do some research.  There is lots of information about sugar coming out every day.  Find your why and that will help you feel more inclined to stick to a goal to reduce sugar.

Also, I want to address the reason we may add sugar to our food in the first place.  In my experience, we add sugar to make food: a) sweeter and b) taste better.  Consequently, everyone’s tastebuds prefers a different level or sweetness.  Nonetheless, we can all train ourselves to be satisfied with less sweet foods.  Personally, my favorite way to do this is through a sugar detox.

I strongly encourage everyone to try challenging themselves with a week of no-added sugars.  The “cold turkey” sugar omission allowed me to pinpoint times in my day when I craved food with sugar.  If I decided to only cut out some added sugar sources, I would still sugar ingest sugar in other places.  The goal is to clear your body of all added sugar and its effects.  The week challenge allowed me to feel stable and energized at 100% added sugar free.  From there, I could better recognize my sugar tolerance and sensitivities.  I highly recommend checking out the Sugar Swap guidebook put together by my pals Dana and Mary Ellen from Eats2Know and MilkandHoneyNutrition.  They hosted the sugar-free challenges that I did this year in and their guidebook can help you out if you want some additional guidance.

Again, you only need to omit added sources of sugar.  You will be happy to hear fruit is not off-limits.  I enjoyed fruit every day during the challenges but kept it in moderation so that I was not overcompensating for the lack of added sugar.   Remember: we want to limit sugar in its granulated or liquid forms.  In addition, let us stay away from artificial sweeteners like Splenda, Sweet N’ Low, and Equal—they are not good for our health.  They only disguise and exacerbate our cravings.  Instead, consider your savory options out there, too!  I bet many of the meals you already eat (or beverages) can be made without added sugar.

Still, if you’d like some tips and recipe ideas, check out Dana and Mary Ellen’s Sugar Swap guidebook found here .  I’ll be back with some ideas for how I ditch added sugar in the next post.

reduce sugar in your life

Disclaimer: I am not a nutritionist or dietician.  Nor have I ever claimed to be.  I am fascinated by health research and felt positive results when I chose to reduce sugar.  I am only sharing this to encourage others to reevaluate their sugar intake but, by all means, do your own research, too!