- 1. Gradually reduce sugar
- 2. Don't add sugar to drinks
- 3. Read the labels
- Why it is important to reduce sugar
Two simple and effective ways to reduce sugar consumption are not to add sugar to coffee, juice or milk, and to replace refined foods with their whole versions, such as bread, for example.
In addition, to limit sugar consumption it is also important to decrease the consumption of processed foods and read the labels to identify the amount of sugar in each food.
1. Gradually reduce sugar
The sweet taste is addictive, and to adapt the taste buds accustomed to the sweet taste, it is necessary to gradually reduce the sugar in the food until you get used to the natural flavor of the food, without needing to use either sugars or sweeteners.
So, if you usually put 2 tablespoons of white sugar in coffee or milk, start adding only 1 spoon, preferably brown or demerara sugar. After two weeks, replace the sugar with a few drops of Stevia, which is a natural sweetener. See 10 other natural sweeteners that can be used to replace sugar.
2. Don't add sugar to drinks
The next step is not to add sugar or sweetener to coffee, tea, milk or juice. Gradually, the palate gets used and the sugar becomes less necessary.
The amount of sugar that can be ingested per day is only 25 g, with 1 tablespoon of sugar already containing 24 g and 1 glass of soda containing 21 g. In addition, sugar is also present in less sweet foods such as breads and cereals, making it easy to reach your maximum recommended limit per day. See other foods high in sugar.
3. Read the labels
Whenever you buy an industrialized product, read its label carefully, observing the amount of sugar it has. However, the industry uses several forms of sugar as an ingredient of its products, and may be present on the label with the following names: inverted sugar, sucrose, glucose, glucose, fructose, molasses, maltodextrin, dextrose, maltose and corn syrup.
When reading the label, it is also important to remember that the first ingredients on the list are those that are in greater quantity in the product. So, if sugar comes first, it is the most used ingredient to make that product. See more tips on how to read the food label in this video:
Why it is important to reduce sugar
Excessive sugar consumption is linked to an increased risk of diseases such as type 2 diabetes, high uric acid, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and cancer. See other problems and learn why sugar is so bad for your health.
Caring for sugar consumption is especially important for children, as they are still forming their eating habits and excessive sugar consumption since childhood contributes to the increased risk of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases at young ages. See tips for healthy shopping at the supermarket.
