Help cutting down on added sugar?

I eat a lot of sugar. I didn't realise quite how much until I started looking to decrease the amount of added sugar in my diet and found that I don't even know what to eat that isn't high in added sugar! From adding honey to my porridge to a lunch filled with chocolate biscuit snacks and cake bars, yoghurts with those yummy (but sugary) fruit compotes and daily chocolate bars plus whatever sweet treat I may have picked up (doesn't sound too bad but I had 7 mini egg crispie cakes! On top of what I would normally eat!). I also spend all day thinking about my next sugar fix and my skin is paying the price for the ridiculous amounts I eat.

So something needs to change. I'm not looking to lose weight so I need to keep my calories as they are. Some things are simple- like don't add honey to my porridge or honey glaze my salmon or veggies (sad but I'll live) and trade my chocolate dessert for a fruit based one. But when it comes to snacks...what do you snack on?! My go to snacks are biscuits and cakes or fruit if I'm feeling healthy but even that is high in sugar.

What are some low sugar snacks? I'm also struggling for low sugar packed lunch ideas

Replies

sunfastrose

janejellyroll wrote: »

nikipam11 wrote: »

sugar in general is highly addictive as with anything that causes the pleasure response in the brain. I have a sugar addiction and have to be very cautious. If i start on something with added sugar it may kick off a binge that will cause a great deal of health issues as well as emotional.

I have compensated added sugar with natural sugars and keep that as low as i can. best bet is to set a realistic goal and track your foods.

There are all kinds of things that cause a pleasure response in the brain that don't seem to be addictive. Laughter is an example.

And puppies!

psuLemon

NadNight wrote: »

I eat a lot of sugar. I didn't realise quite how much until I started looking to decrease the amount of added sugar in my diet and found that I don't even know what to eat that isn't high in added sugar! From adding honey to my porridge to a lunch filled with chocolate biscuit snacks and cake bars, yoghurts with those yummy (but sugary) fruit compotes and daily chocolate bars plus whatever sweet treat I may have picked up (doesn't sound too bad but I had 7 mini egg crispie cakes! On top of what I would normally eat!). I also spend all day thinking about my next sugar fix and my skin is paying the price for the ridiculous amounts I eat.

So something needs to change. I'm not looking to lose weight so I need to keep my calories as they are. Some things are simple- like don't add honey to my porridge or honey glaze my salmon or veggies (sad but I'll live) and trade my chocolate dessert for a fruit based one. But when it comes to snacks...what do you snack on?! My go to snacks are biscuits and cakes or fruit if I'm feeling healthy but even that is high in sugar.

What are some low sugar snacks? I'm also struggling for low sugar packed lunch ideas

If you are talking added sugar, than thinks like honey, fruits and some yogurts would be fine. And while biscuits and cake bars are largely fat, you can always replace them with fruits, chocolate (which probably won't have added sugar in it), or even savory things.

Ultimately, you are going to have to play around with the foods you crave and change them with other foods.

ellefox70

If you take out the brown sugar on your oatmeal, add a few raisins, or an egg.

How does egg in oatmeal work? Do u literally just crack an egg into it whilst it’s cooking or is something else necessary? Thanx!

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Mr_Healthy_Habits

I keep a bag of frozen strawberries in the freezer and when I just have to have something, I'll pop a few those...

lemurcat12

ellefox70 wrote: »

How does egg in oatmeal work? Do u literally just crack an egg into it whilst it’s cooking or is something else necessary? Thanx!

People do different things. When I do savory oats with an egg I'll cook the egg sunnyside up and then mix it in to the cooked oats. (I add chopped and cooked veg too.) Mix of savory and sweet that's pretty tasty is the egg, oats, and blueberries.

SanguineAllure

When I was cutting down pretty much everything unhealthy, I started with sugar. I was addicted to soda and chocolate and sweet things. So what I did was a switch to diet soda for about two weeks, then I switched to those carbonated fruit waters. Then when I was fine with just plain water, I started switching to eating some sort of fruit whenever I wanted something sweet. Sometimes, in the beginning, I drizzled the berries with chocolate sauce and then eventually cut that down. Now all I eat is fruits and occasionally peanut butter when I want something sweet. It took about a month, but now I am fully vegan, and no longer crave any of those things~

jadedone

I made a pact with myself to only have intentional sugar. I make snacks fruit, veggies or nuts on most days. Sometimes cheese. I do not eat sugar in salad dressing and stuff like that. For me it is essential in oatmeal - but not in coffee or tea. Plain yogurt is tge best choice for me. And I get unsweetened nut milks. But if the cake looks really good, I’ll just have it. Try not to do it daily.

Many days I do not have more than 1-2 teaspoons of added sugar.

WilmaValley

Interesting discussion