cutting sugar
pacullen
Posts: 2 Member
How do i start cutting sugar? No idea where to evn start
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Replies
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Why?0
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Why do you need to? Are you pre diabetic or diabetic ( as per your doctor)?0
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Uhhh ...I dunno - just a wild arsed guess: don't eat things high in sugar content ... but I could be wrong. <?boggle?>
Unless you have medical issues, sugars are not the enemy. *Excess* sugar is. Too much of anything is a bad thing.0 -
Hi Pacallen, this was posted by MyFitnessPal on their FB page. It may be of help to you in cutting down sugar.
Nutrition Tips / January 8, 2015
15 Simple Hacks for Eating Less Sugar
All it takes is one Google search to confirm that too much sugar is bad for you. We hear it all the time that we need to eat less sugar. But with the current state of the food label it can be very confusing and hard to identify how much sugar we are actually eating.
Obesity rates are on the rise and sugar sweetened beverages have undoubtedly taken the heat, but that’s only the short story. Leading researchers are finding that added sugars such as high fructose corn syrup might be the causing the liver to work overtime leading to a myriad of issues from metabolic syndrome to fatty liver disease.
With all this talk about lowering sugar intake, the World Health Organization (WHO} is now slashing their sugar recommendations in half, from less than 10% of total calories coming from “free sugars” to 5% for additional health benefits. According to the WHO, “free sugars refer to all monosaccharides and disaccharides added to foods by the manufacturer, cook or consumer, plus sugars naturally present in honey, syrup, and fruit juices.” However, the majority of your sugar intake should be derived from natural sources. Keep in mind the amount of natural sugar each person requires is highly individualized so it’s not a one size fits all as it depends on one’s activity level, medical history, and other factors.
There is currently no formal recommendation or upper limit for natural sugars in the diet. Currently, MyFitnessPal’s sugar recommendations are based on 15% of total calories coming from sugar, which is based on recommendations to increase fruit and vegetable intake in the 2010 Dietary Guidelines as well as sample menus representative of a healthy diet free of added sugars.
Limiting sugar consumption to 15% of total calories is a great starting point for lowering intake from all sources. If following a “low sugar” diet based on WHO recommendations, a 2000-calorie diet with 5%, or 10% calories from sugar translates to 25 or 50 grams, respectively. To calculate your daily “added” sugar goals: multiply total calories by 10% (or 5%) and then divide by 4 to get total grams of added sugar.
You might ask, what about fruit? Fruit sugar, also known as fructose, is a simple naturally occurring sugar, like lactose found in milk. While fruit does contain sugar, it’s sugar in the way nature intended it, and it’s also loaded with essential vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber. Fruit is a fundamental part of the diet but it should be balanced with other foods like vegetables, proteins, healthy fats, whole grains, and dairy.
If you’re looking to cut back on sugar, here are 15 simple hacks for slashing the sweet stuff from your diet:
1.Go natural. Eat natural sources of sugar over added sugars. Added sugars like honey, agave, and high fructose corn syrup contain empty calories meaning they have zero nutritional value. Fill up on fresh fruit and vegetables instead because they contain fiber that slows the rate of absorption of carbohydrates along with improving cholesterol levels, digestion, and satiety to help with weight loss.
2.Pick low sugar produce. If you’re aiming to eat less sugar overall, pick the fruits and veggies with the lowest sugar load like lemons, limes, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, broccoli, cauliflower, leafy greens, mushrooms, green beans, mushrooms, and zucchini. Essentially all veggies are low in sugar. To compare, 1 cup raspberries contains 5 grams of sugar, 1 cup black beans contains less than 1 gram of sugar, and a medium red potato contains less than 3 grams of sugar. Keep in mind, low sugar intake doesn’t necessarily mean low carbohydrate.
3.Know your portions. Following a low sugar diet requires some diligence in knowing how much you should be eating. In general, most people should consume 2 fruits (or 2 cups) and at least 3 cups of veggies per day. On average 1 serving of fruit contains 15 grams of sugar. Ideally, try to space out your servings so that you aren’t getting a big sugar rush all at once.
4.Eat whole and fresh. Limit fruit juices and dried fruit if you are watching the sugar intake. Generally speaking, just 4 fluid ounces (1/2 cup or 120mL) of 100% fruit juice and ¼ cup unsweetened dried fruit is equivalent to 1 piece or 1 cup of fresh, whole fruit.
5.Learn the label lingo. The food label doesn’t differentiate between added and natural sugars (though it may in the future), instead it lumps them all together. To get natural sugar sources check the ingredient list to know if there are any added sugars in the product. Sugar lurks behind these words in the ingredient list: molasses, organic cane sugar, fruit juice concentrate, malt sugar, corn syrup, honey, syrup, and words ending in “ose” dextrose, lactose, maltose, fructose, glucose, sucrose. Here’s a more thorough list of sugar’s most common nicknames.
6.Compare products. Looking for the lowest sugar foods? Check the nutrition label to see which product is lowest in sugar. Don’t be fooled by “low sugar” or “diet foods” as they are often packed with artificial sugars, which is another blog for another day. Bottom line: eat real “natural” convenience foods lowest in added sugar.
7.Track it! Logging your food in MyFitnessPal can help with staying on top of your sugar intake and goals so that you become aware of how much sugar you are really ingesting since they can sure add up fast.
8.Fill up on healthy fats. Eat more nuts, seeds, avocados, olives, and salmon. Not only are these foods heart healthy and help with blood sugar control, healthy fats will displace excess sugar from the diet and keep the body satisfied for longer so you are less likely to have energy dips between meals prompting a quick sugar fix.
9.Set boundaries on the sweet tooth. Do you have a mean sweet tooth? Set limits on when and how you’re going to enjoy your sweets. Maybe you have ice cream once per week or possibly you’ll include a dark chocolate square after dinner nightly? Setting boundaries around what sweet treats are worth the indulgence, when is appropriate to enjoy them and how much you can enjoy will keep you from reaching in the office candy jar out of habit.
10.Eat less packaged food. Foods in their whole form are going to be your best bet when it comes to lowering your sugar intake. According to the New York Times, 75% of packaged foods in the U.S. contain added sugar, so you can simplify your sugar doses by keeping these to a minimum.
11.Choose unsweetened dairy. Opt for plain milk and yogurt, and no, vanilla isn’t plain! While there are naturally occurring sugars in milk and yogurt (lactose), many are spiked with sweeteners. So read the labels to get dairy varieties without the sweet stuff, and keep in mind fat-free milk naturally contains more sugar than reduced-fat. Add your own flavor by topping yogurt with chia seeds, blueberries, and cinnamon.
12.Pump up the protein. Eating more protein will keep you amped. Protein takes longest to digest so you will be less likely to crash if you’re eating good quality proteins every three to four hours.
13.Beware of sugar bombs. Even healthy foods can have sneaky sources of added sugar. Foods like energy bars, lattes, smoothies, juices, enhanced waters, salad dressing, cereals, tomato sauce, and medications are common culprits.
14.Lower it gradually. Instead of cutting sugar cold turkey, lower your intakes slowly. If you usually eat sweets after lunch and dinner, start by taking it down to one meal a day.
15.Clean out the pantry. If you have tempting foods in the kitchen, you might need to do a little pantry detox. Go out for the ice cream sundae instead of bringing a carton it into the house.0 -
The easiest thing to to is to cut out a big chunk of the processed food (pasta sauces you buy can have up to 12 tsp of sugar!!!). Don't eat premade food because 80% has added sugar its not just in sweets. Also fat free options are very high in sugar. I recommend you to cook everything from scratch i know its time consuming but its the best way to control your sugar intake0
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I'm older. When I was a kid, we didn't have sugary treats all the time, they were occasional things, like just for dessert after Sunday dinner or during the holidays. I had come to the point where I was ending every meal with a sweet! That was just ridiculous. The approach when I was a kid was much more moderate. I think that model is much more sane.0
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mamapeach910 wrote: »I'm older. When I was a kid, we didn't have sugary treats all the time, they were occasional things, like just for dessert after Sunday dinner or during the holidays. I had come to the point where I was ending every meal with a sweet! That was just ridiculous. The approach when I was a kid was much more moderate. I think that model is much more sane.
So as I child you only had fruit "occasionally"?
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mamapeach910 wrote: »I'm older. When I was a kid, we didn't have sugary treats all the time, they were occasional things, like just for dessert after Sunday dinner or during the holidays. I had come to the point where I was ending every meal with a sweet! That was just ridiculous. The approach when I was a kid was much more moderate. I think that model is much more sane.
So as I child you only had fruit "occasionally"?
I believe that she meant sugary treats like candy, cookies and cake, not fruit (which I've never heard referred to as a sugary treat).0 -
herrspoons wrote: »Eat fewer cookies and donuts.
Next question.
^^^^^ this.
Also if junk food isn't the issue and its more sugary fruit, then swap your fruits around, or even eat less fruit and more veggies.
Cutting back on bread, pasta and wheat in general can help.
If you are in a deficit already then don't sweat it too much (as long as you're hitting your protein you should be fine), but if you are cutting back on sugar to get into a deficit then LeenaGee's suggestions should be a good place to start.
Good luck to you OP.
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Sugar give us instant energy, but has no nutritional value. It can surge blood sugars very quickly and then drop very quickly.
Best way to cut down on your sugar is by reducing it gradually. For example if you have 2 teaspoons of sugar in your beverage, drop it by a half teaspoon or 1 teaspoon until you are OK with no sugar with your tea and coffee. This way, you will be able to train your taste buds to less sugar.
You can have a small treat occasionally, that is fine. I find not having any bought cakes and biscuits in the cupboard stops the temptation to eat them. Have nuts, fruit, carrots, celery with peanut butter.
Contrary to belief, sugar actually IS the enemy. The type of sugar that you need to avoid is the one in cakes, biscuits, fizzy drinks, fruit juices (OK in moderation) and squashes, sweets, chocolates. The sugars you should try and have less of are sucrose, glucose.
The sugar in fruit is called fructose and is fine as long as you eat the whole fruit which also gives you vitamins and fibre. Milk sugar is called lactose and some people have an intolerance to this.
When you go for yogurts, go for the ones with no sugar or ones with 3% or less. Because foods say low fat, this does not mean that it is healthy. Low fat products tend to have too much sugar added to them. Like one of the previous posters mentioned, make your own sauces as most of the ready made meals and sauces are laden with added sugar. You will also know exactly what goes into your meal if you use fresh produce.
The body does need the right type of fat to keep healthy. Vitamins D, K, E are fat soluble vitamins and require the right type of fat to be absorbed into the body for optimal health. The good fats are in nuts, fish, coconut oil.
Hope this helps.
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mamapeach910 wrote: »I'm older. When I was a kid, we didn't have sugary treats all the time, they were occasional things, like just for dessert after Sunday dinner or during the holidays. I had come to the point where I was ending every meal with a sweet! That was just ridiculous. The approach when I was a kid was much more moderate. I think that model is much more sane.
So as I child you only had fruit "occasionally"?
I don't consider fruit a "sugary treat", do you?
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SergeantSausage wrote: »Uhhh ...I dunno - just a wild arsed guess: don't eat things high in sugar content ... but I could be wrong. <?boggle?>
Unless you have medical issues, sugars are not the enemy. *Excess* sugar is. Too much of anything is a bad thing.
This. I never understand posts like the OP's, because the answer seems so obvious.
I assume there's some reason the OP is finding it difficult (unless she's just been told it's something to do and has no idea what foods have sugar), so more details would be helpful.
Like mamapeach910 I determined that it would be helpful for me to reduce my calories and that that would be aided by reducing certain sugary treats I was eating rather pointlessly and mindlessly (for the record I did other things too, which were more significant to overall calories), so I decided that having such things in the middle of the day or for a snack would be a very rare thing, only when the particular item was really worth it, and that I could have something like that (like ice cream) after dinner only if I had calories left over. Currently I'm experimenting with other post-dinner treats (since I usually do have some calories) that lack sugar (cheese, for example), just so my mind doesn't immediately go to wanting something sugary in the evening.
My rationale doesn't support reducing fruit, although it has lots of sugar, as I eat it in moderation anyway and think it supports my goals, so I don't.0 -
mymodernbabylon wrote: »mamapeach910 wrote: »I'm older. When I was a kid, we didn't have sugary treats all the time, they were occasional things, like just for dessert after Sunday dinner or during the holidays. I had come to the point where I was ending every meal with a sweet! That was just ridiculous. The approach when I was a kid was much more moderate. I think that model is much more sane.
So as I child you only had fruit "occasionally"?
I believe that she meant sugary treats like candy, cookies and cake, not fruit (which I've never heard referred to as a sugary treat).
Exactly. I thought my post was quite clear.
I usually had an apple or some grapes packed with my lunch and sometimes banana on my cereal when I was a kid. So two servings of fruit a day. Pretty much normal recommendations.
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mamapeach910 wrote: »mamapeach910 wrote: »I'm older. When I was a kid, we didn't have sugary treats all the time, they were occasional things, like just for dessert after Sunday dinner or during the holidays. I had come to the point where I was ending every meal with a sweet! That was just ridiculous. The approach when I was a kid was much more moderate. I think that model is much more sane.
So as I child you only had fruit "occasionally"?
I don't consider fruit a "sugary treat", do you?
I consider medjool dates sugary treats. And so very yummy.
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mymodernbabylon wrote: »mamapeach910 wrote: »I'm older. When I was a kid, we didn't have sugary treats all the time, they were occasional things, like just for dessert after Sunday dinner or during the holidays. I had come to the point where I was ending every meal with a sweet! That was just ridiculous. The approach when I was a kid was much more moderate. I think that model is much more sane.
So as I child you only had fruit "occasionally"?
I believe that she meant sugary treats like candy, cookies and cake, not fruit (which I've never heard referred to as a sugary treat).
Sugar in fruit is still sugar.mamapeach910 wrote: »mamapeach910 wrote: »I'm older. When I was a kid, we didn't have sugary treats all the time, they were occasional things, like just for dessert after Sunday dinner or during the holidays. I had come to the point where I was ending every meal with a sweet! That was just ridiculous. The approach when I was a kid was much more moderate. I think that model is much more sane.
So as I child you only had fruit "occasionally"?
I don't consider fruit a "sugary treat", do you?
Sugar in fruit is still sugar.
Not sure why people think just because it is fruit the sugar is somehow different.0 -
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OP, If you want to lower sugar, just eat more meats and legumes. But understand that unless you have a medical condition, you can still integrate sugar (natural or not) into a healthy diet. But in order to lose weight, you need a calorie deficit.
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mymodernbabylon wrote: »mamapeach910 wrote: »I'm older. When I was a kid, we didn't have sugary treats all the time, they were occasional things, like just for dessert after Sunday dinner or during the holidays. I had come to the point where I was ending every meal with a sweet! That was just ridiculous. The approach when I was a kid was much more moderate. I think that model is much more sane.
So as I child you only had fruit "occasionally"?
I believe that she meant sugary treats like candy, cookies and cake, not fruit (which I've never heard referred to as a sugary treat).
Sugar in fruit is still sugar.mamapeach910 wrote: »mamapeach910 wrote: »I'm older. When I was a kid, we didn't have sugary treats all the time, they were occasional things, like just for dessert after Sunday dinner or during the holidays. I had come to the point where I was ending every meal with a sweet! That was just ridiculous. The approach when I was a kid was much more moderate. I think that model is much more sane.
So as I child you only had fruit "occasionally"?
I don't consider fruit a "sugary treat", do you?
Sugar in fruit is still sugar.
Not sure why people think just because it is fruit the sugar is somehow different.
Because usually the issue the person is concerned about isn't really sugar, but one way to reduce calories from lower nutrient items. It would be nice if we could thus stop obsessing about "sugar," true.0 -
prettykitty1515 wrote: »
The good news is, i don't know anyone on this site that does this. If you are calorie conscience, people will work on getting more nutrient dense foods. Will they have a doughnut occasionally? Yes.. but not every day.
Either way, lets try not to derail this thread too much and try to answer the direct question.0 -
prettykitty1515 wrote: »
Lots of assumptions here.0 -
Come on guys, lets try not to turn this into a war like usual.
We need more data from the OP to understand the context of her question.0 -
prettykitty1515 wrote: »mymodernbabylon wrote: »mamapeach910 wrote: »I'm older. When I was a kid, we didn't have sugary treats all the time, they were occasional things, like just for dessert after Sunday dinner or during the holidays. I had come to the point where I was ending every meal with a sweet! That was just ridiculous. The approach when I was a kid was much more moderate. I think that model is much more sane.
So as I child you only had fruit "occasionally"?
I believe that she meant sugary treats like candy, cookies and cake, not fruit (which I've never heard referred to as a sugary treat).
Sugar in fruit is still sugar.mamapeach910 wrote: »mamapeach910 wrote: »I'm older. When I was a kid, we didn't have sugary treats all the time, they were occasional things, like just for dessert after Sunday dinner or during the holidays. I had come to the point where I was ending every meal with a sweet! That was just ridiculous. The approach when I was a kid was much more moderate. I think that model is much more sane.
So as I child you only had fruit "occasionally"?
I don't consider fruit a "sugary treat", do you?
Sugar in fruit is still sugar.
Not sure why people think just because it is fruit the sugar is somehow different.
Right. Eating strawberries is the same as eating a donut. Just keep believing that.
I will keep believing it especially since I have lost 50lbs in the past 6 months. I will let the results speak for themselves.0 -
prettykitty1515 wrote: »
If I eat a piece of cake, I feel full for hours. Maybe sugar does not satiate you, but it does some people.
As for your comment about the donut - why not eat half and save the rest for another day?0 -
How do i start cutting sugar? No idea where to evn start
If you open your diary, people might be able to suggest from where you can cut your sugar intake. If you're eating cookies as an afternoon snack, or a donut for breakfast (you get the idea), try replacing those with healthier alternatives. If you're concerned about "hidden" sugars in packaged foods - read labels and ingredients lists, make your own versions, etc. And finally, if you're concerned about fruit sugar, unless you are diabetic or pre-diabetic, then this probably shouldn't be much of a concern. Fresh fruit has other nutritional benefits like fiber and vitamins that candy bars or pastries don't have. If you can be more specific about what you're currently eating, then others can give you a bit more guidance.0 -
Typically you can cut back on sugar by eating less foods like donuts, muffins, cookies, cake, candy, soda, juice, etc.
At the end of the day, you don't need to worry about sugar unless you have a medical condition like diabetes, insulin resistance, and hypoglycemia.0 -
mymodernbabylon wrote: »mamapeach910 wrote: »I'm older. When I was a kid, we didn't have sugary treats all the time, they were occasional things, like just for dessert after Sunday dinner or during the holidays. I had come to the point where I was ending every meal with a sweet! That was just ridiculous. The approach when I was a kid was much more moderate. I think that model is much more sane.
So as I child you only had fruit "occasionally"?
I believe that she meant sugary treats like candy, cookies and cake, not fruit (which I've never heard referred to as a sugary treat).
Sugar in fruit is still sugar.mamapeach910 wrote: »mamapeach910 wrote: »I'm older. When I was a kid, we didn't have sugary treats all the time, they were occasional things, like just for dessert after Sunday dinner or during the holidays. I had come to the point where I was ending every meal with a sweet! That was just ridiculous. The approach when I was a kid was much more moderate. I think that model is much more sane.
So as I child you only had fruit "occasionally"?
I don't consider fruit a "sugary treat", do you?
Sugar in fruit is still sugar.
Not sure why people think just because it is fruit the sugar is somehow different.
I said sugary treats. What part of "treat" do you not understand?
I'm not an anti-sugar person, I'm not sure why you're arguing with me. I'm for moderation in all things.
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mamapeach910 wrote: »mymodernbabylon wrote: »mamapeach910 wrote: »I'm older. When I was a kid, we didn't have sugary treats all the time, they were occasional things, like just for dessert after Sunday dinner or during the holidays. I had come to the point where I was ending every meal with a sweet! That was just ridiculous. The approach when I was a kid was much more moderate. I think that model is much more sane.
So as I child you only had fruit "occasionally"?
I believe that she meant sugary treats like candy, cookies and cake, not fruit (which I've never heard referred to as a sugary treat).
Sugar in fruit is still sugar.mamapeach910 wrote: »mamapeach910 wrote: »I'm older. When I was a kid, we didn't have sugary treats all the time, they were occasional things, like just for dessert after Sunday dinner or during the holidays. I had come to the point where I was ending every meal with a sweet! That was just ridiculous. The approach when I was a kid was much more moderate. I think that model is much more sane.
So as I child you only had fruit "occasionally"?
I don't consider fruit a "sugary treat", do you?
Sugar in fruit is still sugar.
Not sure why people think just because it is fruit the sugar is somehow different.
I said sugary treats. What part of "treat" do you not understand?
I'm not an anti-sugar person, I'm not sure why you're arguing with me. I'm for moderation in all things.
To me, certain fruits are treats since I don't buy them often.0 -
mamapeach910 wrote: »mymodernbabylon wrote: »mamapeach910 wrote: »I'm older. When I was a kid, we didn't have sugary treats all the time, they were occasional things, like just for dessert after Sunday dinner or during the holidays. I had come to the point where I was ending every meal with a sweet! That was just ridiculous. The approach when I was a kid was much more moderate. I think that model is much more sane.
So as I child you only had fruit "occasionally"?
I believe that she meant sugary treats like candy, cookies and cake, not fruit (which I've never heard referred to as a sugary treat).
Sugar in fruit is still sugar.mamapeach910 wrote: »mamapeach910 wrote: »I'm older. When I was a kid, we didn't have sugary treats all the time, they were occasional things, like just for dessert after Sunday dinner or during the holidays. I had come to the point where I was ending every meal with a sweet! That was just ridiculous. The approach when I was a kid was much more moderate. I think that model is much more sane.
So as I child you only had fruit "occasionally"?
I don't consider fruit a "sugary treat", do you?
Sugar in fruit is still sugar.
Not sure why people think just because it is fruit the sugar is somehow different.
I said sugary treats. What part of "treat" do you not understand?
I'm not an anti-sugar person, I'm not sure why you're arguing with me. I'm for moderation in all things.
To me, certain fruits are treats since I don't buy them often.
Exactly. Anything can be a treat. I don't buy crab often, but when I did it's a treat.0 -
herrspoons wrote: »
Well, on a thread where someone is asking for help and suggestions on cutting back on sugar - a decision they have obviously made, maybe the 'agent provocateurs' are the ones hijacking the thread and turning it into a - you don't need to cut out sugar - argument.
How about for once trying to keep a sugar thread on track!0
This discussion has been closed.
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