Main Meals And Desserts
Remember, high sugar = 15g or more per 100g food, low sugar = 5g or less per 100g food. Write it down and pop it in your wallet to retrieve when you’re grocery shopping, or bookmark this page on your cell phone.
- Sugar on your pasta?! You bet 150g of pasta sauce can contain 3 tsp of sugar. Sugar is often added for flavour to ready-made sauces, soups and meals.
- Condiments and sauces such as tomato or chilli sauce can have as much as 23g of sugar in 100g. This can add up over the course of a day.
- Do you need to have dessert every day? Try reducing the amount of dessert you have, or how often you have it. Desserts low in added sugar include fruit , rice pudding and plain unsweetened yoghurt. Try a few squares of dark chocolate for a satisfying post-dinner treat.
What You Need To Know
Following a no sugar diet does not mean you have to adhere to a formal eating plan, so there’s no advice on meal or snack timing or even the makeup for your meals. You may find, however, that if you are just starting to cut out added sugar, it’s best to do it gradually. If you’re still facing sugar cravings, drink water and eat food regularly, so you don’t add extreme hunger to your sugar craving. Healthy fats are especially helpful for fighting sugar cravings.
To begin, try to limit your added sugar intake to 100 to 200 calories per day . The 2020-2025 USDA Dietary Guidelines suggest that everyone should limit added sugar intake to 10% of daily calories or less .
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Sweetened beverages
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Sugar products including honey and molasses
Be sure to read labels carefully and choose products that have the least or no added sugar. You don’t have to give up sweet foods altogether, rather, you’ll make healthier choices.
Foods With Natural Sugars
Whole foods that naturally contain sugar aren’t off-limits on a balanced no sugar diet. For example, while whole fruits like oranges and pineapple and 100% fruit juices are naturally sweet, they don’t have added sugar.
The exceptionsand likely part of the reason behind the confusionare products like fruit drinks that do contain added sugar. For example, most cranberry juice beverages are a combination of fruit juices , additional added sugar, and water.
Unsweetened Beverages
Foods With Added Sugar
Find The Easiest Swaps To Make First
Try to make the changes you and your family wont notice first. This is the most simple way to start.
Its possible in most supermarkets or health shops to buy no-added-sugar versions of things like baked beans, jam, and ketchup. You can also easily switch out artificially sweetened fruit drinks for diluted pure fruit juice or for fruit squash sweetened with apple juice. I also found peanut butter with no added sugar, and jam sweetened with nothing but grape juice.
I swapped out all of these things straight away. My warning here is that the less refined versions are inevitably significantly more expensive, and also they are simply not as sweet as their more refined relatives, so they can be an acquired taste. Particularly things like peanut butter, which tastes very different in its unsweetened form. I actually prefer it, but the children didnt!
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Youve Got To Want To Live Sugar Free
As with any addiction, youve got to want to quit sugar. If you dont think that youre ready to get off sugar right now, and you feel overwhelmed by it or a little bit scared, then maybe you can recommit in a month or two. Because if you dont really want it, then youre just going to find yourself in a cycle of getting on the wagon and falling off over and over again. That cycling experience can make quitting sugar feel totally unattainable. Plus it just becomes another reason to judge yourself.
So ask yourself honestly, Do I really want it? Am I really committed? Am I really ready? If the answer is yes, then Ive got some amazing steps that to take that will help you stay on path and enjoy the process of living sugar free instead of feeling like its some scary detox that you dont want to go through.
When You Eliminate The Negotiation With Yourself It All Becomes Effortless
Okay, at first it wasnt easy at all . I was putting in place a lot of new habits. I have long lived by guidelines that ensure healthy living remains effortless. One of the keys is that I make a decision and that is it. I went gluten-free and didnt waver. And this time, I cut out sugar and that was it. Decision made.
If you take the approach of trying your best to eliminate gluten, or dairy, or sugar, or alcohol, or whatever it is you know you need to kick, you are setting yourself up for ongoing stress and struggle. But if you make the decision that this thing fill in your blank is simply no longer an option, you force that negotiation to stop. Its no longer a question of well, maybe just this once. Its a simple no, thank you. No decisions to make, no guilt, no feeling lousy the next day for indulging in something that makes you feel lousy. Maybe most importantly, no energy and stress wasted on self-defeating negotiations.
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How To Stop Eating Sugar
If youre like most Americans, you eat more sugar than is good for you. But its entirely possible to eat less sugar without sacrificing much if any of the pleasures of eating. Surprising as it may sound, many people who have cut back on sugar say they find their new eating habits more pleasurable than their old ones. This guide will walk you through why sugar matters, how you can make smart food choices to reduce sugar consumption, and how you can keep your life sweet, even without so many sweets.
Q Has Quitting Sugar Changed The Way You Think About Food
A. I used to get stuck making the same 10 meals. Thered be a little variation, but Id generally really struggle for inspiration now I make all sorts of things!
Along the journey, Ive also discovered some new ingredients that help balance my blood sugar levels and make my goal easier. Wholemeal spelt flour is one I couldnt be without I used to think of it as being a faddy health food, but its tasty, miles better for you than refined white flour and doesnt make you feel bloated. Also, spelt or barley make delicious alternatives to risotto rice.
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Quitting Sugar: My Experience Living Sugar Free
Cutting out sugar has become a hot topic in the health world. When it comes to weight loss and health, cutting out that nasty white sugar seems to be the most obvious answer but how?
Do you need to kick sugar?
Please read: This information is provided for educational purposes only and is not intended to treat, diagnose or prevent any disease. We encourage you to make your own health care decisions in partnership with a qualified health care professional.
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You are the only person who knows the answer to that question. The fact that you clicked to this page should also be taken into your consideration intuition and gut thinking is important you know your body best.
Ways Im Living Sugar Free In The Real World
- Vegetables are my real friends now. Source: File
Anyone who’s quit sugar will tell you that it’s all well and good to start the journey. But are you prepared to keep it going? To reach new heights on the supermarket shelf? To live the impossible dream and eat the impossible vegetables? To really grab that sugar bull by his sweet, sweet horns and scream, No more!?
The answer for me – after kicking sugar to the curb, going through the tough detox phase and making the necessary changes to my diet is a resounding yes.
Why?
Because I’ve seen the benefits with my own eyes:
I’ve lost about four kilos so far.
I’m less hungry.
I no longer crave ice cream, cake or cookies .
I drink alcohol less frequently and still manage to enjoy life.
I have developed telepathic powers.
I can travel through time, Quantum Leap-style.
And all of these things have far outweighed the sacrifices I’ve made, which include:
Making all of my meals.
Reading food labels.
Attempting fast and easy recipes by Pete Evans and Gwyneth Paltrow.
Developing a paranoia about the Big Sugar Conspiracy, which aims to keep us all fat and dumb.
Watching Outlander from start to finish .
But in the real world, when you’re finally off the Sugar Free Farm, temptation and sugar-related terrors await around every corner.
So here’s how I’m going to stick to my plan and really change my lifestyle with this lifestyle change…
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Eliminate The Consumption Of Bottled Beverages
Not only carbonated drinks but also fruit juices, supplements and all that satisfies us at the level of flavor usually contains refined sugars. This type of drinks can be replaced with equally much more viable alternatives including the classic flavored waters, herbal teas and infusions and of course tea and coffee. Also, introduce apple vinegar into your routine to help lower blood sugar levels and fight sugar addiction.
Have Fun In The Kitchen
Im very experimental in the kitchen and like to view cooking and baking as meditative practices. Even if up till now you havent been much of a cook, start having some fun in the kitchen! Start to view living sugar free as an adventure. This will help you shift your perspective and open you up to creative new ideas.
Start having fun with your apples and berries! I like to put coconut butter on my green apples and berries. Sometimes Ill add cinnamon, too. Just start to play around with your sweets and enjoy the process.
You can make chia pudding with chia seeds, stevia and coconut milk, and a little bit of cacao, and just mix it all together! That chia pudding can become a delicious snack. The more joyful you are in the kitchen, the more fun this whole experience will be. Then youll have the energy behind you that will keep you consistent.
Also Check: How To Lower Blood Sugar Levels With Food
Q As Of Today How Long Have You Been Sugar
A. This time, Ive been sugar-free for five months. I had given up sugar for a couple of years previously, but then when I did my Sport Relief challenge I started eating it again. I was doing an awful lot of exercise and had to eat a lot of sugar in the form of liquid gels and fast-releasing carbohydrates, such as rice and pasta, to keep my energy up. Really, for someone who is moderately active, carbs dont need to take up more than 10-20% of a meal, but my meals were about 70% carbs during that time.
Read more about .
Ongoing Life Without Refined Sugar
It becomes second nature over time to choose fruit salad or a cheeseboard as a dessert option, or to check the ingredients on a Starbucks order board to make sure theres no sneaky sugar in that iced tea. Tastebuds alter, too, so that its easier not to crave sweet treats.
I think its really important in the move to a refined-sugar-free life not to be prescriptive or to feel that things have failed if you buy a doughnut at the beach one day or decide to put syrup on your pancakes.
Overall, general improvement is the goal, and most of the small steps outlined above will in any case add up to a safety blanket that can cushion a few slip-ups. If youve had sugar-free cereal for breakfast and a banana instead of a cookie at lunchtime, thats already a far reduced sugar intake, so a bit of chocolate after dinner is far less of a disaster.
Ive never said no to ice-creams on holiday or cakes on a day trip. Life is for living and occasional forays into the world of sugar mean that it doesnt take on the sort of mythical status that might see my children over-indulge in refined sugar when they got away from my watchful eye. .
If I hadnt been forced by terror and panic to make dietary changes in a quest for a defined outcome, I think its unlikely that Id have bothered cutting refined sugar out of my familys diet. I had previously thought our lifestyle was healthy enough, and in many ways it probably was.
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How Do You Know If You Should Quit Sugar
Ask yourself the following questions to guide yourself to find if pursuing a sugar free diet is your best option :
Do you have PCOS or similar fertility concern? Are you having trouble conceiving? Do you want to lose weight? Do you lose energy throughout the day or constantly feel tired? Are you unable to stop yourself eating things full of sugar? Do you feel like you need something sweet after dinner or even lunch? Do you feel like you simply eat too much sugar and dont think you can stop?
Mental Benefits Of Sugar
Several mental and psychological conditions are linked to excess sugar. No! Sugar may not be the leading cause, but they clear the path and ease the journey to these conditions. Reducing sugar intake reduces the risk of psychological disorders and presents other benefits. Here are some of the mental benefits of a no-sugar diet.
1. Improved cognitive health
Heavy long-term usage of sugar may affect your cognitive ability and health. When there is excess sugar in the body, it builds insulin resistance and alters the blood sugar level. When this happens, there are risks of certain neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimers disease. Reducing your sugar intake does not only reduce the risk of this disorder, but it also builds your cognitive health and improves focus.
2. Better memory and learning skills
Did you know that high sugar level affects one memory? Insulin is a hormone that enhances synaptic connections. High sugar levels will create resistance against these hormones and hinder memory and learning skills. More so, it affects the BDNF , which is critical in memory and learning. A no-sugar diet will take all of these away and enhance your memory and learning ability.
3. Reduces anxiety
4. Reduced risk of depression
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The Simple Change: I Cut Out Sugar And Started Exercising Consistently
That was basically it. I cut out sugar. Not just cane sugar but also honey, maple syrup, coconut sugar, and whatever other sugar you may ask me about. I also didnt replace the sugars with the zero calorie or zero blood sugar effect alternatives like monk fruit, xylitol, erythritol, stevia, or whatever other one you can think of.
I cut it all out, cold turkey. Just. Like. That. And the same day, I committed to starting 30 minutes of exercise a day, minimum 4 days a week. That was it.
For years, long before having my son and after, I struggled with the best ways to stay active as my life got fuller and fuller. Sure, I knew how absolutely vital being active was to my physical health but more so, or more acutely, to my mental health.
When I reached my breaking point in 2019, I hadnt been working out regularly for two years since having my son, hadnt been sleeping well, and the special treats became daily treats. And then vanity kicked in, too. Why is that always what kicks us the hardest? I was starting to do something I hadnt done in my adult life I was getting into the habit of picking apart my body in photos: my shoulders, my belly, the way my face looked from a certain angle. It was rather confronting.
Of course, I also knew but could not separate from the fact that when we dont feel great on the inside, its easier to pick apart the outside than do the harder work of getting to the root of it.
From The Bottle And Can
Beverages are one of the biggest sources of added sugars in our diets.
Eliminate soda from your regular diet. Just get rid of it. If you must, drink diet soda. Ideally, though, you should get rid of diet soda, too.
That may sound extreme, but sweetened beverages are by far the biggest source of added sugar in the American diet 47 percent, according to the federal government. Soda along with sweetened sports drinks, energy drinks and iced teas is essentially flavored, liquefied sugar that pumps calories into your body without filling you up. Among all foods and beverages, says Kelly Brownell, an obesity expert and dean of the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke, the science is most robust and most convincing on the link between soft drinks and negative health outcomes.
Get this: A single 16-ounce bottle of Coke has 52 grams of sugar. Thats more added sugar than most adults should consume in an entire day.
As for diet soda, researchers arent yet sure whether theyre damaging or harmless. Some scientists think diet soda is perfectly fine. Others, like the Yale cardiologist Dr. Harlan Krumholz, think it may be damaging. Dr. Krumholz recently announced that after years of pounding diet sodas, he was giving them up. There is reason to believe, he wrote, that the artificial sweeteners they contain lead to weight gain and metabolic abnormalities.
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