How to eat and consume less sugar a day? We propose some useful ideas and tricks that will help you reduce the sugar in your diet.
When we prepare a coffee, a smoothie, a juice or even an infusion or a tea, the most common thing is to sweeten them with refined sugar, commonly known by the popular name of white sugar. In fact, it becomes the sugar that nutritionists, endocrinologists and dentists fight the most, since its consumption tends to be quite negative for our health.
Sugar has become over the last decades one of the foods most consumed by society. In fact, more and more food industries and fast food chains add sugar to any type of food (both sweet and salty) in order to enhance the flavor of all their dishes and meals.
However, you have to be careful. It has been shown that excessive consumption of sugar can be very addictive in the long term and is one of the main reasons why 30% of the world’s population is overweight.
The dangerous health consequences of consuming refined sugar
In this sense, it goes without saying that sugar has a series of contraindications, and that its consumption should be reduced to a minimum if we want to eat a rich and healthy diet. Don’t you believe it? If so, here are some of the disadvantages of eating this food:
- Weight gain. Most sweets and foods processed with sugar are characterized by a high level of unsaturated fats. For this reason, the consumption of sugar will always be related to a considerable gain in weight.
- Heart diseases. Sugar also increases blood cholesterol levels, a problem that affects the arteries, something that can lead to chronic hypertension in the long run.
- Appearance of cavities. Sugar increases blood glucose levels, a component that when it comes into contact with tooth enamel, causes it to deteriorate, leading to a multitude of cavities.
- The consumption of sugar is also closely related to the onset of diabetes. Especially in those people where their relatives have suffered from this disease.
Is it possible to substitute sugar? Some useful tips
Surely after reading these lines, you have fallen into the importance of considerably reducing sugar consumption. However, at first it will be a rather difficult process to carry out since this food is quite addictive. Therefore, what you can do is replace it by following the following tips:
Fructose is a great ally
Have you got an irremediable desire to have a sweet just when you get up or when you get to work? If so, we recommend that you hold out for a bit and replace it with any piece of fruit. Its high fructose content will give you that sweet aftertaste that will help you fight your “withdrawal syndrome “, while at the same time satiating your hunger and ingesting all kinds of vitamins and minerals. All are advantages!
Honey is useful to sweeten drinks
Surely many of you use sugar to sweeten any tea, coffee, juice or infusion. A good way to substitute it is by using a small amount of honey instead. Thanks to it, you will get that sweet touch that you look for so much, without abusing sugar so much, which has so many negative effects on our health.
How to take honey to enjoy its properties
Using natural sweeteners like stevia
The stevia is one of those natural sweetener that does not contain any contraindication to our health. You can find it in most supermarkets at a very contained price. And best of all, they will add that sweet touch to any drink or food without having to abuse sugar.
Sugar consumption quickly
We also propose other useful tips to reduce sugar consumption:
- Opt above all for fruits, instead of trinkets and sweets.
- To sweeten some drinks, such as milk or herbal teas, preferably opt for honey, molasses or maple syrup. Stevia is also interesting.
- Try to consume coffee without sugar, although at first its strong flavor may prevent you from enjoying it as you did before.
- In your breakfast include fruits, cereals and dairy. It is advisable to eliminate sweets and pastries
