Are You Ready to Reduce Added Sugar in Your Daily Life?
If you're hoping to decrease how much added sugar is in your diet, you're not alone! Added sugar can contribute to a wide range of unwanted symptoms—from brain fog to decreased energy to extra weight.
The popularity of low-carb & keto diets has made the risks of too much sugar more known, but that doesn't make reducing it easy.
The American Heart Association recommends adult women limit added sugar to 25g per day. (That's about 6 teaspoons.) If that sounds like a lot, keep reading. Even if you limit "sweets," you may be surprised by how quickly added sugars add up.
Below, we've listed six things you can do to reduce added sugar in your diet without giving up everything sweet, fun, or delicious. With a little extra attention and a supportive community, making the transition to a low-sugar or sugar-free lifestyle doesn't have to be overwhelming.
6 Easy Steps to Reduce Added Sugar:
1. Read Labels
Sugar hides in unexpected places, from salad dressings to bread. Even products that don't taste sweet can have added sugar.
Check ingredient lists for hidden sugars like maltose, sucrose, or high-fructose corn syrup. Aim for products labeled “no added sugars.”
Two popular foods for feeling-full and meeting protein goals are oatmeal and Greek yogurt. The flavored versions of these often have so much added sugar that it cancels out the fiber and protein good!
One of our favorite tricks is to use Sugar Free Sinless Syrups to unsweetened oats or yogurt for the flavor and sweetness you want.
2. Swap Sugary Drinks for Low-Sugar Alternatives
Sodas, fruit juices, and alcoholic drinks are some of the biggest culprits for added sugar. Switch to sparkling water, herbal teas, or low-sugar drinks sweetened naturally.
Drive-thru coffee might be convenient, but the price for that convenience is often more than dollars and cents. That "Grande" specialty coffee you love could have more sugar than a candy bar! Plus, hidden behind all that added sugar are hundreds of calories. YIKES. If you opt for the "sugar-free" syrups at most major coffee shops, skip ahead to #4. Zero sugar does NOT mean zero impact.
If you are like us and enjoy an occasional cocktail, you likely know how sugary some cocktail mixes are. Two of our favorite mixed drinks to share with friends are the patio-favorite Margarita and the Wisconsin-famous Old Fashioned. Unfortunately, both come with a whole mess of added sugar. In fact, the best-selling Margarita Mix on the market has 24g of added sugar per serving.
Miss Mary's created cocktail mixes for healthier lifestyles:
- Lite Margarita Mix - 30 Calories, 5g Sugar
- Wisconsin Tavern-Style Old Fashioned Mix - 35 Calories, 8g Sugar
Give them a try!
3. Choose Whole Foods Over Processed Ones
Whole foods, like fruits, vegetables, nuts, and lean proteins, naturally contain less sugar than processed snacks. They also provide essential nutrients, fiber, and antioxidants.
Some low-carb content creators will warn against the "high carb" count in fruits & vegetables, but fruits & veg are crucial sources of fiber!
The American Cancer Institute lists great sources and benefits of a high-fiber diet, including:
- lowering risk for/ management of type 2 diabetes
- reaching/staying a healthy body weight
- decreasing risk of cancer, especially colorectal cancer
4. Experiment with Sugar Substitutes
Sugar-free products have definitely grown in popularity. Most coffee shops will have at least one, sugar-free syrup available. From our research, those "skinny" syrups are all sweetened with sucralose.
Sucralose can spike blood glucose in some people. That's bad news for anyone managing a metabolic disorder or risk and for anyone who is intermittent-fasting. If your sugar spikes, you just broke your fast. Sucralose has also been known to disrupt your gut microbiome.
According to the latest research, sucralose can even stimulate hunger. We wrote about how artificial sweeteners affect gut-health and inflammation here.
We've also heard from customers who have cardiovascular risks that their doctor wants them to avoid erythritol, a sugar alcohol.
Sugar Free Sinless Syrups are a great alternative to both sucralose and erythritol. Naturally-sweetened with stevia leaf and monk fruit, they have 0 sugar and 0 calories but still deliver that "specialty coffee" treat.
NOTE: Artificial sweeteners can train your taste buds to expect an extreme-sweet payoff. So, when you taste natural sweeteners, like stevia and monk fruit, or naturally-occuring sugars, like fructose, your brain might not process the "reward" the same way.
When someone switches from a sucralose-sweetened coffee syrup, Sinless Syrups might not be sweet enough for them at first or they might want to use more than one serving. Over time, though, your taste adjusts and just-right will be your new happy place.
5. Plan and Prepare Meals at Home
Cooking at home allows you to control sugar content. It isn't always realistic during busy seasons and stages of life, and everyone needs a break from the constant "What should we make for dinner?" pressure. But cooking yourself puts you in the driver seat of how much added sugar ends up on your plate.
Miss Mary's Facebook Group is pretty good about sharing inventive, low-sugar recipes. We're also lucky to have a few keto/ low-carb creators who use Sugar Free Sinless Syrups to remake favorite treats like protein balls, dips, cheesecake, and more.
You can find a few of these recipe remakes on our blog:
6. Focus on Gradual Reductions
Cutting sugar drastically can lead to withdrawal symptoms like headaches or irritability. Plus, extreme restrictions can trigger psychological rebellion... wait, is that actual science or just our lived experience? Ummmm, anyway...
The best impact you can make by reducing the added-sugar in your diet is making that change permanent, or at least your default with occasional splurges for celebrations and ice cream.
If you want to avoid some of the withdrawal pains and help yourself adjust to less of that sugar stimulus, start with one or two changes per week to ease the transition.
You've got this!
