How much is too much sugar? This question can be quite a tricky one. Most adults above 30 years eat more sugar than recommended as per their body weight. Adults get 15% calories from confectionaries, sugar syrups, etc. If one consumes natural sugars, it could not be accounted for; however, glucose from other substances can be dangerous.
Mental illnesses, heart diseases, obesity, gastritis, irritable bowel syndrome, high blood pressure, bad cholesterol, bad metabolism, diabetes, inflammation of the liver, dental tartar, cavities, plaque, etc, arise due to excess sugar. Reduce this amount of sugar and replace it with unsweetened vitamins, minerals, and natural sugars.
A few tips to help you go on a sugar-free diet are:
- Check the packaging
Always check for substitute of sugar. Sugars come in all forms, like brown sugar, fructose syrup, cane juice, invert sugar, beet sugar, coconut sugar, maple syrup, rice syrup, apple juice, honey, demerara, dextrose, etc. If you want to follow a no sugar diet read the ingredients on the label before you buy them. These days salad dressings also have sugars in it. Along with that, cakes, pastries, cereals, and nutri bars have added sugars. - Start slow
If you are someone who is used to consuming 4 to 5 spoons of sugar a day, reduce it to one teaspoon. Eliminate the thoughts of having processed sugar. Cakes, brownies, baked goods, white bread, ice creams, and candies are a great starting point to avoid sugars. This gradual omission of sugar intake can help you regain your health. - Reduce bad carbs
White flour, white rice, pasta, corn starch are all examples of simple bad carbohydrates. A sugar-free diet recommends avoiding such kind of ingredients too. The carbohydrates in these ingredients are broken into glucose, and thus becomes sugar in your body. A major way to avoid these bad carbs is by eating whole grains and vegetables while avoiding animal protein and confectionary items. - Reduce intake of artificial sugars
Some people often use Splenda, stevia, NutraSweet, etc, to help with their cravings. However, these capsules increase the craving. Artificial sugars increase the body’s food intake but reduce the chances of living a longer life. One can use honey instead of sugar; however, many brands make honey with steroids to make it non-crystallized. Instead, choose to buy real raw unprocessed honey that crystallizes as it is much safer. - Shift to whole foods
A sugar-free diet gives you a chance to remain in good health. Processed food always contain artificial sugars. However, vegetables, fruits, low fat meat, fish, unprocessed whole grain, nuts, seeds, etc, are safe. If you want to shift to a vegan lifestyle and avoid dairy products, that would work fine too. Dairy cheese can be substituted with cashew grounded cheese, almond and cashew blended cheese, etc. If you like soy chunks, add that to your diet as well.
