Sugar may seem lie a harmless treat, but for some people it can be hard to control how much sugar you are consuming. If you find yourself craving sugary treats more than usual and lacking the willpower to resist, it’s time to take action.
Sugar is found in sodas, sweets and most processed foods. This can contribute to obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, cancer and yes, tooth decay!
The typical American diet contains 10-20 teaspoons of sugar hidden in the foods we eat. While having a little sugar is ok, the majority of people eat 50-100% more sugar than is recommended in their everyday diets.
It can be challenging trying to reduce the sugar intake, so we have presented several suggestions to help you beat this bad habit.
1. Cut back on sugary drinks. While most people think of soda as the worst drinks to have many fruit drinks can contain as much a 7 teaspoons of sugar (over 30 grams!) Instead, look to replace them with water of sparkling water, or green tea.
2. Watch out for those sauces! Things like BBQ sauce, ketchup, salad dressings, and spaghetti sauce can contain more sugar per teaspoon than ice cream! Replace them with herbs, vinegar, lemon or lime juice, or even a small amount of mustard instead.
3. Look for “whole foods”. What is a whole food? Items that haven’t been processed and packaged to be sold at convenience stores mostly. Things such as chips, many cereals, most fast-food are in this category. Items such as fruits, nuts, seeds, and vegetables would qualify as “whole” foods.
4. Be careful of products that are labelled as “healthy” snack alternatives. Dried fruits, granola bars, and other protein bars may contain a lot of sugar. Again, substituting seeds and nuts, eggs, and fresh fruits are going to help you more in the long run.
5. Sugars come with different names. Hoping you won’t recognize it as sugar they write high-fructose corn syrup, molasses, caramel, maltose and dextrose, among a multitude of other names.
6. Try to avoid purchasing sugary snacks and keeping them around the house. It just makes you more likely to grab one when hungry. Be careful about late-night snacks as well. Eat more protein and fiber. These nutrients hep to regulate your blood sugar levels and help to keep you feel satisfied and full, thereby lowering your craving for sweets.
7. Everyone loves cakes and pies and doughnuts and ice cream! These have high sugar and low nutritional value. Again, consider fruits, yogurt, or dark chocolate if you crave sweets.
8. Don’t be thrown off by fat content. We need to eat some fats. Avocados are a great example of healthy fats. While some foods might be labelled as “low-fat”, they might make up for it by having higher sugar content. For example, low-fat yogurt has nearly 3 times more sugar content than high-fat yogurt! So, again, read the labels.
9. Watch out for canned food such as peaches. They are often packaged in a sugary syrup. So, while you may think you are eating healthy, you will notice a sweet flavor to them that makes them taste even better. Be careful!
Be patient. It can take time and commitment to overcome a sugar addiction. Some sugar alternatives that we suggest include stevia, monk fruit, and xylitol. These will offer sweet benefits and help you replace your sugar cravings. At DeAnza Family Dentistry in Cupertino, Dr. Craig Mitchell can offer you some additional ideas on improving your nutrition and thereby your overall health. Check out our website for more information on oral health.