Added sugars are sugars added to food during preparation or processing and are not naturally present in the food. Some foods contain sugar naturally such as fruits, milk, and vegetables. Some foods do not naturally contain sugar but have a lot of sugar added in the form of syrups, hydrolyzed starch, artificial sweeteners, glucose, or table sugar. Sodas, flavored yogurt, cereals, cookies, candies, donuts, cobblers, ice cream, ketchup, spreads, and sweetened beverages are among such foods.
Every time you consume added sugars, they contribute calories but not nutrition. What do you think about reducing added sugar in your diet and adopting healthy eating? Do you think you won’t be able to enjoy your food without added sugars?
It is possible to enjoy food despite limiting the consumption of added sugars. Choosing a healthy eating pattern has several health benefits and it need not be boring. Did you know that one serving of flavored yogurt gives 72 calories of added sugar?
Why Avoid Added Sugar?
- There is a range of negative health effects caused by consuming excessive sugar. Obesity, diabetes, tooth cavities, heart disease, acne, inflammation, and fatty liver disease are among such health issues.
- Cutting down on sugar can help you reduce weight, prevent tooth decay, and reduce spikes in blood sugar levels. Checking food labels is the easiest way to know if food products have excessive amounts of sugar. Many low-fat foods are loaded with added sugar. Avoid such products by reading the label before buying them.
- Regular consumption of food loaded with sugar can disrupt your sleep at night or cause you to doze off at work, as there can be energy spikes and crashes. This results in poor sleep quality and fatigue, which can impair your ability to think and affect your memory.
- Too much of refined sugar consumed often can negatively affect your mood by altering the gut microbiome and can worsen anxiety. This can increase the feelings of depression in the long run. It affects your ability to cope with stress and negatively impacts your mental health.
- It can cause dehydration of the skin, as sugar directly affects our skin, and can cause early aging of the skin. Reducing the consumption of excess sugar early in life keeps your skin from suffering and helps you stay healthy as you grow older.
How to reduce added sugar consumption?
Snacks contribute a significant amount of added sugars. Common sugary snacks people opt for during break time are baked goods, cereal bars, pastries, doughnuts, candy bars, and flavored yogurt. The next time you choose them, have a look at the nutrition label and know the amount of added sugar they contain. Planning ahead and choosing homemade snacks helps you snack smarter and avoid the hidden sugar in commercial snacks.
Sugar is disguised in many names on the nutrition labels of food products. A few of those names are glucose, fructose, sucrose, hydrolyzed starch, corn syrup, molasses, dextrose, corn sweetener, cane sugar, invert sugar, lactose, malt syrup, maple syrup, raw sugar, and agave nectar. Be smart with your choice of food and take small steps that will help you to gradually cut off excess sugar consumption and regain your health.
Small and healthy changes in your eating pattern such as choosing fruit over dessert, and choosing plain yogurt with chopped fruits instead of flavored yogurt, help you to minimize added sugar.
Are you interested in cutting off excess sugar from your diet? What steps will you take toward this goal?
Here are some healthy sweet foods with no added sugar to satisfy your cravings for sweets without compromising healthy eating.
This Post Has 18 Comments
Nice information..
Thank you!
Substitute is jaggery. We have to try to cut down intake of sugar considerably.
Cutting down added sugars has many health benefits.
Thank you for sharing your opinion.
EATING SUGAR MAKES YOU FAT,CAUSES CANCER AND KILLS.THE FOOD PYRAMID IS UPSIDE DOWN.IT SHOULD HAVE VEGETABLES AND FRUITS BUT NO SUGAR.ITS THE SUGAR INDUSTRIES GETTING RICH OFF OUR MISERY.CHECK IT OUT.TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR.AVOID SUGAR BEFORE ITS TO LATE.
Thank you sharing this useful information!
ALWAYS TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR ABOUT EATING SUGAR.IT CAUSES CANCER AND MAKES YOU FAT.
A well constructed post. Our society has been so brainwashed by advertising that we believe we are giving ourselves a “treat” when we eat sweets, when in reality we are poisoning ourselves.
It is so important to see sugar as the poison it is.
Thank You!
Reading labels and knowing the sugar content in our diet helps us make better choices.
So true. These are the reasons to reduce added sugar. I need to check my intake too. Thank you for sharing the tips to reduce added sugar too.
Thank you!
Keeping a check on our sugar intake is essential for a healthy life.
This is a great reminder to cut down on sugar for better health. Simple changes like reading labels and choosing fresh fruits make a big difference! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you!
I agree, simple changes can make a big difference
This post is a great reminder of the benefits of cutting down on sugar, and the advice on how to reduce sugar consumption is helpful!
Thank you!
I’m glad you found it helpful
Ah yes so VERY true. Luckily I do not have a sweet tooth so I do not consume a lot sugar. I have more a salt tooth LOL.
Allie of
http://www.allienyc.com
Thank you for your comment!
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