Why Should You Reduce Consuming Added Sugar?

Some foods contain sugar naturally such as fruits, milk, and vegetables. Whereas some foods do not naturally contain sugar but have a lot of sugar being 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 cutting down on added sugar 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 in spite of 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? 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.

There is a range of negative health effects that are caused by consuming excessive added 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. There are many low-fat foods that are loaded with added sugar. Avoid such products by reading the label before buying them.

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.

Are you interested to try 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.