4 Simple Ways to Reduce Sugar
By now, most of us have a pretty good idea that reducing or drastically eliminating sugar is going to improve our health and well-being. But eliminating sugar goes beyond the mental clarity, health and beauty benefits. Ditching sugar is oddly enough one of those things that can almost immediately increase your self worth. You find new found respect for your body and your life. I’ve seen it many times. The combination of saying no, of eliminating sweet toxins, and of establishing boundaries for your health has the ability to breathe in new life. And honestly, by just following through with a few simple steps, you can eliminate a large chunk of unwanted sugar in your diet.
Tip 1 - Stop buying canned and jarred foods with sugar in it. Beans, spaghetti sauce, canned vegetables, peanut butter…Basically, remove all sugar from savory foods. If it isn’t a dessert, jam, or sauce, find a sugar free brand (and I don’t mean made with artificial sweeteners. These can be more harmful than sugar itself.). There are sugar-free options out there that taste just as good.
And honestly, do you really need sugar in your beans??? Eden Foods and Westbrae Naturals are usually safe bets for canned foods without added sugar, or you can purchase dried beans in the bulk aisle of your health food store.
Tip 2 - Cut out the sodas and fruit juice. If you must have a soda, try brands like Zevia and Blue Sky that sweeten theirs with stevia and erythritol, which don’t spike blood sugar levels. And if you must have juice, mix just a splash with sparkling water or blend up an entire fruit in a high powered blender – this way, you get a whole-food source of juice, complete with fiber and nutrients.
Tip 3 - Avoid all foods made with high fructose corn syrup (hfcs). This sweetener is chemically altered and does not digest properly. Even if you don’t believe hfcs is worse than sugar, you can be assured that the quality of the product you are eating is subpar if hfcs is in the ingredient list.
Tip 4 - Learn the many names of sugar; there are around 56 of them. Make it a goal to memorize at least 5 of them, or carry around a cheat sheet with you when you go to the grocery store.
This doesn’t have to be hard or complicated. Choose to make it fun and share the excitement with others! Want to dive in deeper? Check out our monthly Sugar Freedom classes at Wellness Within.