After the Halloween party, talking about sugar is great! Who doesn’t love candy?
The taste for sugar is natural and for many, it is difficult to cut down on consumption. However, consuming too much sugar increases the risk of obesity, chronic diseases and dental caries. My tips for reducing your sugar intake easily!
WHO recommendations
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends reducing the consumption of free sugar to less than 10% of the total energy used, even encouraging people to reach 5% of the total energy used. Free sugars include sugars added to foods and drinks as well as sugars found naturally in syrups, honey and fruit juices. However, according to a study conducted among 1,100 people by researchers at Laval University, Quebecers consume, on average, about 12% of their energy intake in the form of free sugar.
1. Cut back on sugary drinks
Sugary drinks are one of the biggest sources of sugar in the diet. By reducing or avoiding their consumption, it is possible to significantly reduce the amount of sugar in your diet. Every day, replace these high-sugar drinks with water that you can flavor with herbs and fruits for added flavor. Coffee, tea, and sugar-free herbal teas are good alternatives.
2. Bake your own cookies, cakes, muffins and cookies
Commercial sweeteners are another major source of sugar in the diet. By baking your own candy, you can gradually reduce the amount of sugar you add and switch your palate to less sweet cookies.
3. Use spices
Adding spices can reduce the amount of sugar used without affecting the flavor of your recipe. Spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger, which are included in the gingerbread group, provide aromatic notes that reduce the amount of added sugar.
4. Replace added sugar with fruit
It is also possible to reduce the amount of added sugar (such as white sugar, brown sugar, maple syrup, honey, etc.) in recipes by replacing them with fruit, especially pureed or cooked bananas.
5. Switch to sugar-free varieties
At the grocery store, choose more unsweetened foods such as yogurt, frozen fruit, applesauce, fortified drinks, and oatmeal. Add fresh or dried fruit for added flavor.
6. Choose Breakfast Foods Carefully
To choose a healthy breakfast cereal, choose those with less than 5g of sugar (less than 10g for cereal with fruit) per 30g serving.
7. Check the product list
At the grocery store, look at the list of items you buy. If sugar is the first ingredient on the list, it means that sugar is the ingredient that is found in the most amount in the product.
8. Pack your own snacks
When there is a famine, the food that is available is not always available. To avoid sudden seizures, eat healthy foods regularly. Fresh or dried fruit, nuts and Greek yogurt are great snacks. Do you crave sugar? Choose one or two small squares of dark chocolate or two days of dry!
9. Discover other flavors
In addition to sweet, there are four other elements: sour, salty, bitter, and umami (which means delicious in Japanese). A great way to reduce your sugar intake is to use these spices to give your recipes a different flavor.
10. Avoid sweets
To reduce sugar intake, it is better to acclimate your palate to a slightly sweeter taste instead of using sweeteners that preserve the taste. Not only do sweeteners preserve the taste of sugar, they can also disrupt the microbiota.
Nutri-trick: for healthy meals, try not to exceed 125 ml of sugar per 250 ml of flour. The texture, color and taste cannot be compromised with this money. For muffins, 45 ml (3 tablespoons) of sugar is usually enough for one cup of flour (or rolled oats).
Do you crave sugar? Check out my tips: isabellehuot.com/blogs/articles/pour-en-end-avec-ces-rages-de-sucre