A few years ago, I found myself on a quest to be healthier. One of the first things I started paying attention to was my sugar intake.
I knew I could never be someone who didn’t eat any sugar, but also knew I could be eating a lot less. To make that happen, I implemented five EASY guidelines to help me cut down on sugar.
I was pretty amazed at how good I felt once I started cutting back on the sugar I was eating. I also found that the less sugar I ate, the less I wanted to eat.
So today, I’m sharing my five guidelines with you!
However, it’s worth noting, I am not a doctor, dietitian, nutritionist, or medical professional. I can only speak for my own research and experience. If you have questions, concerns, or are making a dietary change, you should consult a professional.
1) Don’t drink your sugar
This is one of the biggest and easiest ways to significantly decrease the amount of sugar you consume.
Make it a point to avoid drinking sugar. This means eliminating sodas, juices, lemonades, sports drinks, store-bought iced teas, etc, from your diet.
This doesn’t mean you can’t have fun and tasty beverages. There are plenty of drink options that don’t have sugar in them. This includes flavored water/sparkling water and unsweetened iced teas.
There are also beverages you can make yourself, such as fruit infused water or homemade unsweetened iced tea.
The homemade iced was always my go-to. Just boil a large pot of water, grab 5-6 of your favorite tea bags and let them seep while the tea cools. Then transfer the tea to container and refrigerate.
Personally, what I found is the less sugar I drank, the less sugar and flavor I wanted. At this point, the only thing I drink is water, and it’s honestly the only thing I WANT to drink, which is something I never thought I’d say!
2) Only eat baked goods if you bake them yourself
This guideline is good for a few reasons.
First, it forces you to be more mindful and to consider how badly you want the sugary treat. If you want it badly enough to go through the effort to bake it, then it likely isn’t just a passing craving. It’s something you really want.
Second, it takes more time to bake than it does to buy. Depending on your lifestyle, you likely won’t have enough available time to bake all of the baked goods you used to buy. This means there will be less sugared snacks in the house, so you’re removing at least some of the temptation.
And third, if you’re baking the food yourself, you can control how much sugar goes into what you’re making. This means you can pick recipes that have less sugar and/or alter recipes so they have just enough sweetness to satisfy you without consuming any extra.
3) And while you’re at it, try Paleo recipes
Paleo recipes are great because they’re made with as little sugar as possible. On top of that, the sugar that’s included is a naturally occurring sugar (like honey, maple syrup, or unsweetened apple sauce), which is said to be better for your body than refined sugar.
This way you’re getting your sweet fix in a way that’s a little better for you than if you were to eat a more traditional baked good.
4) Pay attention to ingredients, and choose the lower sugar option
Sugar is included in so many products! It’s actually pretty obnoxious, and it can make cutting back on sugar a challenging undertaking.
Half the battle of managing your sugar intake is just being aware of how much your consuming. To help with this, start reading product labels when you shop and consider the amount of sugar in the product.
Also, try to check out other brands. For some products, it’s likely that you have your favorite brands you buy on autopilot, but considering other options can help you cut down on your sugar consumption. A few grams may not seem like much, but a little bit here and there can go a long way.
5) Be mindful and check in with yourself
This tip is last because it may not work for everyone.
I was never someone who craved sugar. However, I found I ate a lot of sugar inadvertently. I’d often go to the kitchen for a snack, and come across cookies, cakes, candy, or other sugary snacks and eat them just because they were there.
In these cases, I didn’t really want the sugary snack, it was just the most convenient thing to eat. I was eating mindlessly. Learning to be more mindful
So instead of just grabbing the first sugary snack you come across, check in with yourself and ask: are you reaching for this snack because you really want it? Or are your reaching for it because it’s there?
If you’re a habitual/mindless eater like I was, you may find that you eat sugar “just because it’s there” way more than you realized. Once you’re aware of your mindset, it’s easy to change your behavior.
Instead of settling for the most convenient sugary snack, put out a little more effort and find a piece of fruit, a veggie, or something with less sugar. You can also make it a point to make low-sugar snacks the more easily accessible option.
However, if you’re someone who always wants sugar, this tip may not get you very far. If you fall into this boat, hopefully one of the first four can help you out!
My low-sugar inspiration
I would be remiss if I didn’t tell you about the Perfect Body Yoga Program! This is the program that made getting healthy easy and inspired me get my sugar intake under control.
If you want to learn more, you can learn more about the yoga only version of the program here and learn more about the yoga and strength training version of the program here! (These links are not affiliate links. I just really love this program.)
And you can also read all about how this program changed my life.
Sound off: Have any of these tips worked for you? Do you have any of your own to add? Tell us about it in the comments!
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