Do you let your sweet tooth rule you? Having a sugar habit can be harmful to your health. However, most people cannot let it go, because sugar is so delicious.
Why is sugar bad for you?
There are several reasons why sugar should have a minimum presence in your diet.
1. High in Calories, Zero Nutrients
When you eat something with added sugar, you are not getting any nutritional value. There are no protein, minerals or vitamins in added sugar. Also, added sugar can rotten your teeth. You are wasting calories on added sugars.
2. High in Fructose
Added sugar is high in fructose. Your body needs glucose and not fructose. There is no physical benefit for fructose. However, too much fructose can do your body harm. Fructose can only be digested in the liver. Too much fructose will overload your liver. When your liver is overloaded, it turns the fructose into fat.
3. Insulin Resistance
Your body needs the hormone, insulin to function. Insulin helps glucose (blood sugar) enter the cell from the bloodstream. As a result, your body is burning the glucose instead of converting into fat. If there is a lot of glucose in the blood, your body can become toxic. This happens when your body becomes insulin resistant due to the overload of sugar. Insulin resistance can result in several medical diseases such as obesity, type II diabetes, metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease.
These are just the tip of the sugar cube. There are more ways that sugar is bad for you, but now it is time to figure out how to turn off your sugar tooth by not giving into it. The average American eats 23 teaspoons of added sugar a day. If you want to lower your sugar consumption, here are six ways to beat your sugar habit.
1. Eat Plain Yogurt
If you trade in your sugary sweet desert for a yogurt, you are eliminating 2-4 teaspoons of added sugar from your diet. The best yogurts to avoid are the fruit on the bottom yogurts. These yogurts contain 30 grams of sugar. Most of the sugar is added. You should eat plain Greek yogurt and put in your own fresh blueberries. You can add a dash of cinnamon for taste.
2. Stop Drinking Soda
If you eliminate soda, you are saving 10 teaspoons a day of added sugar. To eliminate soda from your diet, it is best to do it by steps. First switch to diet soda. Then after a week, drink a seltzer with a citrus fruit such as a lime or lemon.
3. Snack on Whole Foods and Grains
This eating habit can save you up to 10 teaspoons of added sugar. Trade in your cookies, honey buns, energy bars, etc., in for a nuts, vegetables (celery and carrot sticks) and fiber-rich fruits. Apples, berries and pears are high in fiber. A good whole grain to eat is popcorn. Thus it becomes easy to lose weight with fiber.
4. Water Down Your Fruit Juice
Most of us pick fruit juice, because we feel that it is a better option than drinking a soda. However, some fruit juice has a lot of added sugar. For the average person, fruit juice makes up 10% of the added sugar in our diets. If you mix your juice with water or buy the juice that is labeled no added sugar, you will be eliminating 2-3 teaspoons of sugar every time you drink a class of diluted fruit juice.
5. Let Go of Sugared Cereal
It may be hard to say goodbye to Frosted Flakes or Fruit Loops, but these cereals are not good for you. You should switch your cereal by eating steel-cut oats. This cuts 2-4 teaspoons of sugar from your diet. You can stir in a half of a scoop of vanilla protein powder to add a little sweetness to the cereal.
6. Pick Fresh Desserts
You can use fruits for your desserts. You can spruce up fruits by grilling them. Grilled fruit gives you fiber and sweetness. It is a win-win when it comes to desserts. The best fruits to grill are watermelons, peaches and grapefruits.
If you follow these six ways to avoid sugar, your body will be able to process glucose and fructose better. You will lower your risk of getting type 2 diabetes, because your blood sugar level will be regulated. It will be hard, but it is a necessity.