Want to cut back on sugar? try to apply this easy trick

Sweet foods and drinks always tempt "faith". Many people including you will probably make room in the stomach for chocolate, cake, candy, or ice cream even though you have eaten a lot before. After all, who can resist the temptation of melted chocolate on your favorite cake? The taste is difficult.

Do not be surprised if many people find it difficult to avoid, or even just reduce sugar, even though they know that excessive sugar consumption is not good for health.

Do you really have to cut down on sugar?

The World Health Organization (WHO) states that the limit for sugar intake for adults is no more than 50 grams or the equivalent of 12 teaspoons of sugar per person per day.

These recommendations do not include sugars that are found naturally in milk, fruit or vegetables. Excess sugar consumption can affect your health, such as increasing the risk of developing diabetes or obesity.

Sugar is not to be avoided, but to be limited; because without sugar, the central nervous system cannot work optimally. As a result, you will find it difficult to concentrate and experience fatigue.

A good sugar-free diet or diet is to limit "added sugar" to a minimum, but still get natural sugars, such as those found in bread, vegetables, fruit, dairy products, and nuts.

The Food and Drug Administration(FDA) says that excess consumption of added sugar can make it difficult for the body to digest fiber foods, vitamins, and minerals that are important for the body.

Tips for reducing sugar in daily consumption

If you want to cut back on sugar, or even want to try a sugar-free life, below are tips you can apply.

1. Pay attention to food labels

The FDA says that the presence of information about added sugars on food labels can help raise consumer awareness about the amount of added sugar in certain food products.

We recommend that, if you already know the limit for sugar intake per day, you need to pay attention to the sugar content in the food products you buy, especially the added sugar content.

When you read the labels of these food products, you have to be more observant because often the word sugar is written in other terms, such as cane sugar, sugar syrup, granulated sugar, dextrose, fructose, honey, sucrose, or any word that ends in "-ose" .

2. Buy food or drinks without added sweeteners

A simple way to start a sugar-free life is to buy foods or drinks without added sweeteners, such as soy milk and oatmeal.

3. Combine sugar with protein, healthy fats, and fiber

Excess sugar consumption can increase blood sugar in the body which will decrease rapidly. Of course, this blood sugar level will immediately decrease as well so that it will make you hungry immediately. To avoid this, you need to combine sugar with protein, healthy fats and fiber in your diet. This combination can slow the release of blood sugar into your body and keep you full longer.

4. Add more flavor

What makes it difficult for you to avoid sugar is the sweetness it produces; So one way to reduce sugar is to add more flavor to the food or drink you consume. You can use cocoa or vanilla powder, spices like nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon, etc.

Study in Journal of Medicinal Food mentioned that spices have been shown to naturally regulate blood sugar which helps control your appetite.

5. No need to leave your favorite cake and ice cream

Who says cutting back on sugar means no longer eating your favorite sweet foods and drinks? There is nothing wrong if you want to enjoy your favorite foods, such as donuts, ice cream, brownies, candy, chocolate, and others. It's just that you need to limit it and not consume too often or too much.

If you are afraid that it will become increasingly difficult to resist the temptation of your favorite food, you can make certain days your special days, which are days when you can enjoy certain foods or drinks that you cannot enjoy on other days. For example, only once per weekend.

6. Make cutting sugar a habit

Even though it is difficult, you need to do it to maintain your health. Reduce sugar slowly, not suddenly. As long as you do it consistently, little by little you can get used to living low in sugar.