Reduce Sugar Cravings – Avoid Invisible Sugar

6 Ways to Reduce Sugar Cravings

There’s probably more sugar in your diet that you realise – it’s surprising how many foods have sugar added to them.

We all know it’s not good to eat lots of sugary foods, but – the more sugar you eat, the more you crave it.

Luckily, the reverse is also true.  Once you get used to foods without sugar, you’ll enjoy the cleaner taste.

We all need a little natural sugar, but a typical Western diet contains too much.

Sometimes, we’re not even aware of the sugar we’re eating. So, by avoiding “invisible” sugar, we can reduce our sugar intake – and thus reduce sugar cravings!

Here are 6 easy ways to reduce sugar cravings.

1. Reduce Sugar Cravings by Eating More Often

(No, this is not an excuse to eat more!) 🙂

When your blood sugar level drops, you crave sweet and sugary snacks and meals.

But studies have shown that when you eat 3 meals and 2 snacks, or 5 small meals each day, it is easier to regulate your natural sugar level. It reduces your sweet cravings, and so your sugar consumption automatically drops.

(If you’re not used to smaller meals, just make sure you don’t end up eating more food in total for the day than you normally would).

2. Reduce Sugar Cravings by Reading the labels

You’ve heard this before of course. Ingredients labels are very, very important to your health.

Products that you wouldn’t think would contain sugar, might have more than you think. Bread for example, sauces and ketchup may contain sugar.

How do you know if there’s a high percentage of sugar in a product?

The ingredients list shows the largest ingredients first. So if sugar is in the first 3 or 4 ingredients, you know there’s a lot of sugar in the product.

Foods also differ between countries. Take Heinz Baked Beans as an example. Heinz is an American company, but Heinz Baked Beans are pretty much a staple food in Britain. They have almost no sugar. Yet in the US, most tinned beans are served in a sugary sauce.  So don’t assume when you travel that products will be the same!

Avoiding foods that are high in sweeteners will help to reduce sugar cravings

3. Reduce Sugar Cravings by Knowing the Aliases

Food companies are clever! By using words other than “sugar”, they hope you won’t realise that sugar is present in their goods.

Some common aliases are:

• dried cane syrup,
• corn syrup,
• invert(ed) sugar,
• molasses
• many words ending in “ose”.

Maple syrup, honey and brown rice syrup are also healthy-sounding ways that food companies tell you there is sugar in a specific product.

Due to tariffs and subsidies, sugar is very expensive in the US compared to the rest of the world. As a result, many American food manufacturers use an alternative product, high fructose corn syrup (HFCS).

HFCS is now being used outside the US as well.

HFCS tastes similar to sugar, but the body processes it differently, and there are concerns that it is even less healthy than sugar.

Reduce your intake of foods that list these sugar aliases as ingredients.

4. Reduce Sugar Cravings by Watching Your Habits

Sometimes we just add sugar without thinking, because it’s a habit.

For example, I normally add 2 small spoons of sugar to a strong black espresso coffee.  When I first started drinking cappuccino, I thought I’d need to add sugar to it too. But the milk in the cappuccino sweetened it, and I didn’t need extra sugar at all.

As well as being aware of adding extra sugar, you can also try cutting back a little. If you normally have 2 spoons of sugar in coffee, try reducing it a little.  Try 1¾ or 1½ teaspoons. Do this for a week or so – you’ll get used to the new taste in no time. Then reduce a little more.

This is easier than cutting out sugar totally.

5. Reduce Sugar Cravings by Buying Unsweetened and Adding

If you currently enjoy sweetened yoghurt (and most flavoured yoghurts are sweetened), start buying the unsweetened varieties, and add the sweetness yourself – with healthy alternatives.

For example,

• Add fresh fruit such as strawberries or peaches to plain, unsweetened yoghurt. It tastes more natural, it’s much healthier, and it’s a little more filling.
• If you buy tinned fruit, buy it in water or its own juice, not in syrup.
• If you buy frozen fruit, make sure it’s unsweetened – fruit is naturally sweet, it doesn’t need extra.
• Instead of buying sweetened oatmeal, buy unsweetened and sprinkle nutmeg or ginger on top for a flavour burst, and add blueberries for a nutrient boost.
• Add natural powders such as cocoa, cinnamon and vanilla to your coffee instead of sugar. (Many coffee shops offer this option).

6. Reduce Sugar Cravings by Avoiding Certain Drinks

Of course we all know that soda has lots of sugar – a 12oz / 355ml can of Coke has about 10 teaspoons of sugar.

But there are plenty of so-called healthy drinks and beverages that have incredibly high levels of refined and unnaturally occurring sugar. Are you drinking any of these?

• Enhanced water products – contain up to 8 teaspoons of sugar per bottle
• Canned or bottled coffee beverages – 8 teaspoons sugar per bottle
• Manufactured iced teas – as many as 9 sugar teaspoons per container
• “Healthy” store-bought smoothies – more than 12 teaspoons of sugar for a small size

 Why It’s Good to Reduce Sugar Intake

Sugar contains a lot of calories and zero essential nutrients. It can cause tooth decay, promotes weight gain and water retention, and can become a dangerous addiction. And did you know that a diet heavy in sugar can actually damage your liver?

There are so many reasons not to take sugar into your body, and zero healthy ones.

Yes, it tastes great. But that is only because you have become used to it.

When you practice these tips to reduce the amount of sugar in your diet, your taste buds and your mind will begin to become accustomed to your healthier diet. You’ll reduce sugar cravings – and you’ll probably drop a couple of pounds too!

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