5 Ways To Eat Less Sugar

Posted on by Jordan Soblick

If you eat too much sugar, bad things happen. It’s just that simple. Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, liver disease, and a host of other medical issues can all arise if you consume large quantities of sugar regularly. But many of us put excess sugars in our bodies without even knowing it.

The problem isn’t with nature – natural sugars found in fruits, vegetables, and dairy products are essential sources for the carbohydrates that give us energy. But added sugars contained in processed foods from yogurt to ketchup, as well as those in more obvious culprits like sweetened soft drinks and cookies, don’t add the same value. They’re just empty calories piled on top of the natural sugar you already take in.

Fortunately, reducing the amount of added sugar in your diet, thus reducing your risk of developing health problems, isn’t difficult. It’s a matter of conscious, thoughtful shopping and smart dietary choices that won’t deprive you of flavor, fullness, and nutrition.

Here are five easy ways to eat less sugar:

1. Ditch Sweetened Beverages

If you’re looking for the biggest culprit in America’s processed sugar overload, head to the beverage section. Sweetened drinks, including sodas, sweet teas, energy drinks, lemonade, and sports drinks account for 42.2 percent of average added sugar intake, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It’s not hard to understand why. Just one 12-ounce can of regular soda contains approximately 140 calories, all from added sugar. That one can equals or exceeds the American Heart Association’s recommendation for daily sugar intake – less than 100 calories a day for women and 150 for men.

Try to limit or eliminate altogether your consumption of sweetened beverages and try equally tasty alternatives such as sugar-free or fruit-infused flavored waters and natural fruit juices.

2. Read Up

Added sugars show up in lots of items that don’t seem like intuitive homes for additional sweeteners. That is why reading labels when at the grocery store is one of the best ways to avoid unknowingly putting added sugar into your cart and your body. Read the food labels carefully and look for ingredients like agave, brown sugar, cane sugar, corn syrup, molasses, fructose, dextrose, and evaporated cane juice. Ingredients on labels are listed in order of how much is in a package, so the higher these added sweeteners are on a product’s label, the less you should be inclined to buy it.

3. Don’t Fall For Low-Fat

People looking to eat healthier often presume that foods labeled as “low-fat” are better for them. The problem is that many low-fat foods make up for the loss of flavor caused by reducing fat by adding large quantities of sugar. For example, one serving of low-fat yogurt can contain as much as 30 grams of sugar – almost 60 percent of the USDA’s recommended daily limit.

If you want to reduce your fat intake, skip some of the low-fat items and replace them with whole foods that are full of fiber, protein, and natural fats like fresh vegetables and fruits, whole grains, fish, and eggs. Not only will these foods keep your sugar cravings at bay by filling you up, but they can also help keep your blood sugar levels balanced as well.

4. Switch Out Refined Sugars For Natural Sweeteners

Instead of adding refined sugar to your coffee or tea, try using natural sweeteners like stevia, raw honey, and pure maple syrup. Similarly, you can use fresh, pureed, or baked fruits as a sugar substitute when cooking or baking.

5. Keep An Eye On The Treats

While some added sugars may sneak up on you, it’s likely no surprise to you that cookies, doughnuts, cakes, candy, ice cream, and other sweet treats are chock full of them. We all need to indulge every once in a while. Who would want to live in a world without ice cream? But try to keep your splurging to once or twice a week to avoid overloading your system with added sugars.

Controlling the intake of added sugars through a healthy diet is especially important for people with diabetes. It is one part of a comprehensive approach to maintaining healthy blood sugar levels. Another critical aspect is effective, accurate, and continuous monitoring of those levels.

Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) is a tested, approved, and easy-to-use transceiver device that helps those with diabetes stay in tune and ahead of the game with their diabetes monitoring. Contact us today to see if you qualify for CGM and access our guide to continuous glucose monitoring.

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If you are not insured, or have a high deductible health insurance plan, you can still purchase the Freestyle Libre Reader and Sensors at extremely competitive prices. Prices starting as low as $99 per month

1-888-308-0094

*Fingersticks are required for treatment decisions when you see Check Blood Glucose symbol, when symptoms do not match system readings when you suspect readings may be in accurate, or when you experience symptoms that may be due to high or low blood glucose.

Reference 1: Data on file. Abbott Diabetes Care. 2, FreeStyle Libre 14 day User’s Manual

Indications and Important Safety Information

FreeStyle Libre and FreeStyle Libre 14 day Flash Glucose Monitoring systems are continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) devices indicated for replacing blood glucose testing and detecting trends and tracking patterns aiding in the detection of episodes of hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia, facilitating both acute and long-term therapy adjustments in persons (age 18 and older) with diabetes. The systems are intended for single patient use and require a prescription.

CONTRAINDICATIONS: Remove the sensor before MRI, CT scan, X-ray, or diathermy treatment.

WARNINGS/LIMITATIONS: Do not ignore symptoms that may be due to low or high blood glucose, hypoglycemic unawareness, or dehydration. Check sensor glucose readings with a blood glucose meter when Check Blood Glucose symbol appears, when symptoms do not match system readings, or when readings are suspected to be inaccurate. The system does not have alarms unless the sensor is scanned, and the system contains small parts that may be dangerous if swallowed. The system is not approved for pregnant women, persons on dialysis, or critically-ill population. Sensor placement is not approved for sites other than the back of the arm and standard precautions for transmission of blood borne pathogens should be taken. The built-in blood glucose meter is not for use on dehydrated, hypotensive, in shock, hyperglycemic-hyperosmolar state, with or without ketosis, neonates, critically-ill patients, or for diagnosis or screening of diabetes. When using FreeStyle LibreLink app, access to a blood glucose monitoring system is required as the app does not provide one. Review all product information before use or contact Abbott Toll Free (855-632-8658) or visit www.freestylelibre.us for detailed indications for use and safety information.html. . FreeStyle, Libre, and related brand marks are trademarks of Abbott Diabetes Care Inc. in various jurisdictions. Other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. ©2018 Abbott. ADC-09691 vLO 10/18

*The FreeStyle LibreLink app and the FreeStyle Libre 14 day reader have similar but not identical features. Fingersticks are required for treatment decisions when you see Check Blood Glucose symbol, when symptoms do not match system readings, when you suspect readings may be inaccurate, or when you experience symptoms that may be due to high or low blood glucose.

The FreeStyle Libre 2 app and the FreeStyle Libre 2 reader have similar but not identical features. Fingersticks are required for treatment decisions when you see Check Blood Glucose symbol and when your glucose alarms and readings from the system do not match symptoms or expectations

‡‡‡Based on the sensor being replaced once every 14 days, and scanned at least once every 8 hours.

§§§Glucose readings are not available during 1-hour warm-up, when sensor is too hot or too cold, when you see an error or "LO" or "HI" message, or no current glucose reading