Tip Of The Week: Healthy Eating

 

Healthy eating tip 3: Reduce sugar

Apart from portion size, perhaps the prevalent biggest problem with the modern diet is the amount of added sugar in our food. In addition to causing weight problems, too much sugar leads to energy spikes (sudden & relatively rapid rise in blood sugar level) and has been linked to diabetes, depression, and even an increase in suicidal behaviours in young people
. Reducing the amount of desserts and candy you eat is only part of the solution as sugar is also hidden in foods such as bread, cereals, ketchup, fast food, canned foods and low-fat meals, margarine, instant noodles and frozen meals. Our body gets all it needs from sugar naturally occurring in food so this added sugar simply means a lot of empty calories.

Tips For Cutting Down On Sugar

1.       Gradually reduce the sugar in your diet. A little at a time to give your taste buds time to adjust and wean yourself off the craving.

2.       Avoid sugary drinks. Try drinking sparkling water (soda water) with a splash of fresh fruit juice as an alternative.

3.       Don’t substitute saturated fat with sugar. Many of us make the mistake of replacing healthy sources of saturated fat, such as whole milk dairy, with sugary foods or refined carbs, thinking we are making a healthier choice. Low-fat doesn’t certainly mean healthy, especially when the fat has been replaced by added sugar to enhance/make up for loss of taste.

4.       Avoid packaged or processed foods like canned meals, frozen meals, or low-fat meals that often contain hidden sugar that rapidly exceeds the recommended limit.