Need a Few Ways to Cut Back the Sugar in your Life?

Glucose, one of the main forms of simple sugar, is used also heavily by your brain to power important functions. But nutritionally? Unfortunately, sugar has no other value.

Natural Sugar vs Added Sugar

Naturally occurring sugars are the sugar you find in unprocessed foods such as:

• Milk
• Fruit
• Vegetables
• and some grains

Natural sugar can be good for you in moderation, based on your lifestyle. If you’re an athlete or heading out on a 9-mile run, the natural sugars in a banana will go a long way in fueling your body’s quick energy stores. Again, these natural sugars aren’t necessarily bad but they are still sugar!

On the other hand, added sugar is what’s found in many processed foods, drinks, and condiments, as they’re being produced. Many times, natural sugars and added sugars are found in items like sports drinks, bottled juices, and even “health bars”!  Here, it’s important to note that brown sugar, agave, coconut sugar, and any other variation of that is also an added sugar, even if it’s inherently natural.

Here’s a peek at the common culprits when it comes to added sugars:

• Whole-grain cereals
• Granola
• Flavored instant oatmeal
• Frozen desserts
• Frozen meals
• Granola bars
• Protein bars
• Nutrition bars
• Pasta sauce
• Smoothies
• Fruit juices
• Yogurts
• Barbecue sauce
• Ketchup
• Salad dressing
• Coffee creamers

Here are some ways you can cut back on sugar:

Use fruits and spices to sweeten you morning breakfast.

Creamers and flavored breakfast foods, like cereal and oatmeal are usually filled with added sugars, making breakfast one of our top focuses. Rather than dumping flavored creamer (or just straight up white sugar) into your coffee, try swapping it for unflavored almond milk with cinnamon, cocoa powder, or nutmeg! There are even plenty of unsweetened vanilla versions of plant-based milks available to help you make the switch.

The same goes for oatmeal. Rather than opening a pre-flavored packet full of sugar, opt for a serving of plain quick oats topped with fruit, nuts, and spices! You can even throw in a scoop of your favorite TLS® Shake, or skip the oats entirely for a protein-packed shake you can blend with your favorite fruits!

Read the Nutrition labels
Navigating the hidden, natural, and processed sugars can quickly get overwhelming. Thankfully, we’ve got a few good rules-of-thumb to get you started as you’re comparing products:

• Nutrition Bars/Snacks: 12 grams of sugar per serving or less
• Hot/Cold Cereals: 8 grams of sugar per serving or less
• Flavored Yogurts: 20 grams of sugar per container or less
• Granola: 5 grams of added sugar or less

Just remember that if you eat twice the serving, you’re getting twice the sugar! If you’re ever in doubt, you can always just look it up!

Substitute when baking

While a little sugar helps in bringing out the natural sweetness and improving the pastry’s texture, most of the time you can cut back on sugar quite a bit.  In most cases, you can use substitutes to cut the amount of sugar in your favorite recipes by 1/3 or even by 1/2!

Here are our favorite substitutes:

Unsweetened Applesauce:  This works in a 1:1 ratio, but you need to reduce the amount of liquid in the recipe by 1/4 cup if any is added.

Omit: Generally, you can cut 1/4 of the sugar in nearly any recipe without too much of a change!

Dates: A date puree can be used in place of 1 cup of sugar in any recipe! Just puree 1 cup pitted dates with 1/2 cup hot water until a thick paste is made.

Create your own beverages:

From teas to cocktails to soda, there are plenty of ways to avoid the tablespoons of sugar these drinks sneak into your daily diet.

Tea: Rather than grabbing a store-bought bottle, grab a big jug and a large sachet of herbal tea with a fruit, flavor such as lemon-ginger, orange, blueberry, or raspberry! The natural sweetness of the fruit will help satisfy that sweet tooth without any of the added sugar.

Cocktails: The sugars found in wine and mixed drinks might surprise you, but you can opt for a mocktail made with sparkling water and infused with herbs and fruit instead.

Soda: With the sales of soda steadily declining in favor of seltzer and sparkling water, you might have already hopped on this trend! If not, it’s time to ditch the soda (yes, even the diet) for a sparkling water. Many brands offer flavored versions that come without sugar or sugar alcohols such as La Croix, but you can always grab a store-brand version and infuse it with your favorite flavors at home!

Sharon Smith with Body and Skin Health – Your Health & Wellness Coach.
~Your Health is your Wealth~

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug. Products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.