By: Nina Meyer
Managing your sugar intake is SUCH an important part of living a healthy lifestyle. Besides the sugar you expect to be found in drinks and sweets, hidden sugars can be found all over your cabinet in HUGE amounts. And those hidden sugars add up.
Research suggests that most Americans eat anywhere from 50-92 grams of sugar a day! Leading to obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, cancer, tooth decay, and more. Honestly that's only a few of the many side effects.
So, here are 5 easy tips to catch some of those hidden sugars and minimize your intake instantly.
1. DRINK MORE WATER
We can't stress this one enough.
Water is the single greatest tool for creating a healthier you.
We recommend drinking as much cold refreshing water as you can without adding anything more than a drop or two of Double Helix Water.
But, if you need something sweet to drink, Swap out the soda with delicious herbal tea! Try adding an herbal tea like peppermint or fruit tea to your bottle. It will infuse some flavor and natural sweetness without any sugar or calories. AND there are SOO many options and types of herbal teas available that you can have different flavors every time you grab a water bottle.
Carry a GOOD water bottle.
You are more likely to drink water if its available to you all the time. A great water bottle is Dr. Hydro. It has got a big wide mouth that makes it easy to clean and fill with ice, and a removable cleanable straw which closes with the lid, but pops out to drink! Or, if you prefer a glass water bottle, try this one on our site!
2. Trade your Dessert for Whole Fruit
Most desserts have little to no nutritional value. They’re full of sugar and empty carbs that do nothing for you but cause your blood sugar to spike and leave you lethargic and craving MORE sugar.
SO, if you are needing a sweet treat to finish your day, try having some whole fruit!
A cooked apple sprinkled with cinnamon can replace a slice of apple pie and be much more friendly to your heart and scale.
Other yummy ideas:
- A bowl of fresh strawberries with coconut cream,
- greek yogurt with sliced kiwis,
Whole fruit also increases your fiber and vitamin intake and adds antioxidants to your diet. BONUS.
3. Make your own Sauces and dressings!
One 1-tablespoon of ketchup contains 1 teaspoon of sugar. READ THAT AGAIN. 1 tablespoon of ketchup contains 1 teaspoon of sugar. That is sooo much sugar. Ketchup and BBQ sauces are generally 30% sugar at LEAST.
Many salad dressings can be even higher.
Spend a bit of time at the store next time and read the labels. You can find lower sugar replacements for all your go-to brands OR you can save yourself a lot of heartache when counting up your sugar by pulling up your sleeves and making them yourself! Hundreds of recipes exist online for all your favorite sauces, dips and dressings with little to no added sugar!
4. Switch up your breakfast
Unfortunately we are culturaly likely to LOAD our breakfast with sweet, sugary treats.
Some popular cereals contain more than 12 TEASPOONS OF SUGAR PER SERVING. WHAT. That makes them 88% sugar by weight. That's mindblowing.
What’s more, granola, which is usually marketed as a health food, has more sugar than any other type of cereal, on average. ruh oh.
Popular breakfast foods — such as pancakes, waffles, muffins, and jams — are also loaded with added sugar.
So maybe toss the pre packaged breakfasts and try some of these alternatives:
Scrambled eggs with veggies! I love scrambled eggs and go back and forth between whole scrambled or just whites. But always with some kind of veggie or fruit.
If you're craving french toast, try making some scrambled egg whites, and a slice of toasted ezekial bread. Dust them all in cinnamon and give yourself a dollop of light (sugar free or low sugar maple syrup) as a treat!
Other great breakfast options:
- avocado on grilled ham
- greek yogurt with fruit and nuts
- oatmeal sweetened with almond milk and fresh fruit
5. Lastly - GET ENOUGH SLEEP
Poor sleep can affect the type of food you eat! According to this study people who didn't get enough sleep were predisposed to choose foods higher in sugar, fat, salt, and calories.
Another study found that people who went to bed later and didn’t get a full nights sleep ate more calories, fast food and soda - while also eating fewer fruits and vegetables than those who went to bed earlier and slept the recommended amount.
One more tip! LOVE BAKING???
When baking, you can experiment with apple sauce and generally cut the sugar called for in a recipe by 1/3 to even 1/2 and still get the same results with less sugar!
By: Nina Meyer for Double Helix Water
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