Americans consume 2 to 3 pounds of sugar a week! A low sugar diet plan is likely to decrease the amount of sugar you consume, and reduce your risk for diabetes, heart disease, and a host of other medical problems. You can select a low sugar diet, a diet designed for diabetics, or a low calorie diet, as a means of reducing your sugar intake. You can begin by following these tips for a low sugar diet plan:
Tip #1: Read the Label
The nutritional label lists the ingredients in a product in order. The more of an ingredient there is in the product, the higher up on the list of ingredients it will appear. Do not consume any product where sugar is listed as one of the first 3 ingredients. This applies to all kinds of sugar:
- high fructose corn syrup
- beet sugar
- brown sugar
- raw sugar
- sorbitol
- mannitol
- cane sugar
- corn syrup
- dextrose
- evaporated cane juice
- honey
- maltodextrin
- molasses
- sucrose
- turbinado sugar
- agave nectar
Tip #2: Be Aware of Portion Size
Whether it’s a cookie, muffin, or a slice of cake, the size of a serving has grown larger over time. A serving of ice cream now sells as a kiddy cup at most places. If you are having two cookies for dessert, they should be smaller than the size of your hand.
Tip #3: Drink Water
You can add lemon, strawberry, or cucumber to your water, or buy a carbonated, flavored, sugar-free water. Sugary fruit juice should also be avoided. Water is the healthiest drink you can have, and it can be free.
Tip #4: Don’t Add Table Sugar to Foods
If it seems like a drastic measure to eliminate sugar from your coffee, or in your morning cereal, begin by cutting the amount of sugar you add by half. Then reduce that amount by half. Before long you will have adapted to eating and drinking your food without additional sugar.
Tip #5: Keep a Food Diary
Keeping a food diary is a good way to determine whether or not you are eating a healthy, low sugar diet. When you write down everything you eat and drink, you will suddenly remember the large amount of sugar in that latte (the one you forgot was full of sugar)!
Tip #6: Break the Soda Habit
With up to more than 4 tablespoons of sugar in a can of soda, a low sugar diet plan should contain no soda at all. By giving up a single can of soda a week, you can lose a pound a month, without making any other dietary changes. Substitute seltzer or club soda for your sugary, calorie-laden soda.
Tip #7: Substitute and Reduce
You can find many revisions of sugar-laden recipes, or create your own version. Simply reduce the amount of sugar, and see if the food is still tasty. You can often substitute fruit, applesauce, or plain yogurt for sugar and still have a tasty result.
Tip #8: Beware of Hidden Sugar
When you reach for the bread, tomato sauce, ketchup, canned food or diet meal, stop and read the label. Sugar is added to many products, even though it isn’t necessary. Find a brand of the item that doesn’t contain added sugar, and stick to that product.
Tip #9: Rethink Dessert
If you’re not hungry, don’t eat. If you do crave dessert, think fresh fruit or yogurt (without added sugar) instead of sugar-laden cake, cookies, or candy.
Tip #10: Reduce Sugar Cravings
If you eat healthy meals with protein, fiber, whole grains, and complex carbohydrates instead of lots of sugar, you will feel satisfied longer, and eventually reduce your craving for sugar.
