Use these sugar-buster basics for a healthy holiday season.
For millions of Americans, Halloween kicks off a sugar-high season
that lasts well into the new year. With months of temptation ahead, it’s
more important than ever to get sugar savvy now. Here’s why: Sugar
has been linked to more than sixty different ailments, including
obesity. While refined sugar consumption has declined in recent years, a
new breed of sugar substitutes has emerged in artificial sweeteners
such as Splenda, aspartame, and sugar alcohols, as well as
high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS). Alarmingly, sugar’s “kissing cousins”
may be even more harmful to your health than sugar itself.
Here are some tips that are fundamental sugar-busters–basic concepts
to help you identify sugar in all its various forms, and to teach you
to limit, substitute for, or eliminate it in the foods you put in your
grocery cart, the foods you have in your kitchen, and the way you
prepare food.
Change is hard, so ease into it. Start by using the concepts that
seem the simplest and most appealing to you. Once you’re comfortable
with those, it’s easy to expand and do more.
1. Stop adding sugar to foods- This is the very
easiest way to cut sugar! Whether it’s cereal and fruits, or drinks like
herbal tea and coffee, don’t add that sweet sprinkle. Simply
eliminating nutrient-empty processed sugars from your kitchen is a good
way to start. This means not only table sugar, but dextrose, raw sugar,
turbinado sugar, brown sugar, and powdered sugar as well.
2. Eliminate processed carbohydrates from your kitchen-
Although many people don’t realize it, refined carbohydrates such as
white rice, white bread, and white pasta are quickly converted to sugars
in the body and disrupt the body’s blood sugar and fat control
systems. Keeping these common products out of your home is a simple yet
effective way to maintain a better-balanced blood sugar level.
3. Stick with unprocessed whole foods- That’s the
only way to be sure you’re greatly reducing your sugar intake. Poultry,
meat, fish, and eggs are, of course, sugar-free. Legumes, grains, nuts,
vegetables, and fruits, which may have some naturally occurring
sugars, are full of nutrients and fiber, two ingredients that help
balance blood sugar.
4. Thin out sweeteners or sweet foods- (including
natural ones, whenever you can.) The idea isn’t to substitute one sugar
addiction for another one, but rather to gradually and permanently cut
down on all forms of sugar in your diet. Dilute concentrated sweeteners
such as honey with water and mix sweet foods like granola with unsweet
foods such as plain cereals and nuts to reduce the total amount of
sugar consumed.
5. Just as with sugar-free foods, beware of fat-free foods-
The fat-free trend of the early 1990s predated the low-carb craze from
which we are now emerging. “Fat-free” may be in bold letters on the
label, but what the manufacturers don’t tell you is that the products
are sugar-rich, sometimes containing two or more times the sugar found
in the regular version of that product that naturally contains a little
fat. High amounts of sugar not balanced with protein and fat cause the
pancreas to release insulin, the body’s main fat-storage hormone.
Fat-free products may sound good on paper, but in the ultimate irony,
fat-free products helped to make American fatter and can still do so if
you eat them excessively.
6. The more natural the food, the better- It’s well
established now that the more processed a food is, the more it will
tend to raise your blood sugar. Since balanced blood sugar levels are
the goal, opt for foods as close to their natural state as possible.
Choose an orange in place of orange juice, an apple over applesauce,
and brown rice instead of white rice.
7. Become a food detective- To reduce sugar, you
have to know where it is first. To do that, you have to be alert, ask
questions, and pay attention to the information you receive about food.
Learn to recognize important clues- such as how many grams of sugar are
listed on a food label, the ingredients in a food, and how sweet a
food tastes to you. Once you identify those foods with a high or hidden
sugar content, you know them for what they really are: nutrient
robbers and troublemakers for your body.
8. Eat for taste and good nutrition- Your
tastes can change, after all, but your fundamental nutrient requirements
have to be met each and every day. It’s far better to have your taste
buds rebel for a short while, than to have your body break down from
nutrient deficiencies. Keep this in mind wen you’re asked to change
long-standing habits for new, healthier, sugar-reducing ways of eating.
9. Listen to your body- Know that your body gives
powerful signals about what’s right for you even when your taste buds
don’t want to listen. For example, if you get an initial high after
eating a piece of chocolate but two hours later feel lethargic,
irritable, and depressed, your body is going to great lengths to tell
you something. Try to pick out those foods that make you feel good over
the long term- mentally, emotionally, and physically- and you’ll make
great strides toward stabilizing your blood sugar.
10. Eat regular, balanced meals- This may sound like
old-fashioned advice, something your mother might have told you, but
scientific research is proving its inherent wisdom. Some research
indicates that the body operates more efficiently when each meal or
snack that you eat contains approximately 40 percent carbohydrates, 30
percent protein, and 30 percent fat. This formula keeps your blood sugar
in the optimal zone for as long as four or five hours. Balanced blood
sugar levels mean better concentration, better mood, and greater energy
and stamina (and therefore less need or temptation to grab something
sweet for quick energy).
*
Adapted from ‘Get the Sugar Out: 501 Simple Ways to Cut the Sugar Out of Any Diet’
-Edge On Health, Dr. Ann Louise Gittleman
