Cathal BarryWhen making the effort to slash your sugar levels, there are a number of simple steps that will make it easier for you, writes Cathal Barry
Now summer is upon us, everybody is looking for those quick-fix tricks to drop a few pounds before they head off on holidays. One of the quickest ways to shift excess pounds is to eradicate unnecessary sugar from your diet.
Everybody is aware of the health perils of an excessively high sugar intake.
When making the effort to slash your sugar levels, there are a number of simple steps that will make it easier for you.
Try to eat natural sources of sugar and fill up on fresh fruit and vegetables. These contain fibre which helps keep you feeling fuller for longer after meals as well as slowing the rate of absorption of carbohydrates and improving digestion.
Pick fruits like blueberries and strawberries and stick to veggies like broccoli and leafy greens which have the lowest sugar load.
Following a low sugar diet requires some diligence in knowing how much you should be eating. Just because fruit is heathy doesn’t mean you can gorge on an unlimited amount. Make sure keep track of your portions!
Sugar
rush
In general, most people should consume two fruits and at least three servings of vegetables per day. Ideally, try to space out your servings so that you aren’t getting a big sugar rush all at once.
Generally speaking, avoid fruit juices and dried fruit which can be heavily processed and opt for fresh, whole fruit instead.
Fruit juices can be misleading. The food label on the back of doesn’t differentiate between added and natural sugars, instead it lumps them all together.
To get natural sugar sources check the ingredient list to know if there are any added sugars in the product. The things to watch out for are molasses, organic cane sugar, fruit juice concentrate, malt sugar, corn syrup, and words ending in “ose” such as dextrose, maltose, fructose, glucose and sucrose.
{{Eat more beneficial fats such as nuts and seeds”
Another trick when cutting sugars is to eat more beneficial fats such as nuts, seeds, avocados, olive oil and oily fish like salmon and mackerel. Not only are these foods heart healthy and help with blood sugar control, the healthy fats they contain will displace excess sugar from the diet and keep the body satisfied for longer so you are less likely to have energy dips between meals.
Avoid eating processed and packaged food too. Foods in their whole form are going to be your best bet when it comes to lowering your sugar intake. Most packaged foods contain added sugar, so you can cut down on your sugar doses by keeping these to a minimum.
Another simple trick to keep you feeling satiated is eating more protein such as chicken, turkey and different cuts of meat. Protein takes longer to digest so you will be less likely to crash if you’re eating good quality proteins every three to four hours. It will also keep the cravings at bay.
Most importantly, make sure you lower your sugar intake gradually. Going ‘cold turkey’ can lead to withdrawal symptoms such as severe headaches and dizziness.
Whatever you do, do it slowly. That way you’re more likely to stick to it long term.