Health & Wellness

Are You Aware of the Sugar Sources in Your Diet?

Probably not. No sugar. coating the fact that you’re unknowingly consuming much more sugar than you think. If you think you’re eating added sugar in moderation because you do not indulge in sweets, desserts, candies or chocolates, you’re in for not so sweet surprise becoming aware of foods that shockingly contain a high amount of sugar.

We were shocked at some of the items we were mindlessly consuming. Watch this video to get an idea:

Here’s a list of food items that are secretly adding sugar in your diet:

  1. Pure fruit juice
  2. Dried Fruits (They are good for you but if you are trying to cut back on sugar don’t snack on raisins)
  3. Bread (Stop buying white bread. If at all, have multi-grain bread in moderation)
  4. Breakfast Cereals (Plain cornflakes are fine but the ones that contain added flavors have high amount of sugar)
  5. Flavored Coffee and Indian tea with milk and sugar
  6. Ready-to-eat soups
  7. Sports Drinks
  8. Low Fat Yogurt (This contains added sugar; might as well go for full fat yogurt)
  9. Ketchup and salad dressing
  10. Sugar-free products (What can be more misleading than this! These contain sugar alcohols which cannot be digested easily. Limit your consumption of such products)
  11. Cookies and biscuits
  12. Pasta sauce

How much sugar should you eat per day?

There’s no simple answer to this question as the intake depends on how much your body can take without harm. However, it is advisable for men to consume about 37 gms or 9 teaspoons, and women to take 25 gms or 6 teaspoons only).

It is anyway better to have natural sugar than added sugar. Minimize foods with high sugar in your diet. If you think you cannot completely give up these, try sugar-detox diet for a couple of weeks.

Abhinav and I started by thinking we’d give up sugar for a month, but now it has become a part of our lifestyle. We have given up on tea, cookies, and all other sources on added sugar. The results are pretty sweet!

Tips to Cut Sugar From Your Diet

  • Don’t buy processed foods. Seriously, you don’t need them.
  • Eat whole fruits instead of juice
  • Switch to black coffee or green tea instead of milk tea or coffee. It will take time to get fond of it but trust us you will.
  • Go for plain yogurt instead of flavored ones
  • Stop buying chocolates and candies. If they are in your home, you’d be tempted to eat them.
  • Say no to soda and carbonated beverages

Eat well. Feel well!

Purva is the co-founder of Blue Sky Dreamers. A journalist with 11 years of experience, she also freelances as a content writer & editor.

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