Cutting Out Sugar | Tips to Make Healthier Food Choices

Is sugar in fruit bad for you? How much sugar is okay to consume on a daily basis? Bringing answers to these and many other questions about sugar, here’s an interview with Kavita Devgan, an acclaimed nutritionist with extensive experience as a weight loss and holistic health consultant.

Kavita, tell us briefly how does sugar affects our health?

Kavita: Sugar has been branded as the harbinger of all things bad (health wise) and has taken over from fat as the biggest villain in ‘what causes the modern day ailments’ script. And to an extent, it is true too. Besides the regular suspects like diabetes and overweight, research has proven sugars connect with hypertension, fatty liver, and even acne, cellulite and lowered immunity. Plus, it has been labeled a “bone stealer” as excess sugar in the diet increases excretion of magnesium and calcium (both bone minerals) from the body.

So, how much sugar is okay to consume on a daily basis to stay healthy? And for those looking to lose weight?

Kavita: Sugars are of two kinds: visible and invisible. Visible is the sugar we add to our foods and invisible is the sugar we unwittingly eat via the packaged and junk food we eat.

Target eating no more than 2 tsp of visible sugar every day and to keep the invisible sugar to the minimum read the labels carefully and look out for words like fructose, sucrose, glucose, sorbitol, maltose, High fructose corn syrup (HFCS).

Also, most definitely skip the foods where sugar is one of the top three ingredients (means the food is loaded with sugar). Beware often innocuous foods like salad dressings, tomato sauces and bread are also loaded with the white stuff.

b. Should one also avoid fruits with high sugar when aiming to lose weight?

No, the kind of sugar fruits provide does not harm as it comes packaged with lots of fiber, which delays its absorption. Plus fruits, even those high in sugar deliver a lot of nutrients, antioxidants, and enzymes that most of us are anyway short of in our diet. target eating a variety of fruits – at least 2-3 per day. Definitely, avoid too much of juice though (even fresh) as that is an overload of sugar minus the fiber, so will harm.

Is it okay for people wanting to gain weight to continue taking sugar in the form of rich desserts?

Kavita: No, that is not the right way to gain weight; one can get saddled with lots of other health issues. Those aiming to gain weight should focus on increasing their protein content of the diet so that they gain more muscle mass instead of fat mass.

No matter how much people try, they find it difficult to quit sugar completely. Can you give some tips for a sugar detox?

Kavita: Going cold turkey (refined sugar) is what works best, at least in the beginning. Do it for 3 days and stretch to a week if possible. No added sugar in anything, no processed and junk foods.

Include at least 3-4 servings of fruit (will keep cravings down) and stock up on good sugar alternatives (see below) and have in really small servings if it gets unbearable. After a week, the palate adjusts and you notice a substantial decrease in cravings for sugar.

4. What are healthy low-sugar alternatives for:

a) breakfast

Kavita: poha with lots of veggies, amaranth pops, dal cheela, dal idli, yogurt and fruits, eggs

b) snacks: (instead of processed food which have high sugar content)

Kavita: Yogurt Dip with Carrot sticks, Olives and cheese

c) desserts:

Kavita: follow this rule when picking a dessert: always make sure that the dessert offers some goodness that offers some nutrition (besides just empty calories and fat). Avoid those that are just combinations of sugar, white flour, butter, and trans fat. Opt instead for the healthier choice – a dessert that offers more than just a sugar rush. For example, if you have to pick between rasgulla and gulab jamun, while both are comparable in calories and sugar content, rasgulla made of cottage cheese will give you some dairy, so some protein and calcium too – so is a better choice than the later which is just a ball of sugar and fat.

Your advice to people who want to lose weight but can’t resist junk food…

If going cold turkey does not work, follow the 2 out of 21 rule. You can indulge in 2 meals out of every 21 (basically this boils down to 2 meals in a week). This will keep you happy and also minimize the damage.

Can you suggest some alternatives to sugar?

Luckily, there are now multiple, healthy alternatives available beyond just honey and jaggery that can make your diet exciting. These are maple syrup, date sugar, coconut sugar, agave nectar.

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About Kavita Devgan:

Kavita Devgan is a weight management professional practicing in Delhi, Health columnist and Author of Ultimate Grandmother Hacks: 50 Kickass Traditional Habits for a Fitter you, and Don’t Diet! 50 Habits of thin people

Follow on Twitter, FB And Instagram: @Kavitadevgan

Buy books: 

Ultimate Grandmother Hacks

Don’t Diet! 50 Habits Of Thin People