6 Sweet tips: How to eat less sugar

Sweet “snack attacks” can happen at any time, but many sugar cravings can actually indicate a blood sugar imbalance.

When you ingest sugar, your blood sugar spikes. In response, your body releases insulin to help lower it to a safer level. If the insulin lowers your blood sugar level too much, you’ll then crave foods that’ll raise it again and increase your energy, and so the cycle continues.

Sugar cravings can also point to a deficiency in some minerals, like calcium, chromium, iron, magnesium and zinc. Understanding why you have sugar cravings is the first step, but knowing what to do about them is the key.

Foods that help lower sugar craving

The next time you experience a sugar craving, try these foods instead:

• berries (they taste sweet but are higher in fibre than in sugar)
• chia seeds (in salads, smoothies and pudding) - see our article on the benefits of chai!
• dark chocolate (with more than 70% cocoa)
• dates (no more than three at a time)
• fruit (grapes or mangoes are delicious when added to yoghurt)
• legumes (beans, chickpeas and lentils are packed with fibre and protein and help you feel full)
• snack bars (containing whole oats and sweetened with dried/fresh fruit)
• sugar-free chewing gum or mints (artificial sweeteners taste sweet but contain fewer calories)
• sweet potatoes (as a side dish to a fish, meat, or poultry meal, or try fries for a tasty snack)
• yoghurt (containing live cultures and no added sugar)

In addition to eating more foods that help lower your sugar cravings, eating less sugar can help you:

• decrease inflammation
• lose weight
• lower your risk for fatty liver disease, heart attacks and stroke
• manage diabetes  
• reduce your blood pressure

HOW TO EAT LESS SUGAR

1.   Check and compare food label

When was the last time you checked the labels of your groceries? Sugar sneaks into many things, even bread, pasta and savoury snacks. Try to find sauces without added sugar (and no honey and syrup), or season your food with chilli, herbs, and spices, lemon juice, mayonnaise, mustard, pesto, or vinegar.

While some products do contain natural sugars, pick the products with the lowest amounts of added sugars. If you like tinned fruit, opt for the kind in natural fruit juice instead of syrup.

2.   Reduce your sugar portions in recipe

Love baking brownies, cookies, or cakes, but want to use less sugar? Cut back on the amount of sugar in a recipe by one third to one half.

In the same way, instead of adding sugar to recipes, use almond, lemon, orange or vanilla extract for a sweet taste. You can even substitute sugar directly with unsweetened applesauce, or enhance your baking and cooking with spices such as cinnamon, ginger or nutmeg.

3.   Take away sugar from your tea, coffee or cereal

If you regularly add sugar to your tea, coffee or cereal, first try to cut down the usual amount by half and wean it down from there. Eventually, you won’t even miss it!

Instead of adding sugar to your cereal or oats, try fresh bananas or strawberries, or even dried cranberries or raisins.

4.   Favour full-fat food

Full-fat foods are thought of as “bad”, but they generally have a lower sugar and calorie content than low-fat options. Favour full cream milk, double cream yogurt and full-fat peanut butters instead.

5.   Rethink your snack

Many dried fruit snacks, muesli bars and protein bars are packed with sugar. You can still eat these in moderation, but rather choose snacks like:

• biltong (without added sugar)
• unsalted crackers with cheese
• fresh fruit
• hard-boiled eggs 
• unsalted mixed nuts and seeds 
• unsalted popcorn
• unsalted rice cakes 

6.   Steer clear of sugary and fizzy drinks     

Water is one of the healthiest drink options. Trying to lose weight but still like the taste of something sweet? Diet drinks are a good sugar-free alternative. If you love fruit juice, try diluting a little in water instead.

Eating less sugar means relooking at your current drinks, flavours, meals and snacks of choice and making some dietary changes. You can use various natural sugar substitutes and consume other foods to help lower sugar cravings.

Not ready yet to give up completely on your weekly grocery shopping list or favourites? Simply starting by eating less in one sitting is a positive step. You can find even lower-sugar alternatives to your favourite snacks or buy smaller-sized packs.

If you think you might be lacking certain minerals or vitamins, chat with your doctor.  Keeping in mind these six tips can also help you take better care of your heart, health and diet. There is a lot to look forward to in the future, and life can still be abundant and sweet… without the sugar!