Wondering how to quit eating sugar? Even if you are just going to remove refined sugars, it may be easier than you think. First, how much should you be consuming in one day?
The American Heart Association Added Sugar Recommendations:
These recommendations are based 5% of caloric intake and assume a woman consumes 2000 calories and a man consumes 3000 calories each day . Children should be consuming less sugar and more nutrient dense diets.
Added sugars are defined by the American Heart Association as sugars and syrups put in foods during preparation or processing, or added at the table.
The World Health Organization (WHO) also has guidelines for free sugars. These are defined by the WHO as sugars added to food by the manufacturer or by you, the consumer. They also include honey, syrups, fruit juice and fruit juice concentrate which is not specifically called out by the AHA. The guidelines from the WHO are to keep free sugar consumption to under 10% of total caloric intake.The do recommend that the best is under 5%, especially for dental health.
Sugar consumption is at an all-time high in the United States and can be linked to obesity, tooth decay, fatty liver, cancer and diabetes. It is important for many of us to reduce or even eliminate excess sugar from our diets to improve our overall health.
How to Quit Eating Sugar in 5 Easy Steps
1 ) Read labels. Sugar can be hidden under so many names. Use this list for refined sugars to get you started.
2) Cook, using whole foods. Take control of ingredients and get in the kitchen.
3) Drink plenty of water. Cravings can be caused by dehydration, so stay hydrated.
4) Add flavor. Use spices to liven up dishes to avoid adding sugar.
5) Go big and make it a priority.
Resources:
http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/NutritionCenter/HealthyEating/Added-Sugars-Add-to-Your-Risk-of-Dying-from-Heart-Disease_UCM_460319_Article.jsp http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2015/sugar-guideline/en/
