Most Americans eat way more sugar than they think they do and way more sugar than the recommended daily amount of 6 teaspoons per day. There is no nutritional benefit at all from added sugars. Most sugars in our diet come from prepared and processed foods. There are a few easy and painless ways to cut the amount of sugar in your diet.
5 Easy Ways to Cut Sugar In Your Diet
Yogurt
Consuming Greek Yogurt on a regular basis can be an excellent source of protein and healthy probiotics. However, all yogurt is not created equal. It is really important to read the labels and compare the sugar numbers.
Salad Dressing
Adding salads full of fresh veggies to your diet is fantastic. The bottled salad dressings not so much. Many dressings that say “low fat” often have more sugar. It is easy to make your own dressing as well. Check out my Greek Yogurt Dill Pickle Ranch.
Coffee drinks and Sports Drinks
Flavored coffee drinks can pack a big punch of sugar. A grande pumpkin spice latte has 50 grams of sugar! That is a whole day’s worth of sugar in one drink. Many “sports drinks” are just as bad as soda with a few extra electrolytes. Race day hydration is different than everyday hydration.
Breads/Wraps
A surprising source of added sugar. Many loaves of bread and wraps that sound healthy with ingredients like “whole grains” have lots of added sugars. I’ve noticed different varieties of my favorite brands have drastically different sugar content as well.
Granola Bars
When comparing labels of some granola or “protein” bars, it can be hard to tell the difference between them and a candy bar.
How do you know how much sugar you are consuming?
The only way to really know how much sugar you consume on a daily basis is to keep track of everything you eat and drink. Using an app like My fitness pal can easily highlight the breakdown of your daily nutrition. This is usually one of the most surprising pieces of information for the nutrition clients that I work with. Small amounts of added sugars at each meal or snack can quickly add up over the course of a day.
Why is sugar so bad for you?
Excess sugar in our diets can lead to weight gain and obesity as well as diabetes. Extra insulin in your body from sugar can lead to heart disease and heart attacks. Consuming large amounts of sugar can also lead to joint pain, skin issue, and dental problems to name a few.
Sugary snacks can also lead to mood swings and the dreaded sugar crash. Feeling sluggish mid afternoon? Sugar could be one of the culprits.
Something you might notice here is that sugar sources like honey and agave syrup are still considered sugars and have the same effect on your body.
Hit me up with any nutrition for runners questions you might have. I’d love to hear what’s on your mind.
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It’s funny that when I feel sluggish, it’s easy to reach for a quick “pick me up” in the form of a sugary product. Meanwhile the sluggishness is likely caused by too much of that in the first place. Such a vicious cycle! Thanks for highlighting those products and also more information on the downsides of too much sugar.
yes it is a vicious cycle. When you feel that way try to reach for protein or a mix of protein and carbs like yogurt. This is one of things that has made a huge difference for me and my clients. Let me know how it goes
I think I’ve written this post — but it ALWAYS deserve repeating. Considering there’s also a strong vein of diabetes in my family, it’s just another reason I try to eat healthy most (but not all) of the time.
One sort of hidden place — chocolate! Over the years I’ve moved from milk chocolate (as a kid) to very dark chocolate (88% most of the time). Even then there’s a wide range of sugar in dark chocolate so I keep an eye on that, too!
So I used to have a small amount of chocolate daily (2 hershey kisses or a square of something) but I realized it was not doing me any favors. I gave it up cold turkey and honestly don’t miss it. Reducing sugar has been one of the keys to my success lately. I am amazed that so many people don’t think about it at all
I totally admit I have a horrendous sweet tooth. I’ve never been a veggie gal (unless there’s plenty of dipping sauce or salad dressing). I didn’t grow up eating a lot of vegetables, and it’s been a tough thing to learn as an adult. I’m lucky I don’t have any weight issues, but that’s a double-edged sword because I tend to take that for granted with some of my non-healthy choices. I’m on the road to “recovery,” though LOL
Yes, it is hard to cut down on sugar but has so many health implications.
Looks like we both had sugar on the brain today 😉
It’s amazing to see all of the added sugars in so many products – especially in things we tend to think of as “healthy” options!
Thanks for linking up!
yes, exactly! Hope your sugar detox goes well. Let me know what you learn
I’m like Kim.
I’m don’t look at the sugar content of the things I eat.
But I do avoid snacking and when I do I try to eat fruit.
Fruit is a great snack option. I like to look at labels and use that info to help me choose healthier options all around
Ah…. sugar. It’s in everything. About five years ago i totally went cold turkey on sugar, and had to read the ingredients of every single thing I ate. Turns out there was sugar in the vegetable broth I was using, pasta sauce, just about everything. You can easily go way above the “safe” levels of sugar for a day without touching a single dessert. And yes- “turbinado,” “evaporated cane juice” even coconut sugar… it’s all the same. Great post!!!
Yes, you sure can go way over the rec daily amount without eating any “desserts”. Lots of people think honey and agave and coconut sugar is better but it’s all marketing. It is all the same.I feel so much better cutting out sugar where I can.
I also don’t look at the sugar contents but I don’t eat snacks. My weakness is a glass of Pepsi at dinner.
However I had to remove salt from my diet to keep blood pressure low and not to have headaches anymore.
It is a constant puzzle game to piece together the best diet isn’t it?!
I was just talking about your dill pickle/greek yogurt dip over dinner last night!
I didn’t intend to cut back on sugar this year but it happened as part of some other dietary changes I made this year and it’s amazing how different I feel. I also felt a difference in cutting way back on the fake sugars, although I do use splenda in my coffee
It is amazing what a difference it makes!