Sugar is everywhere: sweets, biscuits, fizzy drinks… but also ready meals and even shop-bought tomato sauce! White sugar, or refined sugar, can be found in many foods… So to finally cut down on sugar day to day, read on for all our tips!
Why cut out sugar?
In France, we consume on average 6 times more sugar per day than the amount recommended by the World Health Organization. That’s why health guidelines encourage us to limit added sugars!
What’s more, some people are more likely to want to snack, preferably on something sweet, when they regularly eat sugary products. Sugar is also one of the foods you may wish to cut back on!
More broadly, health guidelines recommend limiting very sugary products as part of a balanced diet…
Here are a few more points to bear in mind at your next meal!
Fructose is widely found in industrially made sweet foods. That’s why it’s recommended to limit processed foods containing added sugar.
When it comes to your skin, it’s also best to go easy on sugar, for your overall balance.
One more reason to eat less sugary food day to day: it’s one of the basic principles of a balanced diet!
Many of us find it hard to give up sweet things. To change your habits, the idea is to gradually cut down on refined sugar in your meals.
How to cut out sugar day to day?
Cutting down on sugar can be challenging, especially as so many of us are addicted to it, consciously or unconsciously. However, there are a few tips you can start using right now to cut down on, or even cut out, white sugar.
When a sugar craving strikes between meals, get into the habit of drinking water. Our brain can sometimes play tricks on us, making us confuse hunger with thirst. Drink a large glass of water (or a herbal tea, a regular tea, a fruit-infused water…) and wait a few minutes. Your sugar craving may well disappear as quickly as it came!
To successfully cut out refined sugar, you first need to know where it hides! While it’s obvious in a bag of sweets or a can of soda, it’s far less so in a salad dressing or a ready meal… Make it a habit to read nutritional labels before eating anything. Sugar can hide under many different names, but as a general rule, watch out for ingredients ending in “-ose”, such as glucose, fructose, dextrose, maltose, or anything labelled as a “syrup”.
Cutting out sugar takes willpower, so don’t make it harder on yourself by keeping sugar-laden foods within easy reach! To succeed, clear out your cupboards and say goodbye to anything that might tempt you.
Cutting out sugar for your belly: what you need to know
When we decide to cut down on sugar, many of us think about our tummy first. But no single food or change in diet targets one particular area of the body. Cutting down on sugar is part of a wider approach, alongside a varied, balanced diet and regular physical activity.
To make the change stick, take it step by step. Put a little less sugar in your coffee or tea each week, until you can do without it altogether if you’d like to. Go for plain yoghurt and add a few pieces of fresh fruit yourself. To flavour your desserts without adding sugar, try vanilla, cinnamon or citrus zest. Cooking from scratch, even very simple recipes, also means you know exactly what’s on your plate. And if you give in now and then, don’t feel guilty: what matters is sticking with your new habits, not the odd treat.
What to use instead of sugar?
To replace white sugar in your everyday cooking, you can opt for whole cane sugar (also known as “Rapadura sugar”). Less refined, it has a stronger, almost caramel-like flavour. You can also choose honey or maple syrup, two natural products with a distinctive taste, to be used in moderation. Bear in mind, though, that they’re still sugars!
Agave syrup is another option: it has the advantage of having no aftertaste. Remember, though, that it’s still a sweetener too!
Stevia, meanwhile, can be used to sweeten your recipes. Bear in mind, however, that it can’t be heated.
Coconut sugar also has a low glycaemic index and, as a bonus, its subtle fragrance adds a lovely exotic touch to all your desserts!
To cut down on sugar, also try to stop using white sugar in your recipes. Don’t hesitate to use apple sauce (with no added sugar, of course), yoghurt or even banana instead: these ingredients can help reduce the amount of added sugar in some recipes!
So there you have it: refined sugar is best enjoyed in moderation, as part of a varied, balanced diet!
A varied, balanced diet with as little refined sugar as possible: that’s a good habit to get into. And if you’d like to find out more, take a look at our 14-day anti-cellulite programme. This programme combines anti-cellulite capsules and an anti-cellulite drainer, containing over 13 selected active ingredients. Discover this programme here!
Related articles
- Sugar-free week: which sugars to cut and what to eat
- Sugar and Cellulite: What We Know
- Sugar-free desserts: 5 easy and delicious recipes
Useful categories: Anti-Cellulite Diet.
