Sugar is one of the most inflammatory foods out there. Most of my clients find a lot of symptom improvement when they reduce their sugar intake. But that’s a lot easier said than done. Here are a few tips to help you start eating less sugar to help you lower inflammation and feel better.
What Type of Sugar Should we Avoid?
Before we talk about how to reduce sugar in the diet, it’s important to understand what types we are talking about. The most offensive sugar for inflammation is refined sugar. This type of sugar comes in a variety of different forms: sugar, white sugar, brown sugar, syrups like corn, rice and barley, high fructose corn syrup, powdered sugar, agave syrup, inverted sugar and evaporated cane juice.
All of these refined sugars are designed to make your foods taste sweet. They also spike your blood sugar which can, over time, lead to insulin resistance and an increase in adipose tissue (or fat tissue). They also disrupt your gut microbiome and can increase the release of inflammatory cytokines.
Not all sugar is “bad”, and some can be eaten in moderation. I like to think of these sugars as sugar that also contain some other beneficial nutrients. This category of sugars include sugar naturally found in fruit, coconut sugar, maple syrup, honey, date sugar and molasses. This does not mean you have free reign to go overboard with these sugars. However, they can add a healthy amount of sweetness with some extra nutritional benefits.
How to Eat Less Sugar
Tip #1: Gradually Decrease Your Sugar Consumption
The first step in eating less sugar is to first assess how much sugar you actually eat. Then make a plan to decrease that amount gradually over time. For instance, let’s say you eat a cookie every night after dinner. You don’t really need that cookie to satisfy your hunger, but it’s a routine and something you enjoy after dinner. Set a goal to eat a cookie every other evening. That already cuts your sugar consumption in half. Once you’ve mastered that goal, eat a cookie only 2 times per week, then weekly, and so forth until the cookie is a rarely eaten food item. You can repeat this process with any sugar laden food you eat on a regular basis.
Tip #2: Replace Refined Sugar with Natural Sugars
As I stated above, natural sugars are what you should rely on for your sweet food items. Substituting natural sugars for refined sugars is a pretty easy swap for most things. If you like to bake, seek out recipes that use maple and honey. Sometimes the ratio isn’t 1:1 but it is something you can experiment with. I always swap sugar for maple when I’m baking and it usually turns out fine.
Tip #3: Read Nutrition Labels
If there is one thing you take away from this discussion today, it’s this one. Please learn how to read nutrition labels. The first thing to notice on labels is the serving size. Most packages now have labels for the full container if it is a single serving package. But, it’s still important to note. Second, look at the Total Carbohydrate line. Underneath should be a few sub-line items. The one you want to pay attention to is “added sugars”. This is where the refined sugar amount is found. Then, read the ingredients to see what type or types of sugar is used. That will help you make an educated decision about eating this food.
How much is considered low added sugar? Personally I aim for really low, like under 3 grams. For a food to be considered “low sugar”, it has to have under 5 grams. You should not eat more than 25 grams of sugar per day. To put this in perspective, 25 grams of sugar is 6 teaspoons of sugar.
Tip #4: Work on Rebalancing your Microbiome
What does your microbiome have to do with sugar? Well, sugar cravings can, in some cases, be connected to your gut bacteria. There are actually gut microbes that love sugar, and the more you have of them, the more intense your sugar cravings can be. Eating a diet high in sugar feeds these bacteria and it can trigger an overgrowth and more inflammation. Eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables and fermented foods can help rebalance your microbiome and reduce sugar cravings.
Follow these tips to help you eat less sugar. If you still need help, contact me to set up a free discovery call. You can also follow me on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube for more tips on how to lower your inflammation with food and lifestyle.
(Photo by Myriam Zilles on Unsplash)
