Reduce Sugar From your Diet to Help you Lose Weight

Sugar tastes good but another reason cutting sugar in your diet may prove a more difficult task than cutting any other item is the effect that sugar has on your overall body function. After eating foods with sugar, your body’s glycemic index is changed and you can experience a rush or “sugar high” that means sugar not only tastes good; it feels good, too. Aside from cavities and the long-term risks of developing type-2 diabetes, sugar can have profound effects on your weight. Any diet aimed at lowering your weight and reducing fat should include a plan for reducing the amount of sugar you consume.

Sugars are broadly defined as a type of carbohydrates that contain 4 calories per gram. Refined grains and fruits are sources of sugar that are normally viewed as healthier types of sugar to eat. While the more commonly reviled sweets contain high amounts of sugar, all sugar you eat should be viewed with a discriminating eye so as to stay within your dietary goals.

Sugar substitutes are available for those who desire a strict measuring of their sugar intake. While the long-term effects of the substitutes remain mixed among the nutritional experts, in the short-term, substituting sugar with any one of the alternative sweeteners will serve to lower your caloric intake and help you manage or reduce your weight.

Baked goods made with sugar, candy, and sweetened drinks are the main culprits in adding unnecessary sugar to your diet. If you want to lower your intake of sugar in an effort to lose weight, pay as close attention to your drinking habits as you do in monitoring what you eat. Some of the most popular drinks contain more sugar per ounce than anything you’d ever think about eating on a diet.

A diet that focuses on sugar intake should also be comprised with natural sugars in mind as well. Fruits and some vegetables, while loaded with tons of beneficial nutrients and fibers, can contain enough fruit to sabotage your low-sugar plan. In many cases you may choose to monitor your sugar intake from fruit sources rather than eliminating those fruits altogether. If so, recognize the benefits of those fruits and their part in maintaining a healthy diet overall, and target other foods as you work to make choices that are low in sugar.

Sugarless gum and soda water can prove viable alternatives to candy and soda for a diet dependent on low sugar intake.