As redundant as it may sound, we cannot deny that sugar makes our lives sweeter. On a hot summer dayenjoy an ice cream, a few cookies with coffee in the afternoon or a piece of chocolate cake for dessert - all foods that have long conquered our palate. Sugar is one of the most consumed substances in the world and unfortunately also one of the most dangerous to health. In the long term, sugar consumption can affect our quality of life and be the cause of many health problems. If you've decided to give up white refined sugar, keep reading our article - we have lots of useful tips and information on how to live sugar-free!
The average adult consumes much more sugar than necessary, so it's not a bad idea to cut down on extra sugar intake. Some people go one step further and cut sugar out of their diet completely. Many people want to go sugar-free because it is one of the most effective ways to stay healthy. We'll give you a few tips to help you get through this change more easily.
Clean up your kitchen and throw away anything sugary -Cookies, muesli, chips, fruit yoghurt, bread, ketchup andall other sauces– unfortunately the list is really long. Replace with healthy alternatives so you're less likely to reach for an unhealthy snack when you're sitting in front of the TV, for example. Try baking your own cookies or making a sugar-free marinara sauce for your spaghetti.
Avoid all sweets –Chocolate, cake, ice cream or just a cookie - who doesn't love them? All of these are filling at first, but could whet your appetite even further. Since the sugar from the treats is absorbed into the blood without much digestive work, your blood sugar level rises quickly. Within a short time, the body produces a lot of insulin to compensate for the high sugar level in the blood. When there is too much insulin, the blood sugar level usually falls below the normal limit, which increases cravings for sweets.
If you're really craving something sweet, try the followingAlternativesout of:
1. Fresh fruitis naturally sweet and is rich in fiber, vitamins and minerals. But remember that fruit also contains sugar. To satisfy your sweet cravings, it's best to turn to fruits with a low glycemic index - berries, green apples and all citrus fruits are the perfect choice.
2. Greek yogurt with cinnamonis rich in calcium, protein and vitamin B12.
3. Dark Chocolate –The higher the cocoa content, the less sugar.
4. A handful of dried fruitswhich are also naturally sweet and very nutritious..
5. Season your dishes – coriander, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves andcardamomSweeten the food in a natural way and reduce the craving for sweets.
Much of the sugar you consume every day comes not from the foods you eat, but from the drinks you drink. If you want to live sugar-free, you shouldmany beloved drinksavoid. Soft drinks, energy drinks and soda are loaded with sugar. Many so-called 'healthy' drinks like smoothies and fruit juices also contain surprising amounts of it. For example, in half a liter of 100% apple juice there are more than 13 spoons (about 50 g) of sugar. You never thought that, right? Here is a list of healthier drink options:
1. Wateris free and has no calories.
2. Homemade Soda –Sparkling water with a squeeze of fresh lemon or lime
3.Water with cucumber and mintseems quite refreshing on warm days.
4. Herbal or fruit teaYou could enjoy both hot and cold in summer on the balcony with friends.
5. Tea or coffeeYou should also drink unsweetened or with very little milk.
Okay, what about the sauces that can be found in almost every kitchen? Unfortunately, not well – the sugar content in most of them is shockingly high. For example, a single tablespoon of ketchup (around 15 g) contains up to 5 g of sugar! Since many don't have sugar-free alternatives, just read the nutritional information on the back to make sure you're buying the sauce with the lowest sugar content. We have some options for seasoning your dishes when living sugar-free:
1. Fresh or dried herbscontain no sugar or calories and will have good effects on your health.
2. Mustardis very tasty and, unlike ketchup, has practically no sugar and is low in calories.
3. PestoWith its light nutty taste, it is perfect for pasta dishes or sandwiches. It's best to prepare it yourself at home.
4. Harissa-Pasteis a very good substitute for chili sauce.
With the so-called'healthy snacks and bars'you should also be careful. Everyone knows that cookies and chocolate contain sugar and that's why many people turn to the 'healthy' alternatives. Surprisingly, snacks like granola or protein bars can have as much or even more sugar than their competitors - one granola bar could contain up to 35 grams of sugar. But that doesn't mean that snacking is completely forbidden. So that you can continue to live a sugar-free life and treat yourself every now and then, we have a few alternatives for you:
- A handful of nutsis packed with good calories, healthy fats and protein.
- Trail mixis also a very good and tasty option.
- Hard-boiled eggsare rich in protein, vitamins and minerals.
Read food labels and find hidden sugar
Do you want to live sugar-free or reduce your sugar consumption? Then there is one thing that is totally important – thisRead food labels! There are two types of sugar – natural and added. Not only do most sweets contain added sugar, but so do many savory foods such as salad dressings, pasta sauces and bread. Two slices of bread can have up to 8 grams of sugar. To check whether sugar has been added to a food, check the ingredients list and where exactly the sugar is located, as the ingredients with the highest percentage will be listed first.
The recommended daily dose of sugar for women is 25 g and for men 35 g. The nutritional information informs us about the total sugar content and not about the types of sugar. To determine whether there is added sugar in a food, you should look at the ingredients list and familiarize yourself with the many names for sugar. To make it easier to identify added sugar, keep an eye out for the following words:
Agave, honey, glucose, molasses, fructose syrup, fruit puree, fruit juice, fructose, barley malt, dried fruits, glucose, coconut blossom sugar, skimmed milk powder, whey powder, lactose, sucroseetc..
The packaging of many foods often says “sugar-free” or “with less sugar,” but this can be a bit misleading for many people.
- Sugar-free:less than 0.5 grams per serving
- with less or reduced sugar:at least 25% less sugar per serving compared to a standard serving size of the original product.
- Without added sugarmeans that no sugar was added during processing and it only contains natural sugar.
The advantages at a glance
Living completely sugar-free is a real challenge. TheAvoid added sugarbut has enormous benefits for your body.
1. More beautiful skin –Sugar not only robs the body of important vitamins and minerals, but also has a negative effect on the external appearance. When there is too much sugar in your body, it can affect the functionality of collagen and increase the risk of skin disorders and wrinkles.
2.No more acne–Sugar is one of the main suspects for your acne problems.
3. More energy –Excessive sugar consumption makes you tired and sleepy because it messes with your blood sugar levels. It is better to choose unprocessed, wholesome and protein-rich snacks and foods to get through the day with more energy.
4. Live sugar-free and lose weight –It's no secret that sugar itself is high in calories. On average, most people consume around 100 grams of sugar per day. Replacing refined carbohydrates and sugary foods with healthy fats keeps your insulin stable so fewer calories are stored as fat. This can easily help you lose a few pounds. Now wouldn't that be nice?!
5. Sleep better –Have you noticed that those sugary snacks at night prevent you from sleeping well? Sugar is known to be one of the biggest culprits in sleep disorders because it drives away tiredness and replaces it with energy, and it is this energy that keeps you awake all night long. Just a few days after cutting back or cutting out sugar, you'll be sleeping better at night and feeling more energized during the day - exactly how you should be!
Sugar-free recipes
Despite many efforts, sugar can still creep into so many healthy dishes. To show you that sugar-free foods can also be delicious, we have selected a few recipes for you!
Raw food 'chocolate'
Ingredients:
- 100g coconut oil
- 25 g Cocoa powder
- 50g dates
- some water
Preparation:
- Place the solid coconut oil in a glass bowl and heat in a water bath until it becomes liquid.
- Process the dates with a little water into a puree using a blender.
- Put the puree with the cocoa powder in a bowl and pour liquid coconut oil over it and mix well.
- Let cool in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
Spinat-Muffins mit Feta
Ingredients:
- 100 g Quinoa
- 200 g leaf spinach
- 1 onion
- 200 g feta cheese
- 2 Owner
- Salt and pepper
- 50 g Gouda
Preparation:
- Place the quinoa in a sieve, rinse and drain. Add 250 ml of boiling water and simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Preheat the oven to 175 degrees and grease muffin tins. Wash the spinach and place it in a pot while it is dripping wet. Let it collapse over a low heat for 5 minutes. Dice onions and cut feta into small pieces.
- Whisk eggs and season. Add to the quinoa with the spinach, feta and onions.
- Divide the quinoa mixture into the muffin tins and sprinkle the grated Gouda on top. Bake for about 40 minutes.
Healthy sugar alternatives
Thanks to the many sugar alternatives that can be found on the market these days, living sugar-free is no longer that difficult.
- Birch sugar, also called xylitolhas the same level of sweetness as refined sugar but 40% fewer calories.
- Whole cane sugaris grainy, moist and dark brown. It has an aftertaste reminiscent of licorice. But don't confuse it with regular cane sugar.
- Coconut blütenzuckeris made from coconut palm flowers. It has an intense and slightly fruity taste and is rich in potassium, zinc and iron.
- Steviais now very popular. It is a sweetener that is obtained from the leaves of the plant of the same name. Stevia also has no calories compared to regular sugar.
The disadvantages at a glance
In addition to the many positive effects, the oneLifestyle without sugarUnfortunately, there are also a few negative points.
- The withdrawal –Let's start with the obvious side effect. Because sugar acts like a drug on your body, abstaining from it is akin to withdrawal. In the first week you will most likely experience headaches, mood swings, fatigue, irritability and of course strong cravings for sweets. However, these symptoms can be easily relieved by eating fruits or healthy fats such as nuts and avocado.
- Eating outcan be really difficult. If you live a sugar-free lifestyle you should always have something edible in your bag, finding something sugar-free on the go can sometimes be a huge challenge. Eating out with friends or enjoying local cuisine on vacation is simply part of our culture and has a positive psychological effect on each of us. While after a while at home you know exactly what's in where, this is unfortunately not the case when you go to a restaurant.
