How to cut out sugar: Eight easy ways to quit the sweet stuff this year | Daily Star


LOSING weight can be difficult, but cutting sugar out of your diet can help speed up the process.


LOOSE WEIGHT: Cutting out sugar could be the key

If your goal is to lose weight this year, cutting out sugar could be the answer you’ve been looking for.

A teaspoon of sugar contains 16 calories, and although this might not seem like a lot on its own, it can quickly add up.

According to the NHS, British people consume 700g of sugar a week, which is 140 teaspoons per person.

Cutting sugar from you diet will help you consume fewer calories, which can translate to weight loss.

Many of us are addicted to sugar, and breaking the habit is easier said than done.

Here are eight easy tips to help you curb your sugar habit:

1. Know the reasons why you should stop

Knowledge is power, and knowing why you are doing something will give you the motivation to carry on.

Sugar is not only bad for weight gain, but it also spurs insulin resistance – which can lead to type -2 diabetes.

Added sugars contain calories that are non-essential, which is why they are called “empty calories”.

Sugar is also bad for your teeth, can overload your liver and many studies have found that people who eat a lot of sugar are more likely to get cancer.

For example, a study published by the National Center for Biotechnology Information found that mice on sugar-heavy diets were more likely to develop breast cancer.

Cereal GETTY

SUGAR: Cutting out sugary cereals would help cut the amount of calories you eat

2. Eat a healthy breakfast

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but it’s important that it’s healthy. Unfortunately many breakfasts are high in sugar, for example cereal or white bread.

If you eat starchy, sugary foods in the morning you are more likely to have sugar cravings throughout the day.

Good alternatives are plain porridge, shredded wholegrain pillows or plain wholewheat cereal biscuits.

If you need a bit sweetness you could try adding dried apricots or mashed banana instead.

3. Stop buying processed foods

Cutting out processed foods is an easy way to stop extra calories creeping into your diet.

All processed foods have added sugars, which is why it is important to start reading the back on packaging.

Some meals can have four or five different types of sugar added.

One easy swap is pasta sauce in jars. They are often high in sugar, and are easy to make from scratch.

The average pasta jar can contain more than 13g of sugar, which is the equivalent to three teaspoons.

4. Choose wisely when eating out

Brits are partial to the odd takeaway, or going out for a meal.

This is still possible, but in order to cut sugar out it is important to make wise choices.

Stay away from meals that are typically high in sugar, such as sweet and sour dishes, sweet chilli dishes and some curry sauces.

Condiments and salad dressings also contain high amounts of sugar.

5. Eat regularly

Eating regularly will help you not to binge on sugary foods. It is recommended to eat three meals and two snacks a day, or five small meals.

If you do not eat regularly, your blood sugar levels may drop, making you feel hungry and more likely to crave sugary snacks.

High Voltage, from the Book of Sugar Savvy solution says: “If you come home starving, you eat anything and everything, and your body puts it straight into storage because it’s afraid you’re going to starve it again.”

6. Cut out fizzy and sugary drinks

Fizzy drinks are empty, unnecessary calories that have no nutritional value – and they are loaded with sugar.

A 500ml bottle of cola contains 17 cubes of sugar. Swap for water with a bit of lemon or lime, or if you still need something fizzy drink sparkling water.

If you take sugar in your tea or coffee, start gradually reducing it until you can cut it out completely.

Dark chocolate GETTY

HEALTHIER CHOICE: Try switching to dark chocolate

7. Try dark chocolate

Sometimes a sugar habit can come in the form of a chocolate habit.

Try switching to dark chocolate, which has less sugar and many potential health benefits. Dark chocolate is said to improve your heart heart and help prevent cancer.

8. Make rules about dessert

If you are used to having a sweet after every meal, your body will start craving sugar after every meal.

Start limiting yourself to certain days, for example every other day, weekends or special occasions.

You could also try swapping for a less sugary option – fresh fruit, low-sugar rice pudding of plain low-fat yoghurt.