Nikki Boswell, Nutritionist for the April Sugar Detox Challenge has shared some information on how to break the habit of adding too much sugar to your meals and drinks:
As you progress through the Sugar Detox Challenge one thing you may notice is that there are no sugar ‘alternatives’ included in the recipes and the reason for this is quite simple: All sugars, be it traditional white sugar or more trendy alternatives, are broken down in the body through various pathways to simple (monosaccharides) sugar molecules that can be used by our body for energy.
Further to this, many alternative sugars are far sweeter than traditional sugar thus the change to a sweeter substance does nothing to help our pallet readjust as we reduce our sugar intake.
Adjusting your palate really is the key in breaking your sugar habit. For most of us a gradual reduction in the amount of sweetness we desire is a better approach than going ‘cold turkey.’
My top tips to reducing sugar in your diet and adjusting your palate’s desire for sweetness are:
- If you drink tea or coffee with sugar, you can readjust your pallet over a few weeks by simply reducing the amount of sugar you add by about half a teaspoon each week. If you eat a diet with processed foods, this really won’t do much to cut your sugar intake but it will help prepare your pallet for more significant and long term changes.
- Look for varieties of sauces and condiments that have less than 5g of sugar per 100g (5%) or start to make your own.
- Switch to nut butters that have no added sugar – ideally choosing one that is close to 100% nuts.
- Buy rolled oats and a variety of seeds and nuts to create your own muesli and top with seasonal fresh fruit, rather than purchasing cereals with added sugar.
- If you are used to buying sweetened yoghurts you can gradually change your pallet over to natural/plain yoghurt by adding small amounts to your usual yoghurt, gradually increasing this amount until you are used to the taste and no longer eating the sweetened variety.
- Reduce the sugar used in baking to 1/3 cup, or replace it completely with fruits such as bananas and dates. These add plenty of sweetness with the added benefit of vitamins, minerals and fibre.
- Finally, be sure to eat a small portions of protein throughout the day to help curb your sugar cravings. A few nuts or seeds are a great option as these will also help to keep your blood sugar levels stable.
Nikki Boswell, Nutritionist
