Eat Less Sugar with These Easy Tips

Posted On: 01/17/2022

There are many ways to improve your eating habits. Even small changes can make a big difference.

If you want to focus on changing just one behavior, try this: Eat less added sugar.

What are added sugars? A few examples include:

honey
brown sugar
sucrose
cane juice
high-fructose corn syrup
fructose
fruit nectars
malt syrup
molasses
raw sugar
sucrose

Sugar is hard on your body. It adds calories but has almost no nutrition.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), eating a lot of sugar can lead to:

weight gain
obesity
type 2 diabetes
heart disease

The CDC also notes that children under 12 months old should never eat honey.

Babies can develop a severe type of food poisoning from honey. Be sure to check all labels before giving new foods to your young children.

Tip #1: To eat less sugar鈥攄rink less sugar

Sweet drinks can add a lot of sugar to your daily total. Check this list for your favorites. Can you switch to an option with less sugar?

Water聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 0 teaspoons

Unsweetened tea聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 0 teaspoons

Sports drinks聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 2 teaspoons

Lemonade聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 6 录 teaspoons

Sweet tea聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 8 陆 teaspoons

Cola聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 10 录 teaspoons

Fruit punch聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 11 陆 teaspoons

Root beer聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 11 陆 teaspoons

Orange soda聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 13 teaspoons

Instead of high-sugar drinks, try:

water, plain or sparkling
adding berries or fruit to water
add a splash of fruit juice to sparkling water
pouring your favorite drink into a smaller glass
black decaf coffee

Learn more ways to increase your water intake: 鈥淓asy Ways to Drink More Water鈥�

Tip #2: To eat less sugar鈥攗se more fruits and spices

Sugar is added to many foods. Here are some tips for 鈥渟ubtracting鈥� it:

use half the amount you would normally add to cereal, pancakes, coffee, or tea
keep bananas, grapes, and other fruit handy
drain juice and syrup from canned fruit
add almond, vanilla, orange, or lemon extract to 鈥渏azz up鈥� foods
try using spices like ginger, allspice, cinnamon, or nutmeg
always check the label! Choose products with less or no added sugar when you can.

Remember, when it comes to healthier habits, every small step makes a difference.

Additional Resources

Regular physical activity and a heart-healthy diet are important for staying in good shape. to learn more about tracking your body mass index (BMI) and other measurements. Use the guidelines to make sure you're eating the right portions of certain foods.

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