Eating less sugar

Thank you all for your posts on cutting back on sugar. I am going to try to help DH cut back his sugar in coffee. He mentioned getting a sugar substitute but in this thread I read they can trigger cravings for sweets.
Also in this thread I read some of you use a measuring spoon for your sugar in coffee. That should be a real big help, thank you.

if anyone has more info on why we shouldn’t use sugar substitute please let me know.
 
It's not just portion size that's not helping here. I'm not exactly sure what the laws & regulations are, but they are stricter in Europe than in the US. There are limits how much sugar a product may contain.
I've just compared Coca-Cola 39gr carbs (sugar) in the US versus 11gr in NL. This makes it so hard to win the battle against being overweight and obesity.
Just don’t drink it. Very easy, water has zero.
 
It really is true that the less sugar you consume, the less you’ll want it. I have cut way, way back on sugar in my life. It shocks me now to think I would add it to my coffee, tea, cereal, etc. We used to keep a sugar bowl out on the counter! Now we don’t even have one.
Drinking naturally flavored seltzer water has been a huge help. I love the bubbles, and it has made me find pop or even sweet alcoholic drinks distasteful.

I’ve been doing intermittent fasting, so I’m drinking my coffee black. Yuck. I miss creamer terribly, but I don’t miss sugar.

Instead of bottled salad dressing, I use high quality garlic olive oil and balsamic vinegar on my salads. It’s so delicious!

When I eat breakfast I eat multi grain Cheerios, which definitely has some sugar In it. I’m finding that tough to quit. But I used to eat Frosted Flakes, so at least it’s a slight improvement!
 
Thank you all for your posts on cutting back on sugar. I am going to try to help DH cut back his sugar in coffee. He mentioned getting a sugar substitute but in this thread I read they can trigger cravings for sweets.
Also in this thread I read some of you use a measuring spoon for your sugar in coffee. That should be a real big help, thank you.

if anyone has more info on why we shouldn’t use sugar substitute please let me know.

Sugar substitutes have all been FDA approved. So you're really not going to find any literature or info (besides someone's internet opinion) giving you any compelling information on why you shouldn't use them. Millions of people use them everyday with no widespread evidence of harm. So there's that. Individually, you will find a lot of stories out there of how using them in place of sugar causes some people adverse physical effects. Many people who use tons of sugar, switch out and then use tons of artificial sweeteners and they probably have the most issues.

Upthread I talked about the fact that I drink hot tea (all day it seems) and I've always liked it sweet. I have managed to cut my sugar down to 1 tsp per 16 oz. mug. Before that, I tried to swap it out for artificial sweetener. After several weeks, it ended up irritating my bladder. Took me a while to figure out what it was and that I wasn't having overactive bladder or a UTI. But most people don't have that issue. Other people end up with migraines or joint pain. The thing is that all this comes on insidiously to the point that it's often difficult to realize that it's the trigger and it takes people years to figure it out. And other people manage to go all their lives with no problem.

Edited to add: There are actually studies know that show, while not unsafe, artificial sweeteners do have similar effects on the body with regard to weight gain/cravings, etc. So it seems it's just swapping one evil for another.
 


Also in this thread I read some of you use a measuring spoon for your sugar in coffee. That should be a real big help, thank you.
That's the one thing weight watchers taught me, measure everything. It's the only way to control your portions.
 
My mom recently had a diabetic nutritional course. We learned a lot. Mainly on how sugar is added everywhere.

Adding sugar to coffee will not make it break any sugar habits. The one or two tsp a day for that is nothing. Read labels! Ex you are better off eating plain yogurt and adding a tsp of jam compared to processed strawberry yogurt. Look at what salad dressings you buy. Olive Garden’ s I read has an insane amount form example ( 1 cup per bottle I think).

An entire bottle of Olive Garden salad dressing has 8tsp of sugar. I have it now. One serving has 2g. It's not that bad. Not sure where you are getting your nutritional information, but if it's not directly from the label, don't trust it.
 


I stopped putting anything in coffee other than milk. You get used to it. I used to use Equal in coffee but just didn’t want to anymore. I do like a Diet Coke a few times a week, and I make sugar free pudding (which contain artificial sweeteners), but that’s about it. I never drink regular soda and try to stick with cereal that’s not loaded with sugar. However, normally for breakfast I have a whole wheat English muffin with a smear of butter, fresh fruit and a Chobani yogurt, which is high in protein.

But besides sugar itself, you may want to watch your simple carbohydrates because those break down into sugar, as well. So things like breads, pastas, rice, cakes, etc. When you eat carbs try going with whole wheat or grains which are more complex and break down differently, and vegetables and fruits are better than junk. But they’re not unlimited, either. Try eating a little more protein than carbs. This does not mean protein shakes, necessarily - it means maybe a skinned chicken breast in place of potatoes or added to a salad.

Portion size is a big issue for us Americans, too. Compare a plate of food today with one from the 1950s, say, and it’s about doubled in size. It’s no wonder we have issues here.

But it’s GREAT you’re developing an awareness, and I commend you on that! Keep up the good work and add in some exercise, and you’ll be on your way to better health.

Don’t forget watching the sodium. Heart disease is serious in America.

American diet and food shelves are incredibly high in sodium. Sodium and portion size are the first things talked about by all of our friends/relatives from overseas.
 
Good for you!!

You can totally do this!! You've gotten started so now it's time to mix things up!

I did this too. I had a huge sugar addiction, and it IS an addiction, very much like to any drug. It's best to not switch out to fake sugar drinks because you are still sending that message to the brain: "I'm drinking a sugary drink and that's what I like and need to have.

Your goal is to change that message!

Switch to flavors in your food: garlic, lemon, basil, mint, cinnamon, cardamom, lime, allspice, vanilla.

If you fix a bowl of plain oatmeal, the real kind, and instead of sprinkling sugar, you sprinkle cinnamon, your taste buds think they are eating a sweet. Add walnuts, a blob of plain greek yogurt, berries, and cinnamon. Lots of flavor, but no added sugar!

For fast and easy, fix jugs of fresh spring water hibiscus iced tea. Add a couple of sprigs of fresh mint or slices of lemon. This deep pink drink tastes like diluted hawaiian punch! Have it in grab-fast bottles. I used to take it to the gym in place of water. Hibiscus tea has been shown to have fat burning traits!

For snacks, make them look pretty! Get some of those little tiny jars with glass lids and metal clamps and fill them in the morning. Sliced cucumbers, with ham and cheese, stacked up in the jar, rings of fresh apple with plain fresh almond butter, rings of orange and avocado! Make your snacks visually attractive!

Are you craving chocolate? Of course you are, we all are! Buy some 70% dark chocolate bars, then some 78% then some 85%....work your way up! Once you can handle the intense dark chocolate of 85% cocoa, break them into one inch squares and put them in a mason jar. Eat two a day and dredge them in raw plain fresh peanut butter. They taste just like a reeses cup! And this dark of chocolate has numerous health benefits.

Stuff dates with almonds. Lots of magnesium and potassium. Have them at the ready. Grab two on your way out the door. Make deviled eggs and have them ready to grab.

Love chicken salad? Stuff half an avocado with a scoop of chicken salad. or egg salad.

Watch your bread intake. Save bread for a special day, until the habit is broken and it's a treat. Read the labels and avoid bread full of added sugar.

Don't even buy sugared drinks. Avoid them! Find who serves non-bitter unsweet tea and keep a gallon in your fridge. Have a bowl of sliced limes and lemons. Add these to the unsweet tea and pour it over some crunch ice (buy a bag from Chick fil A for $2!). Publix's unsweet tea isn't bitter at all and Ingles' deli tea is also good.

As for your coffee....make a plan. Take two weeks to work to no more sugar. Keep in mind that milk has a lot of natural sugar. Remove 1/8 tsp every day until you are able to drink your coffee with milk only. I also used to add 2 big spoonfuls and now only add milk.

Once you get this going, and you will do great, you'll find the taste of sugar is overwhelming when you do eat sweets. A hershey kiss will 'burn' with sugar and not taste as good as dark chocolate. A chick fil a sandwich wil taste of powdered sugar because, yes, it's in the coating.

You'll grow to be sensitive to overtly sweet tastes, and you'll most likely prefer the non sweet flavors. You can do this and...your body will thank you for years to come. your mind will be sharper and less prone to dementia, your fat cells wil shrink, your heart arteries will be healthier.

And you'll learn to love all the intense flavors that are out there which can now shine on their own instead of being masked by all that sugar.

Just start....day one...you can do this.
 
Adding sugar to coffee will not make it break any sugar habits. The one or two tsp a day for that is nothing. Read labels!

I just find it a shame that so many people are denying themselves a great cup of coffee by taking sugar out if that’s what they prefer. In my mom’s course they even talked about this and the instructor laughed. he said that’s not gonna solve your problem if you think eliminating sugar from your morning coffee is going to save the world.
Your instructor made a good point that it's fruitless to fret about sugar in your coffee vs the sugar found in several foods already. Granted I can see some who may drink cup after cup of sugared coffee throughout the day, cumulatively going beyond a couple of teaspoons if they're not paying attention. I know people at work that keep the coffee brewing until quitting time.
 
Good for you!!

You can totally do this!! You've gotten started so now it's time to mix things up!

I did this too. I had a huge sugar addiction, and it IS an addiction, very much like to any drug. It's best to not switch out to fake sugar drinks because you are still sending that message to the brain: "I'm drinking a sugary drink and that's what I like and need to have.
This is great advice. It's always best to consume something that's really good for your body in place of empty calories, preservatives, and all kinds of things that turn people into the Toxic Avenger. You're not just replacing a sweetener but doing even more to improve the quality of your health too.

When I started learning more about nutrition, you become surprised by not just how bad sugar is but the benefits of blueberries, almonds, garlic, dark chocolate, the importance of protein, etc. All these things address so many areas of your health. Protein has it's own balancing act with sugar, just as sodium and potassium have their own relationship. When you realize that you have control over what your health can be like in the future, you can't help but want to change things step by step.
 
Congratulations on your progress! Keep up the good work!

I had a huge sweet tooth and used to put a ton in my coffee. I tried going to black coffee but it just was not pleasant for me. I tried a number of non calorie sweeteners and found Equal had the least bitter aftertaste. I know these sweeteners are not great for your health but I just use them for coffee and the occasional bowl of oatmeal. I throw blueberries in there too but I still find it needs a little more help.

If you consume alcohol, try to reduce your intake to only at meal times and avoid wine if you can. Also a lot of the fruity cocktails like margaritas have a lot of sugar. This was a tough one for me.

I stopped drinking soda for the most part. Maybe once a week I will have Coke Zero - I know it's not great but sometimes it is most convenient. You really can't beat water, although I get bored with drinking just plain water so I sprinkle a very little bit of Crystal Light into my water bottle at each fill up.

Certain fruits like mangos, cherries, grapes, pears and watermelon have high sugar content, so get your fruit nutrients through other ones like strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and cantaloupe.
 
An entire bottle of Olive Garden salad dressing has 8tsp of sugar. I have it now. One serving has 2g. It's not that bad. Not sure where you are getting your nutritional information, but if it's not directly from the label, don't trust it.
I did a copy cat recipe I found online. So to be honest it wasn’t the original. This was like 10 years ago too
 
I have a sweet tooth. Like my desserts. Not easy.
I do too. One rule I have for myself is that I only have sweets in moderation -- and ONLY the good stuff. I mean, yeah, Oreos are good, but they're not good enough to warrant a splurge. On the other hand, a good homemade chocolate chip cookie IS worth the splurge.
It is just as easy to grab a bottle of water.
Tap water is easier still and so much better for the planet.
Grocery shop the perimeter of the store, stay away from processed foods that are full of unhealthy fats and sugars.
Yes, avoid the middle of the grocery store.
I also add sugar to unsweetened cereal
Thinking back to my childhood, yes, we only ate "healthy" cereals like Cheerios or Rice Krispies -- but we kept a sugar bowl on the table and always added a spoonful of sugar to the bowl. We also spread butter over Pop Tarts. This was typical for the 70s. In retrospect, In wonder what our mothers were thinking.
I stopped putting anything in coffee other than milk.
I don't know if you're concerned about sugar or all carbs. If it's all carbs, consider that milk contains carbs, whereas cream does not.
But besides sugar itself, you may want to watch your simple carbohydrates because those break down into sugar, as well. So things like breads, pastas, rice, cakes, etc. When you eat carbs try going with whole wheat or grains which are more complex and break down differently, and vegetables and fruits are better than junk.
Yes, sugar and carbohydrates are kinda the same in terms of health.
sugar is a killer and in almost everything. Why does chicken noodle soup have added sugar????? I read labels now.
Yes, sugar is in unbelievable things. I mean, if you eat a doughnut, you expect sugar ... but do you expect that yogurt, BBQ sauce, granola, smoothies, fruit, and so forth are high in sugar?
When I started eating low carb the one thing I did not give up was sugar in my coffee, but I cut it down and just use enough to take the bitter edge off. I tried sugar substitutes and no sugar but just couldn't do it.
Instead of cutting it out completely just add less, and then when you get used to that, add even less.
It's fine to pick "your things" that you will "keep" ... but you have to be honest with your self and make sure it's ONLY a couple things.
What works for me is to eat mostly whole foods.
I've heard it said like this: Eat things that your great-grandparents would've recognized as food. So yes to chicken, vegetables, and milk -- no /use in moderation to pre-made breakfast bars, Nutella, and sodas
Doesn’t have to be steel cut ( takes over 20 mins).
I LOVE steel cut oats with a bit of buttermilk. Yes, it takes a while to cook, but I pack it into small containers /use it for a week. It's a carb-splurge for me now though.
My mom recently had a diabetic nutritional course. We learned a lot. Mainly on how sugar is added everywhere.
Oh, my, yes! Take that class. Your insurance will probably pay for it. It really made me aware of how much hidden sugar /carbs exists in processed foods. Other focuses: reading labels effectively and portion size. These topics are all connected, and the more you know, the more successful you will be.
I do the same thing. Most juices are too sweet for me now, I usually do about 10% juice and 90% water (still or sparkling) just to have some flavor. Flavored seltzers are good, too.
Yes, if you cut out sugars, you'll find that -- after a while -- your tastes will change. For example, Twizzlers used to be my favorite. My husband brought some home a few weeks ago, and I thought, "I'll eat just one." It didn't even taste good anymore. I'm glad that I know that because now I no longer want Twizzlers.
An entire bottle of Olive Garden salad dressing has 8tsp of sugar. I have it now. One serving has 2g. It's not that bad. Not sure where you are getting your nutritional information, but if it's not directly from the label, don't trust it.
They make a "light" version, and half the recommended serving is enough.
I get it!

but stop drinking your sugar :)
Yes, that's another of my rules. If I'm only allowed a certain number of carbs, I don't want to waste them on soda or juice, and I was never into alcohol.
 
What helped me was that I cut back on sugar and increased my exercise. I went from walking 1 mile/day to 4 miles/day. It made a big difference.
 
Thinking back to my childhood, yes, we only ate "healthy" cereals like Cheerios or Rice Krispies -- but we kept a sugar bowl on the table and always added a spoonful of sugar to the bowl. We also spread butter over Pop Tarts. This was typical for the 70s. In retrospect, In wonder what our mothers were thinking.


You’re so right! My mom is a nurse, so you’d think she would have served us “healthy” foods. Nope! We drank kool aid every day, and orange pop was a staple grocery item. Our lunch every day was baloney and American cheese on white bread, a bag of chips, “little hug” juice and a HoHo. It’s a wonder we weren’t obese. And no surprise that it has taken so long to break unhealthy habits.
 
Don’t forget watching the sodium. Heart disease is serious in America.

American diet and food shelves are incredibly high in sodium. Sodium and portion size are the first things talked about by all of our friends/relatives from overseas.
Yes, sodium can cause elevations in pressures and bloating, and can be quite detrimental to certain cardiac patients, such as those with heart failure. It's not unusual to see those patients put on several pounds of fluid in a week if they're not watching their sodium. For most people, though, under 2 grams of sodium a day is ok. If I eat a salty meal I feel a little bloaty. I remember an old Weight Watchers tip - drinking a glass of water with fresh squeezed lemon acts as a diuretic. It can take a day or two to get some of the extra fluid from a salty meal off, though, even when trying.

But I think if we're talking cardiac health we really need to look at fat and cholesterol content of foods. Again, quite higher than they should be with our Western diet. And part of that is higher serving sizes, but many of our processed foods are also high in fat, as well, and fat circulating in our bloodstreams is clogging up our arteries, even at a young age. DD recently had some bloodwork and her cholesterol was high. She is normal weight, but she had to take a look at her diet. Mac and Cheese, burgers with bacon, fast food, etc., take their toll. She cleaned it up, had her levels rechecked, and they were fine. But now she knows she has to watch it.

@MrsPete re the coffee, milk vs cream. Yes, carbs vs fat, that is the question! Personally I don't like the taste of cream in my coffee (once again, they gave it to me at the drive thru by accident yesterday and I was so disappointed!) so I just have a little bit of milk instead. But you're right, and it's something to think about.

Congratulations on your progress! Keep up the good work!

I had a huge sweet tooth and used to put a ton in my coffee. I tried going to black coffee but it just was not pleasant for me. I tried a number of non calorie sweeteners and found Equal had the least bitter aftertaste. I know these sweeteners are not great for your health but I just use them for coffee and the occasional bowl of oatmeal. I throw blueberries in there too but I still find it needs a little more help.

If you consume alcohol, try to reduce your intake to only at meal times and avoid wine if you can. Also a lot of the fruity cocktails like margaritas have a lot of sugar. This was a tough one for me.

I stopped drinking soda for the most part. Maybe once a week I will have Coke Zero - I know it's not great but sometimes it is most convenient. You really can't beat water, although I get bored with drinking just plain water so I sprinkle a very little bit of Crystal Light into my water bottle at each fill up.

Certain fruits like mangos, cherries, grapes, pears and watermelon have high sugar content, so get your fruit nutrients through other ones like strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and cantaloupe.
I often buy a fresh pineapple and cut it up because my son and I like it, but a) sometimes it goes bad before being eaten, and b) the sugar content is quite a bit higher than other fruits. So I've decided to cool it on the pineapple and just buy a little bit if I want some. All fruits are not alike.
 
the biggest thing that helps me cut sugar totally is forcing myself to eat clean for 2 weeks--no added sugar and minimal added salt. That seems to reset my palate and stop the cravings. I've never been able to just substitute another sweetener, believe me Ive tried them all!
 
Drinking flavored sparkling water instead of diet soda is something to consider. I’m convinced that sugar substitutes make you hungrier.
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!










Top