Are you eating more sugar than you realize?
Unfortunately, sugar is not always conveniently labeled as “sugar” in the ingredients list.
Cutting back on sugar is not always as easy as it sounds. Oftentimes, food labeling is to blame. You may recognize some ingredients as sugar, like high fructose corn syrup, but how many ingredients on that label are actually sugar and you didn’t even know it?
Step #1: Take Ownership and Realize that you’re in complete control of what goes in your mouth.
Unless you are being spoon-fed, you have the power to decide what foods you open your mouth for and swallow.
Step #2: Recognize that sugar is sweet, and if food tastes sweet, it most likely contains some form of sugar.
Natural, or not, and labeled or not, lots of foods we eat and see in the supermarket and restaurants today contain sugar. Fruit contains sugar, barbecue sauce contains sugar, candy contains sugar, milk contains sugar.
BEWARE – sugar can also be in dishes or products that you don’t even think contain sugar like most broths, protein bars, etc.
Step #3: Learn How To Read Nutrition Labels
Most importantly, you have to learn how to read nutrition labels. Commercially packaged foods require a nutrition label to be displayed on the packaging. It is called the nutrition facts panel. Each nutrition label requires the manufacturer to list the ingredients in the foods as well as the total grams of sugar in the finished product.
ALWAYS be skeptical! Sugar is everywhere!
Sugar is cheap, easy, and it lights up the human brain making us want it more.
Why wouldn’t they put it in everything if it just makes us want to eat it more? $$$$$$
So how can you know for sure that your food does not contain sugar?
The only 100% safe bet is to cook your food from scratch and ensure that everything you use to cook with is sugar-free.
This is a great place to start if you are just beginning to cut out sugar.
If you have mastered cutting out table sugar then you can continue to read.
Sugar is often disguised.
Let’s take a look at all of the different names for sugar.
- Evaporated cane juice
- Corn syrup
- Corn sweeteners
- High fructose corn syrup
- Crystalline fructose
- fructose
- sucrose
- Malt malt syrup
- Barley malt syrup
- Barley malt extract
- maltose
- Dextrose
- Maltodextrin
- Maple syrup
- Brown rice syrup
- Beet juice
- Muscovado
- Succinct
- Turbinado sugar
- Invert sugar
- Organic cane sugar
- Agave nectar
- Powdered sugar
- Brown sugar
- Molasses
- Palm sugar
- Coconut sugar
- Honey
These may all sound different, but they all behave the same in the body as your good ole white table sugar in the bag.
What can you do if you have a sweet tooth but are very serious about avoiding all forms of sugar?
If you are going to use a sweetener, here are the best ones to buy or use in your baking/cooking/diet:
- Stevia
- Monk fruit
I hope this answered your question!
Please leave a comment below if you have any more questions about sugar!
With Thanksgiving just a few days away, you’re probably excited to indulge! I know I am! And that’s okay! In this one-minute video I provide 5 tips on how to bounce back after indulging! Check it out, save it, share it, and most importantly, use it!
On your side when it comes to your health,
Krista
PS. Do you have what it takes to take your body to the next level?
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