Cutting my sugar
intake is so much harder than I originally anticipated. For the first few days
the American Heart Association’s 33g recommendation felt impossible. I cut out
the packaged cookies and the snacking on sweets throughout the day, and still I
was going over. I switched to only the smallest amount of honey in my tea and
refused candy when it was offered to me, and most days I still couldn't make it.
Because every
little bit adds up quickly, I took stock of what I eat on a daily basis that
has added sugar and tried to find alternatives. However, I am not substituting
cane sugar for a heavily processed, chemical alternative. Instead I am looking
for less processed, less sugar options.
But so far I
haven’t been too successful at finding good substitutes. I drink soymilk before
workouts and some mornings with breakfast, so I bought unsweetened soymilk. It
made complete sense at the time, but trying to drink it was pure torture (my
roommates got a good laugh at my face every time I tried to choke it down). I
thought I would get used to it, but after a half gallon of the stuff, I have to
say it was a hopeless cause and I switched back to the sweetened soymilk.
I have also been
searching for a soy yogurt alternative with less sugar. So it looks like it
will have to be cow’s milk Greek yogurt or sticking to my heavily sweetened
soy. I don’t particularly like the idea of eating more dairy products, and
neither does my stomach. For now, the replacement is on hold. I am considering
cutting out the soy yogurt entirely, but that would make my breakfasts
really depressing and cut out my nutrient dense yogurt and granola.
But I am not completely failing. One of my best
tricks so far is prunes. Every time I want something sweet after a meal or
throughout the day I eat a few prunes. Even though it helps curb my sugar
cravings and keep me on track, it’s still perpetuating the habit of eating
something sweet after every meal and it will have to be cut back on soon too. I
also indulge in some dark chocolate after dinner for a healthier sweet treat and I make sure I actually eat less than the serving size listed on the package not only make it last longer (and save me some money) but also to keep me from going over my sugar limit. But by far my best dessert was raspberries with a little jam, delicious.
I’m still not
quite at 33 grams, but I have significantly reduced my added sugar intake. I
was averaging 50 to 60 grams before I started and now I’m down to about 40
grams or less. I used to pass 33 after lunch, but now I make it until after dinner before I tip the scale a little too far. And once all of the items with added are out of my pantry, my daily intake will drop even more.
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