Is sugar really required in our diet? Does it provide any nutrient content? Well, if a new born baby is fed no sugar at all it could well manage to live without it. Sweetness is a taste we get used to early on in life and prefer to have that over other tastes. White sugar has no real nutritive value in our diet, it just adds to our calories. But once we are used to this taste we are not able to give it up. This is true because all good things in life like ice creams, sweets etc contain sugar. But there are alternatives to sugar. You can still eat your sweets without adding sugar. To see how this is possible, read further.
Use sugar free substitutes in the place of white sugar in your diet
There are a number of sugar free substitutes available in the market today. When used in the place of sugar they provide the same sweetness. Many of them are available in chemical form. Some of them are also available in natural organic form. Laboratory composed artificial sweeteners are of several types – saccharin, aspartame, neotame, acesulfame potasssium. FDA has approved some of them, but with long term usage they are supposed to have some side effects. The natural sweeteners are Honey, Stevia, Agave nectar, Blackstrap molasses etc. Stevia and Agave are plant products, basically leaves which are sweet.
Eat wholesome fruits rather than canned fruits and juices
Eating the fruit in the natural form does not spike up the sugar levels in your body. Hence it is better than eating sugar laden syrups and juices. Check up on fruits which have less sugar content compared to others. Oranges, papaya, apple have less sugar as compared to bananas, dates, jackfruit, mangoes etc.
Skip or avoid cereals for breakfast
Breakfast cereals have a hidden component of sugar which may not be visible. Eat toast with peanut butter instead of corn flakes with milk and sugar. Eat a fresh fruit and don’t go in for canned or processed food.
Skip or avoid beverages like carbonated drinks, soda etc
Stick to drinking plain old water if you are thirsty. By gulping down aerated drinks, alcohol etc a lot of unwanted sugar content gets into your body. If you really want to drink something go in for coconut water, green tea etc.
Cut out on sweets and processed foods from your diet
Sweets are eaten by us mainly to tingle our taste buds. If you really crave for one, eat a sweet once a week and not on daily basis. Processed foods contain loads of sugar, so avoid them. Try to eat food in its natural form. This is the most healthy diet.
Conclusion
To keep yourself healthy and to avoid body pollution cut down on your sugar intake. When you are young you may not see the bad effects of eating too much sugar assuming that you are exercising enough. But as you get older, eating too much sugar can land you in type 2 diabetes and other ailments.