5 WAYS TO WEAN YOU AND YOUR FAMILY OF SUGAR

      Most of us eat too much sugar. In fact, according to scientists, the amount of sugar we consume every year has soared nearly 30 per cent since 1983 and is likely a major contributor to the soaring rates of overweight and obesity generally.

With its own addictive seduction and treated socially as an acceptable addition to almost everything we consume, sugar is hard to avoid. Yet, sugar has not always been an integral part of the human diet – once, sugar was hard to obtain in nature, so our bodies didn’t develop a need for its consumption. And while, 150 years ago, we ate no sugar, now the average person is eating at least a kilo of it a week!

Uncovering all the sugar in your diet isn’t easy. Sugar often hides under several pseudonyms and turns up in even the most innocuous foods like bread, pastries, rice and yam. 

Eating less sugar is about preserving your health. There are many good reasons to minimise the sugar you eat each day. Health is definitely a top reason, as too much sugar ingestion is implicated in a range of poor health conditions and diseases, including Type-2 diabetes, dental problems, acne, infertility, certain cancers and heart diseases.

Sugar may also have a role in inducing depression, mood swings, fatigue, memory loss, osteoporosis, vision loss and kidney disease.

Some people are more sensitive to sugar than others. This can be reflected in being overweight, lethargic, having poor skin and hair, irritability or mood swings and a lack of energy. If any of these sorts of things are affecting you, sugar may be an issue. Talk to your doctor to be sure.

It is easier preached than done, though. However, here are some simple steps to take to wean you and your family of added sugars in your diet.

• Have treat days. It’s easier to go sugar-free for several days, knowing that on Friday, you can indulge without guilt. Try having several cheat days each week at first, then down to only one, and ultimately limit yourself to only sweet alternatives except in very special situations.

In tough situations, remind yourself of the reasons you are doing this. It may help to write them on an index card and put it on your fridge, or perhaps keep it in your wallet.

• Brush your teeth right after eating a meal, so that you won’t be tempted to eat something sugary and have to go and brush your teeth again.

• Replace white or brown sugar with an unrefined, dehydrated sugar. Yes, it’s still sugar but that one change still makes a difference by somewhat reducing the dramatic blood sugar effect, giving your body at least a few nutrients in the process, and avoiding the high temperature and chemical process used to create regular sugar.

• Use fruit as a sweetener. Substitute some of the sugar and liquids in a recipe with ripe bananas, apple sauce, pineapple, or other fruit puree. Dried fruits like dates, raisins and figs add wonderful sweetness to foods.

• Try Stevia. This herb, originally from South America, is extremely sweet by nature but without any calories or sugar-like effects on the body, and you can use as little as a couple drops to sweeten a mug of tea or a few teaspoons in a dessert. It does have a somewhat bitter aftertaste, depending on the type you use. Unrefined foods are always best, and you can buy Stevia as a simple dried powder.

• Use raw honey. Drink your coffee or tea without sugar. You can add cream to either (not advisable if you want to lose weight), and/or honey to your tea. If you’re used to adding a lot of sugar, then wean yourself off gradually by the teaspoon or packet. Eventually you’ll get used to it and you may discover the more subtle flavours of coffee or tea that were overpowered by sweetness before.

Although it is still a sweetener and can be overused like anything, raw honey is full of nutrients, enzymes, and actually has many healing properties. It is lower glycaemically than sugar, and many people who react to sugar strongly can eat honey without issue.