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For ages, consuming sugar and weight gain are linked to each other. Although our lifestyle and dietary habits have a huge impact on our weight gain, but the intake of added sugar found in colas, sodas, candy, and their junk food plays a crucial role behind obesity and other serious health conditions like diabetes, heart diseases, and cancer as well. Here Sugar and Weight Loss: Say NO to Sugar to Achieve Your Weight Loss Goals.
Therefore, if you are working towards shedding the extra kilos, it’s essential to cut down on sugar right away.
Keep reading to know how added sugar may hinder your fitness goals.
- It can make you tired and sluggish
- It causes rapid weight gain
- It reduces your focus and concentration
- It reduces your productivity level
- It makes you feel hungry hence lead to overeating
- It increases the craving to consume sugary food & beverages
Since now you have a basic understanding of controlling your sugar intake, listed below are some amazing and effective tips for the same.
Keep on scrolling!
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Check Food Labels
To avoid the high-sugary food and beverages available in grocery stores, you should read the food labels present on the packaging of the food.
With this way, you can easily limit the amount of fat and sugar in your diet. You can also compare one food item with another and pick the one which consists of low sugar amount. Food labels also tell you what’s inside that particular food item including fiber, protein, vitamins, and other nutrient value.
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Replace Desserts with Natural Sugar
Sugar cravings can pop up anytime and it’s completely natural! Mostly due to psychological reasons, we end up on searching for something sweet to make our taste buds satisfied, calm, and happy.
When it becomes habitual, it becomes so hard to find the closure if you have not met your needs.
You will be glad to know that you can still enjoy the sweetness. It’s very simple, just choose natural and healthy sugar substitutes.
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Take a Balanced Diet
Eating food high in fiber helps to give a feeling of fuller stomach hence reduces the possibilities of yours hunting for sugary food.
Eating a high-fiber diet plays a crucial role in weight loss and making the gut healthier to stave off infections and various diseases.
Luckily, fiber is naturally present in all fruits, vegetables, and whole grains so you can easily make it a part of your daily healthy diet.
Just like most of the things, excessive intake might be harmful for health, therefore, keep a track of your fiber intake, avoid fiber supplements, and consume it in moderation. A diet rich in Protein also aids in natural weight loss.
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Don’t Shop For Refined Sugar
I have personally followed this practice and trust me, it definitely helps to control my sudden sugar cravings.
Most likely, people refuse to go out to shop for sugary products unless it’s in their home. Isn’t it?
Especially, in the evening, the worse timing to have something sweet, it will be easier to distract yourself if you don’t stock on the sugary food at home.
Try it out!
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Take Recommended Hours of Sleep
As per a study, lack of sleep leads to craving towards consuming more food high in sugar, saturated fats, and caffeine.
Which makes it essential, to enjoy enough sleep of 7-9 hours so that you don’t get up cranky, irritated, and munch towards sugary food.
Sleeping can really curb sweet cravings and also help to improve overall health.
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Go for a Jog
As discussed above, distracting yourself from the sugar cravings can be a great help to limit your sugar intake.
It is very effective to distract your mind that is continuously driving you towards unhealthy sugary food.
Going for a jog or walk can turn to reduce your cravings and help to distance yourself from the comfort food. If you are not willing to go out, indulge in some activity that you love to do like gardening, painting, listening to your favourite music, Netflix etc.
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Don’t starve yourself
The right approach to have a balanced diet is consuming a meal short in portion and having snacks in between to reduce the long gap in between every meal.
Do not become too hungry between meals, opt for healthy snacking options like fruits, nuts, seeds, fresh juices, healthy smoothies etc. instead of processed food and stay in shape.
We all know sugar is naturally present in many foods like fruits, vegetables, milk and dairy products etc. and no one can completely avoid it, which you should not actually.
So, here I have arranged a few of the many food items that can help you to satisfy your sweet tooth without compromising on your health.
Take a quick look below.
- Vegetables
- Legumes
- Seasonal fruits
- Coconut sugar
- Honey
- Maple syrup
- Dry fruits
- Chemical-free and fresh juices
- Yoghurt
- Jaggery
- Nuts
- Smoothies with a drizzle of fruits like berries, banana for flavourful boost
Final Thoughts:
Sugary food can taste delicious and while we enjoy its taste, we actually forget how it wreaks havoc on our entire health.
If you are willing to lose weight or not, you have to eliminate added sugar and maintain a wholesome diet enriched with various veggies and fruits everyday.
But don’t go harsh on yourself, just keep a healthy diet to reduce the risk of various illnesses and strengthen your immune system to fight back effectively.
Stay aware of the sweet danger of sugar and cut down its intake to improvise your health inside and out.
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