Frosted donuts, warm chocolate chip cookies and chocolate fudge ice cream. If you like sweets, you know how hard dieting can be. Although they look beautiful on the outside, these sweet treats are detrimental to your weight loss progress and health.
Let’s be clear about one thing: It’s perfectly fine to include whole foods that contain “natural sugars”, such as fruits, in your diet. Harvard Health Publishing I will explain. However, adding more sugar than necessary causes problems. This is the type of sugar added to food to enhance flavor and make it last longer.
“I strongly believe that the biggest health problem in this country right now is the excess sugar added to our food supply (and your diet).” Laura Brak, MS, RD,Founder GetNaked® Nutrition author with Slim down with a smoothie To tell Eat this instead of that! “You don’t even realize how much sugar you’re eating. is impersonating.”
We asked Burak about his carb-cutting tricks for weight loss. Because in addition to the more blatant cakes and baked goods, sugar can be hiding in the most surprising places! Keep reading to learn all about how to cut down on sugar. Then don’t miss the five worst “empty calorie” foods that will make you gain weight faster.
“Instead of added sugars such as cookies, candy, and ice cream, replace them with foods that contain natural sugars, nutrients, and antioxidants, such as fruits,” Brak suggests.
As previously mentioned, consuming foods with natural sugars is not a problem. According to the American Heart Association, anything that contains fruit or milk contains at least some natural sugars.
Even if you want to sweeten things up a bit, you can do so in a healthy way. Burak suggests adding cocoa powder or cinnamon to your coffee cup. Homemade smoothies with vanilla extract and fruit. Or date your favorite kind of nut butter for a delicious treat.
“Find ways to use foods that have a hint of sweetness. Over time, your taste buds change and you don’t like that super-sweet taste anymore. When that happens, it’s pretty cool,” she says. .
Sugary drinks are full of sugar, so avoid sports drinks, sodas, your favorite coffee shop drink, and even juices, Brak says.
“You’ll be shocked at how much sugar is added to just one drink. Start by limiting these drinks, sticking mostly to water, club soda, and unsweetened tea and coffee.” Please,” she explains.
“You wouldn’t believe all the sleazy sauces of added sugar in your food,” says Burak. It emphasizes the importance of reading the ingredients on food packages first. please.
according to American Heart Associationsome additional names that translate to added sugar on food labels include brown sugar, honey, raw sugar, molasses, syrup, juice concentrate, corn sweetener, invert sugar, and maltose.
“Focus on adding quality foods,” says Brak. “I’m not talking about gummy bears. Let me explain.”
Imagine a 500-calorie frosted donut, and compare that to 500 calories of a whole, nutrient-dense meal like a freshly chopped green salad with eggs, avocado, seeds, and olive oil. These 2 Ways To Burn 500 Calories Are The Most Sure no Equivalent. In fact, your body processes them differently, says Burak.
“Because donuts consist primarily of added sugar and saturated fat, and contain absolutely no satiety, blood-stabilizing protein, one donut can easily lead to three donuts.” Not only does it raise blood sugar levels, it also prevents you from feeling full and satisfied, leading to hunger and cravings.”
Alexa Meraldo
Alexa is Mind + Body Deputy Editor of Eat This, Not That! and oversees the M+B channel, providing readers with compelling fitness, wellness, and self-care topics.Read more about Alexa