A simple way of switching to a healthier lifestyle is to eliminate sugar from your diet. Read on to know how to do it…
Obesity and unhealthy lifestyles are reaching epidemic levels the world over and more so in the United States. Statistics and figures speak for themselves – the fact that 65% of Americans are overweight and 27% are clinically obese, is clearly an indication that something is wrong with the American diet. However, we need to understand that it is not the fat in the foods one eats that makes up for such alarming figures but rather the excess carbohydrates from a sugar loaded diet that is making people unhealthy. Hence, the best way to set ourselves free of such disturbing conditions is by maintaining a healthy lifestyle and diet. One simple step that will do the trick when it comes to improving our diet is to avoid consumption of sugar. The benefits of avoiding sugar in your diet are plenty and include feeling much more energetic and being able to lose weight a lot more easily. Given below are a few tips regarding the same.
Easy Ways to Eliminate Sugar From your Diet
- Instead of drinking coffee and sodas, switch to healthier options like herbal tea. If you don’t happen to like the taste of herbal tea then at least try to replace all those empty calories with water! Water acts as a great cleanser and flushes out all the toxins from the body. So drink as much water as possible.
- Cut down on your consumption of carbohydrates and switch to a high protein diet. You can concentrate more on eating fish and chicken. If you are a vegetarian, then you can eat tofu instead. These foods help to keep you full for longer and so should be had in as large quantities as is possible.
- Although eliminating refined sugar from your diet is a fair enough option, try to instead cut down on your sugar altogether. This is because the more you are tempted by seeing brown sugar, the more likely you are to consume it in such high quantities, that the entire purpose of eliminating sugar from your diet is defeated. Hence, try to avoid all kinds of sugar. If you can’t manage to do this suddenly, hence gradually cut down on your intake of sugar.
- Concentrate more on eating vegetables. This will help to take your mind off sugar laden foods and will also keep you full for a longer time. These vegetables include broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, peppers, carrots, lettuce, tomatoes and celery. These vegetables also have the added advantage of being rich in fiber, and hence help to clean the bowel by acting as roughage.
- Completely abstain from eating candies and other such empty sugar laden foods. Try to tame that notorious sweet tooth of yours! The most important thing to do is to eliminate refined sugar from diet. So no sodas, candies and any other foods that scream sugar!
- Many people think that by taking artificial sweeteners, they are eliminating sugar from their diet. However, you need to be wary of falling prey to this kind of thinking. Even taking artificial sweeteners has its own sets of disadvantages. Hence, since you are trying to cut down on your sugar consumption, do so properly, while minimally taking the help of artificial sweeteners.
- Eating whole grain is highly recommended when trying to cut down on sugar intake. Try to eat whole grains, like brown rice and oatmeal.
The effects of avoiding the intake of sugar in your diet will clearly show within no time, as you will be feeling healthier not just from the outside but also from the inside!