I've managed to reduce my cholesterol to a satisfactory level by taking statins and being very careful about eating foods high in saturated fat.I'm concerned now about how to reduce the sugar in my diet. I don't drink fizzy drinks, take sugar in tea or eat cakes, biscuits etc (apart from cake and mince pies at Christmas!).
What I consider to be a healthy meal, i.e. jacket potato with baked beans doesn't seem too healthy when half a tin contains 12 grams of sugar!
I mostly cook from scratch, low fat mince or chicken, make casseroles, eat a lot of vegetables, wholemeal bread and pasta, so I think I eat fairly healthily, but even fruit yogurts have 12 or more grams of sugar in them.
So how do you reduce the sugar in your diet? I'd be very interested in your replies, thank you. 🙂
Lily
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MrsSuzuki
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It can be tricky to reduce sugar, especially as the "traffic light" labellingbon packages can be misleading. I was pre diabetic a few years ago and reduced my sugar intake by doing not only what you are doing but also watching my carb intake as carbs are basically sugar too. One thing I remember is that fibre could offset the carbs so that, say, 20g of carbs of which 10g is fibre only counts as 10g ( or did last time I looked). It also helps slow down the sugar "hit" as your body has to work harder to break things down. Complex carbs are better than simple so I swapped to wholemeal bread, rice and pasta, albeit in moderation, and stopped drinking fruit juices which are effectively neat sugar. Whole fruits are better. I found Diabetes UK useful with this
Think I'm doing OK with my sugar don't add sugar to anything only have what's already in food given up cakes and biscuits but not completely only for special occasions now mostly eat chicken and fish now you could try Quorn mince tastes good if you like baked beans don't get the normal tins as these are high in sugar and salt I have the reduced sugar and salt variety and you wouldn't know the difference once you've tried them hope that helps good luck.
Replace commercial fruit yoghurts with plain yoghurt plus fruit you have prepared from scratch. Avoid all processed foods. Cut down carbs unless they are high in fibre. These are my attempts. Good luck, and I look forward to reading other advice!
MrsSuzuki - my honest response is that I haven't changed my diet considerably. I take two sugars in tea and coffee, I sprinkle sugar over my porridge. I use a cholesterol-lowering alternative to butter (axel grease), but I still cook curries with a little ghee and complement them with sweet chutney, Initially I went down the route of herbal teas, which are okay, with some honey, and I avoided all sweet treats, but I care for an elderly person who's dietary needs are more-or-less the opposite of mine as she suffers from very low weight due to having a small appetite and needs high calorie food.
The most difficult part has been giving up smoking at the same time has trying to change my diet. I found that not smoking increased my appetite for 'bad' foods and that I was going to give in to one or the other - so I've opted for sticking with not smoking with a view to controlling my diet better once I feel confident I won't start smoking again. I also plan on buying an electric bike to get more exercise and to keep me away from the kitchen for longer!
Good luck with your health choices, but remember that your mental health is important too. I believe that not everyone can cope with huge changes all at once, For some of us it is better to make small steps in the right direction.
I have been a type 1 diabetic all my life, so always watched carbs carefully. Went keto three years ago to lose weight for some operations.
Essentially DON'T eat fruiy yoghurts. Unncessary carbs from sugar. Plain yoghurt and fruit however works well. Watermelon and fruit like blueberries, raspberries takes a long time to be absorbed and will help.
I have cut out all potatoes and pasta on a regular basis. Substitute with more veg, especially green.
This is all personal choices but essentially I have reduced insulin intake, blood glucose and kept the weight off.
Keto diets work.
You haven't told us why you want to further your sugar intake. Is it because you are overweight or more or you have diabetes concerns or another health issue. If its not a health issue it would seem to me it just carry on as you are, by cutting out or significantly reducing cakes, biscuits and sugary snacks and drinks and similar, cook from scratch so you know what goes in, be conscious of what is in the packet, tin, jar or bottle when you buy from outside (as in the can of beans) and where appropriate avoid or cut down and/or look for alternatives.
No I'm not overweight, I actually lost 10 pounds when I didn't eat much after my heart attack and it's stayed off . No other health issues -I know I'm eating far healthier than before my HA, but it's just been bothering me how much sugar is used in foods that I didn't expect to see. I've been finding myself not just checking how much saturated fat there is but also sugar in all sorts of food .I've mostly cut out all sugary snacks, biscuits and processed food, so hopefully I'm on the straight and narrow. All things in moderation eh?😉.
It sounds like you are doing brilliantly cooking from scratch and eating fresh fruit and vegetables. Plus avoiding cakes, sweets and biscuits, I wish I had your willpower! I can only suggest you check on cans for amounts of salt and sugar, they do reduced sugar baked beans in most supermarkets and reduced sugar yoghurts. Plus I use Stevia sweetener in my coffee, and put chopped banana and apple in my porridge rather than sugar.
I had to do this about 8 years ago when I was pre-diabetic. It's the reason I started baking my own breads and making my own desserts (you can cut the sugar in baked goods by 25% - even more - generally without a problem). You might want to read about glycemic index/load. Imo, it's the key to reducing sugar intake.
Hi Lily, it sounds like you are doing really well.
I recently became concerned with sugar because I was diagnosed as prediabetic and didn't want to push myself over the edge. I've taken on board a couple of suggestions.I wanted to check my current diet to see where I should make changes. I have been playing with a piece of software to log my eating over the last 2 days
Off topic, but I have been playing with a piece of software that lets me log my meals to see what I am doing right or wrong. Hopefully I can also get a report if I need to get comments on my diet in the future.
I've just realised that it seems to let me forecast future meals, and try different brands say of baked beans. It only seems to show saturated fats and sugar in the total for the day.
I have only been using it for 2 days and just had a look at the last 2 days - fats seemed to be too high but sugar seemed OK
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