Excess sugar intake can be a major weakness for many of us. Attempting to cut back on sweets takes effort and commitment but is a great choice in living a healthy lifestyle. Oftentimes, people are unaware of how much food actually contains added sugars. The biggest culprit of added sugar in diets is sugar-sweetened beverages such as soda, tea, coffee, juice, sports drinks, and desserts like candy, cookies, cake and pie.
According to the 2015 Dietary Guidelines, Americans should limit added sugars to less than 10 percent of their caloric intake. This means if a person follows an 1,800-calorie diet, their total sugar consumption should be less than 180 calories (around 45 grams of sugar or less). The average American consumes around 270 calories of added sugar per day.
Cutting back on added sugar intake can benefit us in several ways. Reducing the amount of sugar you eat can help with weight management and decrease your risk for conditions such as cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes, cancer, metabolic syndrome and cavities.
Some sugar occurs naturally in foods like fruit and dairy products and is not considered a source of added sugar. These foods are nutrient-dense and provide many health benefits. Look for these ingredients to determine if sugar was added: corn sweetener, high fructose corn syrup, dextrose, fructose, glucose, honey, invert sugar, lactose, malt syrup, maltose, molasses, raw sugar, sucrose, trehalose, turbinado sugar and brown sugar.
Preparing meals from scratch is a good way to control how much sugar is added into your meals. When adding sugar to recipes, try using one-fourth or one-half less than what the recipe calls for. Often, making small cuts isnt noticeable taste-wise but can reduce overall calories. Sugar in recipes can also be substituted with healthier choices. Unsweetened applesauce can be used in place of sugar or oil in baked goods and is one way to decrease sugar content and calories, but keep flavor. One cup of sugar has 774 calories, while 1 cup of applesauce has only 100 calories and also contains fiber, vitamins and minerals.
To use applesauce as a substitution, replace sugar with an equal amount of applesauce in recipes; decrease other liquids in the recipe by cup per 1 cup of applesauce to maintain textures. Depending on the recipe, it may be more suitable to substitute half of the sugar rather than all of it; try experimenting with different recipes.
Applesauce may also be added to oatmeal or used in place of syrup on pancakes. Other ways to reduce added sugar consumption include choosing fresh or frozen fruit, or fruit canned in water or own juices, choosing sugar free beverages, and choosing products with fewer grams of added sugar. Using spices like cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger, or using vanilla, almond or orange extracts, are healthy alternatives to adding flavor without as many calories.
Making small cuts in your sugar consumption throughout the day can make a big difference all together. Just a few simple changes each day will improve your health. You can start with this delicious low-sugar recipe:
Banana Bread
Makes 10 servings.
Ingredients:
¢ 1 cups flour
¢ 1 teaspoon baking soda
¢ 1 teaspoon baking powder
¢ 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¢ 1 teaspoon nutmeg
¢ 3-4 medium-size ripe bananas, mashed
¢ cup applesauce
¢ 1 large egg, lightly beaten
¢ 2 tablespoons canola oil
¢ 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
¢ 1 cup chopped nuts (optional)
Directions: Stir together first five ingredients in a large bowl; make a well in center of mixture. Stir together bananas and next four ingredients; add to flour mixture, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Pour batter into a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees F for 55 minutes to one hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack 10 minutes; remove from pan, and cool completely on wire rack.
Nutrition (per serving): 142 calories, 3.5 grams total fat, 0.4 grams saturated fat, 182 milligrams sodium, 26 grams carbohydrate, 2 grams dietary fiber, 3 grams protein.
Jordan Whanger is a clinical dietitian at St. Marys Hospital Audrain and works with inpatient and outpatient services providing nutrition therapy and education on a variety of conditions.