With Halloween and other festive holidays around the corner, it’s easy to slip into a sugar craze. Did you know that the average American eats around 61 pounds of refined sugar each year? About 25 pounds of that is straight candy, with Halloween alone making up about 2 pounds. That’s some spooky stuff.
It’s no surprise that sugar isn’t the best for you – especially the processed, bleached kind. Sugar is known to increase risk of chronic diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, and even some cancers. By cutting back on sugar and switching to better-for-you alternatives, we can help our bodies fight against these unnecessary setbacks.
And honestly, it’s easier than you think. We’ve dug up six steps to help support a low-sugar lifestyle to make it possible to still enjoy special moments, like Halloween, without overdoing it and setting us back from our goals:
- Read labels / Avoid processing – This is probably the most important thing you can do as sugars sneakily find their way into things you wouldn’t expect. It’s beyond the junk foods; things like breakfast bars, yogurt, fruit juice, and more could be the culprit of all your sugar intake. Even worse, these products have a way of hiding sugar in a variety of names. In fact, there’s over 60 different names for sugar, including Dextrin, Diastatic malt, Sorghum syrup, corn syrup, Sweet sorghum, among others. Knowing how to read labels on products – from the kind of sugar to the amount of sugar – will help you make better choices next time you’re at the store!
- Find innovative ways to still satisfy that sweet tooth – Even though sugar is found in nearly everything – from desserts, to beverages, snacks, cereals, and more – the good news is that there’s an array of products found in most, if not all, grocery stores that make kicking sugar a little more attainable. More and more CPG companies have been reaching sweet-toothed consumers with comparable products that focus on low sugar content and better-for-you ingredients, which is a huge step in the right direction for overall health and wellbeing. From probiotic sodas to better-for-you candy, the choices are endless. Take it from us! At LesserEvil, we’re serious about snacking and even more serious about clean ingredients that aid in health, not hurt it. We’re all about making snacks that are high in fiber and high in quality ingredients for snackers who have high standards. Aside from these innovative products, even something as simple as switching to seltzer water from regular soda and choosing fruit after dinner instead of ice cream can really make a difference in the amount of sugar you ingest.
- Brush your teeth after dinner – Craving something sweet after dinner is totally normal. In fact, it’s physiological. Truth is, your body looks for something sweet as a way of getting a swift spike of energy to support its digestion. Problem is, giving into that every night can add up your sugar intake! A simple solution that could help steer you in a different, healthier direction is to brush your teeth after dinner. A clean, minty refresh will make saying “no” to after-dinner desserts much easier!
- Get more sleep – This might not seem like it has anything to do with sugar cravings, but the fact is, “sleep deprivation causes an increase in overall hunger, which can lead to cravings of sugar, fat or both.” By getting more sleep, we’re allowing our bodies and, in turn, our hormones to handle things like stress and decision-making in a much better way to keep sugar-cravings at a low. Try getting more sleep, and see if blindly reaching for processed sugars becomes a thing of the past.
- Make your own – The best, but the most intricate, way to cut back on sugar is to make things on your own, so you can control the ingredients, the measurements, and the process. It takes time and dedication (and the right tools and ingredients), but the work is worth the path toward ultimate health. Sticking with it and letting it unfold into a healthy habit will allow for other healthy habits to form and will eventually make the thought of reaching for processed junk as unattractive as they really are. P.S. If you’re in need of inspiration, definitely check out our page of tasty, clean, and unique recipes!
- Prioritize and practice self-discipline – At the end of the day, it’s up to us as individuals to have enough self control to say no when we know we need to or at least have the strength to pivot toward healthier choices in those situations. When we see a bowl of chocolate sitting out, pass by the snack aisle at the grocery store, and notice the half-eaten pint of ice cream in the back corner of our freezer, only we can choose the right way to act. A great and simple idea to help promote self-discipline is writing in a journal every night about the foods you ate that day. It’ll not only help inspire you to make better choices as the days continue, but offer you more insight into how you’re feeling – picking up on things like bloating, headaches, and indigestion – that day based on what you consumed. Regardless of how you approach a more reserved strategy to sugar, just know that having some self control doesn’t mean not having fun. Whatever makes sense to you is what you should strive for!
It’s important to remember that perfection is unattainable and not the main point. Sugar is in a lot of things we eat, but having a positive relationship to it and a better understanding of the kinds and amounts of sugars we ingest will help us get closer to our goals.
So enjoy Halloween, eat some candy for tradition’s sake, but dedicate yourself to paving a path that you’ll be happy to follow, and use these guidelines to help you on your way.
