Tips for reducing your sugar intake Don't drink your calories. Read the nutrition facts table and the list of ingredients on packaged foods. Beverages are one of the main sources of added sugars in our diet. Eliminate soft drinks from your regular diet.
If necessary, drink diet soda. Ideally, however, you should also eliminate diet sodas. A regular can of cola contains 7 teaspoons of sugar (35 g). Try swapping it out for water, drinks without sugar or without added sugar, or low-fat milk.
You know that soft drinks are potum non grata, but other sugary drinks may go unnoticed for your nutrition. Coffee drinks, such as bottled Frappuccino, can contain 34 grams of added sugar, and a 20-ounce sports drink contains up to 48 grams, nearly 100% of your daily limit. For comparison, a Coca-Cola can has 39 grams. But for everyone else, just choose water, says Nancy Farrell Allen, M, S.
Alcohol itself contains very little or no sugar, but when you add coffee liqueur to your tini, that's when the grams can go through the roof. Instead of steaming or sautéing vegetables and relying on dressings and sauces (which often contain added sugars) for flavor, put them in a 450°F oven. It caramelizes natural sugars and makes them taste sweeter and more intense, says sensory scientist and dietitian Sungeun Choi, Ph, D. A typical adult shouldn't eat more than 50 grams (or about 12 teaspoons) of added sugars a day, and close to 25 is healthier.
Once you come up with a strategy, eating a healthy amount of sugar isn't as difficult as it sometimes seems. The healthiest snack options are those that don't contain added sugar, such as fresh or canned fruit (in juice, not in syrup), mixed unsalted nuts, natural popcorn, rice cakes, crackers topped with low-fat cheese, or low-sugar yogurt. The healthy fats in nuts decrease the absorption of the fruit's natural sugars, so you regain balance and stop cravings.
