Sugar? Yes, Please: A Healthy Lifestyle Practice

Thanks to several medical discoveries and experimentations, it is indeed great news to hear that you may not need to avoid sugar altogether. Those, who have a sweet tooth, can finally rejoice, given that there are too many delectable dishes and desserts for them to ignore. People, who are planning the menu for their wedding, may tell their catering service not to shy away from serving sweet treats to your guests – making your special day even sweeter!

But you have to ask, yourself, how did this become possible? How can you include sugar into your meals without taking in too much? Well, you don’t have to wonder too long because below, you will find out all the information regarding sugar and how you can incorporate it well to your diet.

What you already know about sugar

As you already know, consuming too much sugar is not healthy. But this does not mean you have to get rid of it altogether. This is because your body – particularly you cells – needs sugar in order to use energy.

It is important to note that sugar, with the right amount of intake, helps maintain a balanced diet. Unfortunately, more people often exceed the recommended amount of sugar that is necessary for their body.

With that said, sugar has created a bad reputation globally as it has been a common cause of viral diseases, such as diabetes and obesity, over time.

What you barely know about sugar

In light of this matter, the World Health Organization (WHO) has released a guideline to reduce the intake of free sugar, which are particularly those that are added to food and drinks made by people from manufacturing companies, restaurants, among others. The most common examples of products that use too much sugar in their ingredients are honey, syrups, and fruit juices.

To make the long story short, WHO recommends both children and adults to lessen their daily intake of free sugars to 10% of their total energy intake. They even recommend, if it is possible, to lessen this amount to 5% (the equivalent of 25 grams or 6 teaspoons of sugar) because it will be so much better for the body.

As you may know, lowering the number of sweets you eat per day doesn’t necessarily reduce your sugar intake. There are many studies that show sugar is also present in processed food – hidden actually, and that a tablespoon of ketchup may actually convert to 4 grams of free sugar.

Luckily, there are many available healthy products including fresh fruits, vegetables, and milk that you can eat. These foods do not have free sugar, they have natural ones, which does not cause any side effects to your body!

What you need to know about sugar

Is it possible to stay healthy and eat sweet stuff? The answer is yes. However, to be able to do so, you will need to abide a particular set of rules. These are the following:

• For breakfast, it is most likely that you will consume sweet foods such as cereals, muffins, bagels, pastries, jam, coffee and many others. But don’t fret – you can choose to eat specific breakfast snacks/meals that are high in protein and fats, such as cheese and plain yogurt. They will be able to help add sustainable energy and support chemical processes in your body. By abiding to this, you will become energetic all throughout the day without consuming too many sweets.
• Your drinks are the most probable source of unnecessary and unhealthy sugar. Thus, it is highly recommended that you drink water. It may be hard at first, but there is no doubt that you will make it. However, if you need to drink coffee occasionally, you may just increase the level of cream to reduce the bitterness and try omitting sugar from the mix. Aside from reducing the level of sugar intake per day, this will also help you sleep better and work with much greater energy for the entire day.
• Another way to sweeten your life is to mix tea with honey. This will help you get the sugar you need without sacrificing your health. According to Keri Keri Glassman, founder of Nutritious life, though honey is mostly comprised of sugar, it also has minerals and antioxidants that you can benefit from.

Key Takeaway

While most people think that sugar is the enemy, the problem can actually easily be resolved by changing your perspective. If you are aware of what you eat, then you would know how much sugar you are particularly consuming. Eventually, this could lead to you making a healthier choice in the foods and drinks that you intake. If you do so, you can decrease your chances of experiencing the various diseases and side effects that come from sugar.

To sum it all up, you must always remember to discipline yourself, as this is the key to a healthier lifestyle.