Eating too much sugar? 3 easy ways to eat less!
You don't need to do a survey to realize it: sugar is everywhere. In cookies, soft drinks... but also in tomato sauces, ready meals, sliced bread and strawberry yoghurt. And even when we think we're being careful, we often eat far more than we realize!
But there's no question here of eliminating everything, or becoming obsessed. The idea is to gently restore balance. Here are 3 simple tips for reducing sugar on a daily basis, without frustration or sad menus ;)
1. Gently dishabituate your palate... while keeping the pleasure
We often think that to eat less sugar, we have to cut out everything at once. But the best way to stick with it is to reduce gradually, and listen to how you feel.
In concrete terms:
- If you sweeten your coffee or yoghurt, use a little less each week.
- Opt for chocolate at 60%, then 70%, then 85% if you feel like it. Taste your compotes before adding sugar: fruit alone is often enough.
- For home baking, try using 20-30% less sugar: most recipes are creamy.
Gradually, the palate becomes accustomed to less sweet tastes, and products with too much sugar can even end up tasting disgusting.
2. Track down hidden sugars in processed foods
This is where sugar sneaks in. On labels, it hides under many names: glucose-fructose syrup, maltodextrin, dextrin, sucrose, etc. It's a real game of hide-and-seek!
Some products to watch out for :
- Breakfast cereals (even those sold as "healthy")
- Fruit or "Greek-style" yoghurts
- Commercial sauces, ready-made meals, soups in briquets
- Industrial fruit juices
The right thing to do: read labels, and choose the simplest products possible. Or better still: cook at home whenever possible, even in express versions.
3. Intelligent replacement... without revolutionizing everything
There's no need to switch to a life of almond puree and date pellets (unless you like that). There are plenty of simple ways to replace sugar, without losing the pleasure:
- A mashed banana in a cake instead of sugar: softness guaranteed.
- A spoonful of honey or maple syrup to sweeten plain yoghurt: natural and more aromatic.
- A square of dark chocolate at the end of a meal instead of an ultra-sweet dessert: pleasure, without excess
- A no-sugar-added compote in muffins: it's lighter, more aromatic, and it works!
The idea is to add taste in other ways: with spices (cinnamon, vanilla), fresh fruit, citrus fruit, cocoa... We keep the pleasure, but change our habits.
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Adèle Peyches
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