Small Steps To Quash Your Sugar Cravings
Sugar is everywhere – cheap, accessible and addictive. So it is little wonder that so many of us are searching for our next sugar hit.
It is well known how damaging sugar is to your health, raising your risk of obesity and chronic disease, but there are ways to avoid the dreaded sugar crash and give your energy the boost it needs with healthier and more filling alternatives.
CRAVING |
SMALL IMPROVEMENT |
LARGE IMPROVEMENT |
| Chocolate | Decrease your chocolate intake significantly by adding it to a healthier food choice such as strawberries or melon. | Opt for a good quality dark chocolate with at least 70% cocoa and treat yourself to a square each day. |
| Sugary hot drinks | Many of the coffees we buy on the go contain upwards of 20 teaspoons of sugar. Swap heavy lattes, mochas and hot chocolates for something a little lighter such as a flat white or Americano with added milk. | Swapping to something less milky will help adjust your taste buds, making a swap to fruit teas and black Americanos seem effortless. |
| Sugary spreads | Chocolate spread, jam and honey are all packed with sugar, easily adding 2 teaspoons or sugar to a slice of toast. Swap store bought jars for homemade jam by pureeing some fresh raspberries for example. | Cottage cheese or nut butters are a great way to steer clear or sugar altogether. Be mindful of your nut butter choice as some jarred varieties contain added sugar and palm oils, choose one that contains 100% nuts. |
| Fizzy drinks | You will see an instant sugar decrease by simply swapping to the diet varieties of sugary drinks, but use this only as a stepping stone for reducing your sugar as diet drinks are full of other nasties. | A little squash with some fizzy water is a great alternative to fizzy drinks. Better yet, flavour some fizzy water with fresh fruit instead. |
| Sweets | Sweets are seemingly easily eaten in large quantities as they can be very deceiving and will never leave you feeling satisfied. To kerb your sugar intake, opt for sugar free sweet alternatives. | Fruit is naturally very sweet, so use this to your advantage. If a whole piece of fruit doesn’t take your fancy, try freezing it. Chunks of banana or frozen grapes make for a really satisfyingly sweet snack. |
| Sugar cereals and bars | Top your usual choice of cereal with fresh fruit rather than added sugar. If you buy cereal or energy bars instead try to make your own as they are simple and cost effective – by doing this you can increase the protein quantity and decrease the sugar by adding high amounts of nut butters, oats, nuts and seeds. | Swap sugary cereals coated in sugar with plain cereals such as shredded wheat or porridge. Add your own sweetness in the form of a sprinkle of cinnamon and fresh fruit.
Swap energy bars for a handful of plain nuts and dried fruit. |
| Cake | If you are unable to resist a slice of cake, try to share it with whomever you’re with, and choose a cake that contains fruit rather than coated in chocolate and icing. | Go for homemade rather than store bought and replace heavily refined sugar quantities and lashings of butter with ingredients such as Medjool dates, unsweetened apple sauce, unsweetened peanut butter, mashed banana, and roasted sweet potato or pumpkin. Plenty of recipes can be found online. But remember that they should still be regarded as a treat and not a regular snack. |
To discuss our Employee Nutrition Services, call 07810 716758 or email Anna.
