The Ministry of Health recommends limiting our sugar consumption to a maximum of 4 tablespoons or about 150 grams per person per day. Here are 5 tips you can do to reduce sugar consumption:
- Recognize and Avoid Sugar Consumption Triggers
Maybe you are wondering, what is the trigger for sugar consumption? Triggers for sugar consumption are things that are either consciously or unconsciously able to trigger us to consume more food or drinks, especially those containing sugar. For example, we tend to look for food or drink in the middle of the night when we stay up late. So, what we have to do is sleep early to avoid the possibility of us being tempted to consume excess sugar.
You can also learn when you feel like you want to eat a snack. Oftentimes, excess sugar actually comes from our snacks, foods, and drinks that we usually eat at snack time, not big meals. Remembering when you usually start to feel hungry allows us to prevent that feeling of hunger, or maybe we can prepare to replace it with a healthier one. For example, you generally feel hungry and want to have a snack at 10 am. So, prepare fruit beforehand as a substitute for high-sugar snacks that you usually consume.
- Make a meal plan
Eating regularly helps you reduce the urge to overeat or eat less healthy foods. Therefore, plan in advance what foods and/or drinks you want to consume, how you will prepare them, and when you will eat them. Try to give a gap of 3-5 hours in each meal to give the body time to process the incoming nutrients.
- Consume protein every 3-4 Hours
Consuming protein regularly can provide additional energy for the body while maintaining blood sugar levels. Consuming protein is also able to make the body feel full, so it will be more restrained from the desire to consume sugar to increase energy. The recommended protein is a protein that is not high in fat, such as nuts, chicken meat, and so on. As a variation, the consumption of protein shakes can also be considered.
- Avoid Sugar Consumption Before Bed
Snacking at night becomes one of the biggest temptations in the diet. Therefore, it is advisable not to touch the kitchen after dinner. Consuming foods and drinks high in carbohydrates and sugar before bed makes blood sugar levels rise quickly, but then fall back down quickly. As a result, after midnight you will find it difficult to sleep because the body has entered into fight or flight mode due to an increase in the adrenaline hormone in the body. If you feel the need to eat something sweet before bed, consuming natural sugars from fruits is a better choice.
- Socialize
Foods high in sugar are one of the main choices of comfort food for people who do stress eating. When you feel stressed and need food as a stress reliever, actually apart from the nutrition you are also looking for a sense of comfort and security that comes from bonding with something. When we socialize, we have distractions that keep us from “going too far” when we eat.
If your body regularly craves certain sweet foods or drinks to overcome stress, try applying these 5 tips to reduce sugar consumption. Good luck!
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Source :
Cassata, C. (2020). Eating Excess Sugar Is Worse for You During COVID-19: 6 Ways to Cut It. Healthline. November 6, 2020. Available at: https://www.healthline.com/health-news/eating-excess-sugar-is-worse-for-you-during-covid-19-6-ways-to-cut-it