Want to Reduce Sugar? Here Are Sugar-Free Tips For Seniors
The needs for sugar-free tips has dramatically increased overtime because many are falling victims of the health consequences caused by excess sugar intake. Sugar has been identified as contributing to some certain health problems: such as obesity, tooth decay, acne, inflammation, high blood pressure, fatty liver disease, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.
For seniors, high sugar intake is very detrimental and pose a threat to your health and well-being. Therefore for seniors that want to reduce their sugar intake, there are several sugar-free tips that helps prevent the aforementioned health consequences if followed. Many seniors consume much more sugar than the authorities recommend.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH), for example, estimate that seniors in the United States obtain close to 15% of their calories from added sugars alone. This intake of sugar does not even include natural sugars, like the ones in other products such as fruit and milk.
So, the need to reduce sugar intake and focus on foods that are sugar-free is essential.
7 Sugar-Free Tips for Seniors
Here are some sugar-free tips you can adopt to improve your overall health and well-being.
Take it slow
One of the most important sugar-free tips is to change sugary diets, but changing a diet full of sugar to ones without should come in a slow process rather than rushing it. It may start by getting rid of the most apparent sources of sugar. Keeping away from baked goods such as cakes, brownies, and muffins are ways of reducing sugar intake.
You can also try to reduce the amount of sugar and creamy substances added to coffee or tea, by using none at all. Building up to a no-sugar diet can help in retraining the palate, so as not to crave for sugar again.
Take note of product labels
Taking time to read product labels is another vital sugar-free tips. After avoiding excess sugar intake at home, it is therefore important to watch out for sugar intake from external sources by turning attention to other products that contain sugar. Reading product labels can help to recognize the types of sugars to avoid.
Sugar has different names and is in many different syrups, beverages and concentrates. There is nothing less than 61 different names for sugar on food labels. The most common ones include:
I. sucrose
II. glucose
III. dextrose
IV. fructose
V. lactose
VI. cane sugar
VII. brown sugar
VIII. corn syrup
IX. evaporated cane juice
X. invert sugar
XI. beet sugar
XII. barley malt
XIII. coconut sugar
XIV. maple syrup
XV. agave syrup
XVI. rice syrup
XVII. apple or grape juice concentrate.
But looking out for the most suitable ones from the list can be time-consuming, therefore the best way to reduce sugar intake is to look for foods or beverages that is labeled as “zero sugar,” “no added sugar” or “sugar-free.”
Avoid simple carbohydrates
Staying clear from carbohydrate-rich diet such as white rice, white pasta and white flour help reduce sugar intake and therefore also regarded as sugar-free tips. Carbohydrate is regarded as “complex sugar” food, the body quickly breaks down the carbohydrates in these foods into sugar.
This process causes rise in blood sugar levels therefore increasing the risk of health issues. Whole grains such as wheat berry, whole oats and buckwheat are best options for the replacement of these diets.
Avoid artificial sugars
Artificial sugars are much sweeter than sugar but contain few or no calories. But consuming artificial sugars can trick the body into thinking it consuming natural sugar, therefore intensifying someone’s cravings for sugar making it more difficult for them to adhere to a sugar-free diet. For this reason, following sugar-free tips should also involve avoiding artificial sugars such as:
I. Splenda
II. NutraSweet
III. Sweet’N Low
Some industries prefer putting the chemical names of their ingredients on their product labels especially in anything marketed as low sugar, low calorie, or diet food rather than common names. The chemical names include:
I. aspartame
II. sucralose
III. saccharin
IV. acesulfame K or acesulfame potassium
V. neotame
Avoid drinking sugar
Replacing sweetened beverages and drinks with unsweetened ones like herbal tea, sugar-free coffee and even water is another sugar-free tips one can adopt. Although sugar may be easy to avoid in refined foods. However, fruit juice, soda, yoghurts and other sweetened drinks are among the notable sources of added sugars in the diet.
Therefore, substituting these sweetened drinks with the aforementioned unsweetened ones helps to reduce sugar intake while also staying hydrated.
Eat whole grain foods
Eating whole grains is another sugar-free tips. So, consuming foods such as whole-wheat flour, bulgur (cracked wheat), oatmeal, whole cornmeal, and brown rice are best options to reduce sugar intake because processed foods tends to contain added sugars or refined ingredients.
Plan your meals
To reduce sugar intake successfully, you have to plan your meals. When one has the urge to eat or feel hungry, they are likely to reach for foods or sugary snacks or drinks because the most readily available foods out there contains sugar. However, planning your meal properly will help reduce the level at which you consume sugary foods
In conclusion, excess intake of sugar is disadvantageous as it increases the risk of many health problems such as diabetes, liver disease, high blood pressure e.t.c. In contrary, sugar-free tips helps to reduce sugar intake also help in maintaining a diet rich in whole foods thereby improving the overall health and well-being.
Adopting sugar-free tips such as planning your meal, avoiding simple carbohydrate, avoiding drinking sugar and so on helps only not to reduce the risk of health issues but also to live a fulfilled life.