Christmas is a great time for eating treats. Unfortunately, many treats are high in sugar. Sugar is the underlying cause of inflammation, high blood pressure, inflammation, weight gain, diabetes and fatty liver disease. It’s also not great for your skin.
When you are out at parties, there will be plenty of goodies floating around. So how do you say no to these high sugar desserts? Here are a few tips that will help you get by.
Be Selective
You may not want to completely hold back on indulging, but when you do, be selective. For example, if there are things you must have at the table, like that triple chocolate mousse, ice cream fudgy creamy cake, go ahead and take a slice, but make it a small one. If there are other items that are not as exotic, such as vanilla ice cream that you can get anywhere, skip it.
Avoid Alcohol
Alcohol is a major source of sugar and mixers, like juice and soda, are not great either. You are best off switching out alcohol with nonalcoholic options and sugar free soft drinks.
Find Healthy Alternatives when Cooking
If you are cooking for yourself, you can find ingredients and cooking methods that ensure your meals are low in sugar. For example, when baking desserts, you can substitute sugar with artificial sweeteners like Stevia or natural sweeteners like honey.
Find Alternates for Sugary Desserts
It may be tempting to eat that pie, but there are plenty of sweet foods that you can eat instead. Fresh fruit and yogurt are a few examples. They may not look as delicious as high sugar treats, but once you eat them, you won’t be as likely to fill up on sweets. Dark chocolate that is 70% cocoa or higher is also lower in sugar than other desserts.
Avoid Sugary Sauces
Sauces, like tomato sauce, Chinese sauces and sweet chili sauce, are high in sugar. Ketchup is also a sugar bomb. Instead of pouring these on your foods, try enhancing the taste with low sugar condiments like mayonnaise, herbs, chili, mustard, vinegar, pesto and lemon and lime juice.
Avoid Processed Foods
Processed foods are made to taste good and this usually takes the addition of an excessive amount of sugar. Soft drinks, cereals, chips and fast food should be avoided at all costs. To keep sugar intake low, opt for whole foods instead. Whole grains, legumes, fresh fruits and vegetable and meat on the bone are all good examples.
Staying away from sugar is not easy during the holidays but the tips in this article will ensure you are eating right. What do you do when trying to minimize sugar in your diet?
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