Were you aware that the average American consumes about 126.4 grams of sugar a day! That breaks down to roughly 22 teaspoons a day for each person in America. America is followed by Germany (102.9 grams), the Netherlands (102.5 grams), Ireland (96.7 grams), United Kingdom (93.2 grams), Switzerland (76.1 grams), France (68.5 grams).
So, while where we live seems to make a difference in how much sugar we’re eating, it’s still a topic that is important to address.
Yet the maximum recommended intake is just 36 grams for men and 25 grams for women. To give you a bit more perspective, half a can of Cola has 20 grams of sugar in it!
Think about these numbers for a minute.
That’s a lot of sugar!
Just two hundred years ago we only used about 9 kilos of sugar per person per year.
We know all this sugar isn’t good for us. It’s rotting our teeth, giving us Type II Diabetes, and contributing to the obesity epidemic in the western world, dementia, depression, ADHD, acne, heart disease, PMS, infertility, endometriosis, PCOS, impotence, and a lot more.
The bad thing is that added sugar has found its way into all sorts of foods we consume on a daily basis and it isn’t just the sugary breakfast cereal or the ice cream that is the culprit. There’s sugar in our salad dressings, our frozen dinners, and pasta sauce to give you just a few examples.
Even the healthiest things as the healthy smoothies or shots we buy might be full of it!
What can we do to cut back on the amount of sugar we consume on a daily basis? Let’s start by cutting out some of the big offenders.
If you’d like support on your sugar detox journey, enrol now in our complimentary sugar detox!
#1. Cut The Soda and Other Sugary Drinks
Let’s start with something easy that will also have a huge impact. Stop drinking soda and other sugary drinks. That includes seemingly innocent things like the sweet tea you’re enjoying or the fancy coffee drink but, it could also be your favourite juice beverage. Look at the labels and figure out how many teaspoons of sugar you’re drinking each day. Then cut them out. Stick to plain water, vitamins water (homemade beverages), black coffee (in moderation) and herbal tea for a few days.
It’s not an easy transition, but it will be well worth it in the end.
#2. Stop Indulging In Sugar Laden Treats
Next it’s time to give up your favourite sugary treats. Enjoy a bowl of oatmeal or scramble up some eggs instead of pouring a bowl of sweet cereal. Skip the muffin, cake, cookies and candy. Instead reach for a piece of fruit or cut up some fresh veggies.
Find sugar free or low-sugar replacements for your favourite treats. Fix a sandwich if you’re hungry in the afternoon instead of raiding the cookie jar. Or grab some cheese and crackers. Do your best to train your brain and taste buds to not crave sweet treats all day long.
#3. Stick To Real Food
Last but not least, work on reducing the added sugars that sneak into your diet via all sorts of convenience foods. Anything that’s labelled low fat, fat free or gluten free is worth avoiding since the fat is usually replaced by lots of sugar and salt to make it palatable. Your best bet is to stick to real food. Stick with single ingredients and cook your meals from scratch. This allows you to control what’s going into the food you eat – including the sugar.