Maybe you’ve decided that it would be healthier for you to lose some weight. And since being healthy is your ultimate goal, you want to lose those extra pounds as safely as possible.
If you’re truly interested in in losing weight in a steady and healthy way, you should consider shifting to a diet that’s low in sugar.
But, before you make the move to a low-sugar diet, it’s helpful to know what you’re actually eating and drinking on a regular basis.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommends keeping a food journal of everything you eat and drink over the course of a few days before you begin dieting. Otherwise, if you aren’t keeping track on paper, it’s easy for small snacks to slip through the cracks as you think over what you’ve eaten that day.
Plus, knowing your exact eating habits will help keep track of your progress. Once you’ve identified your habits, you’ll be better equipped to change them for the better.
One of the best ways to begin cutting sugar from your diet is to start reading the nutrition information on whatever it is you’re planning to eat or drink to make sure it’s not too high in sugar.
But, this isn’t as easy as it seems. It’s actually pretty difficult to spot sugar, because sugar appears in so many different forms.
Luckily, Women’s Health compiled a list of the 56 (that’s right, 56) terms that are code words for sugar. Try to become familiar with as many of them as you can and avoid consuming them regularly.
Being on a low-sugar diet doesn’t mean that tasty foods and drinks are a thing of the past.
Plenty of food websites and magazines offer low-sugar recipes. Greatist, Cooking Light, and Shape all have helpful lists. But again, be careful. When looking for tasty foods, do your best to avoid artificial sweeteners.
In 2010, the Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine published a surprising report that found artificial sweeteners are frequently linked to weight-gain rather than weight-loss.
The most important thing to remember is to go slow, and that it is okay to indulge in the occasional sweet.
