Indulging in sweets every once in a while is a necessity, but regularly overloading on sugar can seriously hinder your health. Sugar is not just there in your desserts but everything from your juices, bread, and condiments which make you unknowingly load up on a lot of sugar each day. The sweet thing is delicious so trying to limit your intake of sugar can be really tough when you are first starting out. These tips and tricks will make eating less added sugar a whole lot easier.

1. Find Out The Sugar-Loaded Foods, Condiments and Drinks

One way to cut down on sugar is simply by eliminating things with too much sugar like soda, juice, and candy. Instead of going for those store-bought cakes and desserts, treat yourself with a chocolate sauce made with raw honey, coconut oil, and dark cocoa. Cut down on ketchup, mayonnaise and BBQ sauce and try and make your own salad dressings, jams, and jellies.

2. Use a Fitness App to Track Your Sugar Intake

Using a fitness application can help you keep track of how much sugar you are consuming. The app will help you ensure that you do not consume anything more than 25 gm of sugar in a day. Yes, limiting your sugar intake can be difficult but it is doable and definitely worth. What Happens When You Stop Eating Sugar? 5 Amazing Ways Your Health Improves.

3. Keep Low-Sugar Go-To Snacks with You At All Times

If you have healthy, low-sugar snacks, you will be less tempted to eat whatever sugary thing you are craving throughout the day. Simply make an assortment of roasted nuts and seeds of your choice to keep you feeling full all day. Salt, Sugar and Stress: Its Side Effects on Health and How to Curb Them.

4. Stick To Protein and Complex Carbs for Breakfast

Instead of having a bowl of cereal for breakfast with all the added sugar, whip yourself a protein shake that will keep you full all day. You can also go for something like avocado and toast or peanut butter toast to fuel you throughout the day without those sugar cravings.

5. Flavour Your Drinks with Real Fruits

Swap your flavoured yoghurt with plain yoghurt and your flavoured  drinks with homemade ones with a hint of real fruits and herbs. Adding fruit to water tastes great, and is much better for you than high-fructose corn syrup fruit juices. 5 Natural and Healthy Sugar Substitutes For A Flatter Tummy and A Fitter Body.

6. Make Healthy Lifestyle Changes

Make sure that you get enough sleep so that you do not have to supplement for coffee or get sugar cravings at night. Cook all your meals at home so you can focus on vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains. Also, be sure to drink a lot of water so that you avoid buying the ultra-processed or sugary drinks at the grocery store.

And finally, cut down on carbohydrate-heavy meals that taste good, but ultimately make you feel sluggish, lethargic, and hungry again within a short period of time. So if you are going to eat carbs, try to make them complex carbs including sweet potatoes and brown rice.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 21, 2019 12:03 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).