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7 Tips To Reduce Your Sugar Intake

February 10, 2015 by Lindsay 52 Comments

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Hi Friends!

As a Registered Dietitian, I get asked for diet and nutrition advice quite frequently. When people ask me how to improve their diet, reducing their sugar intake is almost always at the top of my list.

I think that slowly but surely, people are starting to realize that sugar, especially added sugar, can be linked to a lot of the healthy problems people are struggling with today. More and more frequently I’m hearing about about people making an effort to reduce their sugar intake by quitting cold turkey. They’re doing Whole 30, juice cleanses and other sugar-free challenges.

While that approach may work for some people (more power to you!), I know there are lots of people out there who would struggle with a challenge like that – myself included!

Recently, my friend Amanda over at Run to the Finish, reached out to ask my thoughts about ways to reduce your sugar intake without using a sugar-free challenge.

Here’s what I told her:

7 Tips to Reduce Your Sugar Intake

Looking for ways to reduce your sugar intake but don't think you're up to quitting cold turkey? Here are 7 ideas for you from a Registered Dietitian!

1) Start by cutting back. 
In my experience, for many people, completely eliminating something only serves to make you want it more.  When I started really watching my sugar intake after I graduated from college, I did it in small steps. So what does that mean? If you’re eating two sugary snacks a day, cut back to one. If you put three packets of sugar in your coffee each morning, cut back to two, then one. If you like juice, start mixing in sparkling water and reducing the amount of juice. As your tastebuds adjust to lower amounts of sugar, you’ll probably find that if you return to your original eating habits, things will taste overly sweet!

2) Find the hidden culprits.
Sugar is hidden in so many foods. It often replaces fat in low-fat/fat-free foods and you’ll find it in things that can really be made from just a few ingredients like nut butters, breads and salad dressings. For example, there are many brands of peanut butter that are made with added sugar, when in reality all you really need to make peanut butter is one ingredient- peanuts.

oatmeal flax pizza

{Fruit Pizza w/ Oatmeal Flax Crust}

3) Eat real, whole foods.
If you have a sweet tooth, try satisfying your cravings with sweet foods like fruit. When you do eat packaged foods, check the ingredient list and know the various names for sugar so you can spot it in the foods you’re eating. Remember that low fat/fat-free often means high sugar.

…To read the rest of my tips, check out my guest post over at Run to the Finish!

Let’s chat:

Have you tried to reduce your sugar intake? What worked for you?

Want to eat less sugar without going cold turkey? Here are 7 tips from @Leangrnbeanblog!

Click To Tweet

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

Filed Under: Uncategorized

About Lindsay

Lindsay Livingston is a Registered Dietitian and new mom from Columbus, Ohio. On her blog, she shares simple, healthy recipes, nutrition tips, workouts and snapshots of her life. Follow her on Twitter @LeanGrnBeanBlog and Instagram @TheLeanGreenBean and be sure to subscribe via RSS or email so you never miss a post!

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Comments

  1. Debbie @ Live from La Quinta says

    February 10, 2015 at 12:12 AM

    I quit a lot of sugary foods when I went vegan. I don’t really bake, so I generally just skip sugary non-vegan treats. Though I will splurge on a vegan goodie every once in a while 🙂

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      February 11, 2015 at 11:22 AM

      a good splurge is always worth it!

      Reply
  2. [email protected] says

    February 10, 2015 at 12:22 AM

    I love the advice of eating real, whole foods. I think that is much the answer for everyone. And a super sweet piece of pineapple is an excellent cure for a sweet tooth.

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      February 11, 2015 at 11:22 AM

      yesss pineapple for the win!

      Reply
  3. Lauren @ The Bikini Experiment says

    February 10, 2015 at 12:27 AM

    It’s great advice to tell people to eat real foods. However, it really is important to understand labels so you can see where the culprits can lie. Good info!

    Reply
  4. Arman @ thebigmansworld says

    February 10, 2015 at 3:14 AM

    I’m glad I went on a reader’s paleo challenge because my sugar intake was crazy- Think eating reeses bars for breakfast (with eggs.. ;))

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      February 11, 2015 at 11:22 AM

      haha you crazy man!

      Reply
  5. Megan @ Skinny Fitalicious says

    February 10, 2015 at 6:46 AM

    Eating Paleo really taught me I can live without sugar and I fell a thousand times better too. It’s still hard because like you said its hidden in so many foods and it never is enough.

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      February 11, 2015 at 11:21 AM

      glad to hear it!

      Reply
  6. Hollie says

    February 10, 2015 at 6:54 AM

    I think one of the most important factors is cutting back slowly. If you realize that it won’t happen overnight, you will be in a far better spot. I think it’s also important to realize that whole and simple foods are the best option and often times already have far less sugar.

    Reply
  7. Jennifer FIsher says

    February 10, 2015 at 7:12 AM

    My struggle is a sweet tooth, so what sugar I eliminate by eating healthy, whole foods and few startchy carbs . . . . is “balanced” by M&Ms and chocolate chips

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      February 11, 2015 at 11:21 AM

      same. can’t give up those chocolate chips 🙂

      Reply
  8. Kirtley @ The Gist of Fit says

    February 10, 2015 at 8:00 AM

    Oh weird I wrote the same thing! It was all about educating myself on what sugar does to your body that helped me!

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      February 11, 2015 at 11:21 AM

      that can def be so helpful!

      Reply
  9. Katie @ Talk Less, Say More says

    February 10, 2015 at 8:17 AM

    I think starting by cutting back is HUGE! It’s very hard to go “cold turkey” on sugar but if you can slowly start eliminating it, you’re usually better off.

    I also love a good lemon water when I’m craving something sweet and feel like it’s more out of stress than actually WANTING it.

    And for those times when I do need a little sweet fix, I’ll do a pitted date with a little nut butter in the middle and it’s SO yummy and just helps that sugar craving!

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      February 11, 2015 at 11:21 AM

      ahhh dates and nut butter- the perfect treat!

      Reply
  10. Katie @ Peace Love & Oats says

    February 10, 2015 at 9:27 AM

    I did the 21 day fix and cut out added sugar but drank Shakeology, and it totally killed my sugar cravings! Which is weird because I have the biggest sweet tooth! But now that I rarely eat added sugar I just don’t want it anymore

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      February 11, 2015 at 11:20 AM

      awesome to hear!

      Reply
  11. Hannah @ CleanEatingVeggieGirl says

    February 10, 2015 at 9:30 AM

    I always “yell” 😉 at my parents and boyfriend when they buy peanut butter with anything other than peanuts and salt in it. I swear, I will convert them one of these days 😉

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      February 11, 2015 at 11:20 AM

      haha keep working on it! i just got my hubby to switch to 100% pure maple syrup from log cabin. win!

      Reply
      • Hannah @ CleanEatingVeggieGirl says

        February 11, 2015 at 11:22 AM

        Major YES to that!! There is nothing better than pure maple syrup. The fake stuff doesn’t even taste good to me anymore!

        Reply
  12. Jody - Fit at 57 says

    February 10, 2015 at 9:30 AM

    Sugar sneaks in to everything. You have to read those labels! 🙂

    Reply
  13. Michele @ paleorunningmomma says

    February 10, 2015 at 9:35 AM

    Eating real food and avoiding packaged I think is the answer. That includes all the artificial stuff that just makes us reach for more sweets. Great post 🙂

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      February 11, 2015 at 11:20 AM

      agreed!!

      Reply
  14. Sarah @ Sweet Miles says

    February 10, 2015 at 11:41 AM

    I feel like sugar is the little devil that sits on my shoulder! I think it’s my biggest struggle, diet wise, for sure! Thanks for these tips! I think also if you have a buddy cutting back with you, it can help with your accountability!

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      February 11, 2015 at 11:19 AM

      yes! accountability can be key!

      Reply
  15. Rebecca Clyde says

    February 10, 2015 at 12:05 PM

    Great tips! Obviously focusing on reducing is way more reasonable than jumping to going cold turkey.

    Reply
  16. Jordan says

    February 10, 2015 at 12:39 PM

    Thank you for these tips! I didn’t realize low-fat foods sometimes replace things with sugar… now I know to watch out.

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      February 11, 2015 at 11:19 AM

      definitely take a look! it’s eye-opening what you’ll find!

      Reply
  17. Elizabeth @ Enjoy Every Bite says

    February 10, 2015 at 1:07 PM

    Such a great post!! Cutting sugar is definitely one of my go-to answers when people ask me how they can improve their diet. No need for super restrictive diets — just gradual, small changes like you said!

    Reply
  18. Erin @ Erin's Inside Job says

    February 10, 2015 at 1:34 PM

    Thanks for the tips! I know when I was really watching my sugar intake I was surprised at how many things had sugar in them. I went to buy soup and saw that it was loaded with sugar! I have been pretty good lately, but now that I learned how to make chocolate chip mug cookies I think I may have a problem.

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      February 11, 2015 at 11:19 AM

      haha yeah those can be trouble!

      Reply
  19. Catherine says

    February 10, 2015 at 2:15 PM

    Very nice to meet you and all good tips

    Reply
  20. Ashley @ A Lady Goes West says

    February 10, 2015 at 2:25 PM

    I know I probably consume more sugar than I think. The best thing for me is to eat more whole foods, which has me craving less sugar. Great tips, and thanks for addressing this!

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      February 11, 2015 at 11:18 AM

      yes! whole foods for the win!

      Reply
  21. Megan Ware says

    February 10, 2015 at 6:03 PM

    Great advice Lindsay! So many people have tried the all or nothing approach before they come to me and find that it backfires after a few days or weeks and all they want is sugar, sugar and more sugar! With all the “X days without sugar” blogs and “cut out sugar completely” diets out there, it’s nice to see some sound advice from a professional that’s translatable to real life.

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      February 11, 2015 at 11:18 AM

      thanks Megan! i’ve definitely seen those plans backfire as well!

      Reply
  22. Chris says

    February 10, 2015 at 9:17 PM

    I found that just putting a small amount in my coffee has probably decreased my sugar intake by at least a teaspoon every day, and probably more like 2. Might not be much in the big picture everyday, but it does add up! And I’ve found that I like the coffee less sweet, I was just putting a lot in because of my (and most people’s) heavy addiction to sweets.

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      February 11, 2015 at 11:18 AM

      it definitely ads up! great job!

      Reply
  23. Courtney Bentley says

    February 10, 2015 at 10:46 PM

    Wow these are great tips! I always tell my clients READ YOUR LABELS, they never realize how much sugar is hiding in lets say KETCHUP! its insane! Thanks for sharing xo C

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      February 11, 2015 at 11:17 AM

      yes! so crazy where it’s hiding!

      Reply
  24. Jen @ pretty little grub says

    February 10, 2015 at 11:19 PM

    Great tips Lindsay! I think finding the hidden sources is so important. It’s amazing when you start looking at labels of foods you eat all the time and realize they have sugar in them. It will be so nice when they update the nutrition labels to tease out added sugars.

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      February 11, 2015 at 11:17 AM

      i agree! can’t wait!

      Reply
  25. Danielle says

    February 15, 2015 at 1:11 PM

    Great post, Lindsay! Definitely an important topic. Sugar is a tough one that I still struggle with.

    Reply
  26. Domenic Deliso says

    December 21, 2015 at 9:31 PM

    Love how you promote eating whole foods !

    Reply

Trackbacks

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lindsay livingston, Registered Dietitian from Columbus, OH, owner of the lean green bean

Hi, I’m Lindsay! I’m a Registered Dietitian and mom of three from Columbus, Ohio. I use this blog to share simple, healthy recipes, nutrition tips, and an honest glimpse of motherhood!

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[email protected]

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