Lisa Dunbar HealthLisa Dunbar HealthLisa Dunbar HealthLisa Dunbar Health
  • Home
  • My Story
  • Consultations
  • Talks
  • Corporate Wellness
  • Videos & Recipes
  • Blog
  • Contact
NextPrevious

5 Tips For Cutting Down On Sugar

By Lisa Dunbar | Blog | 0 comment | 7 July, 2019 | 1

You really would have to be living under a rock for the last few years to have avoided all the recent hype and controversy surrounding sugar! Put very simply, sugar is energy. (Ever watched a child after they’ve downed some fizzy cola?!) Sugar is like a petrol that fuels our body, and as such, it is actually quite important to us. It is our main source of energy. So then, what’s the problem with sugar?!

Well, the main issue is with the type of sugar and the sheer amount of it we are eating. Think for a moment about the amount of sugar you eat, or rather how much you think you eat. Because I can almost guarantee you are eating more than you think! (Click here to watch my video chat about sugar) The World Health Organisation recommends that we consume a maximum of about 25g (roughly 6 teaspoons) of ‘added sugar’ per day. ‘Added sugar’ means sugar that has been added to food either by you or by the food manufacturer. It also includes fruit juices (not whole fruits) and sugar substitutes such as honey, syrups, etc.  

Sugar is a major topic in health and it is something I will talk about a lot. But for starters, here are 5 tips to get you thinking about cutting down on the amount of sugar you are eating:

1 – Cut down gradually

One of the biggest challenges I face when working with people is changing their “all or nothing” mindset and approach to food, diet and health. This mindset has led to a number of people undergoing drastic sugar-detoxes. I’m not against them, I generally feel that everyone should be free to explore different options and do what is best for them. Having said that, I do find that most people respond better to a gradual reduction in sugar consumption. No one does karma quite as well as our bodies and if you take a slow and steady approach and are kind to your body, it will be kind back to you!   

2 – Don’t drink your sugar

The first place I always encourage people to look at when it comes to their sugar consumption is their drinks. I’m talking about fizzy drinks, energy drinks, cordials, sugary tea/coffee and fruit juices. Most 500ml bottles of fizzy drinks contain about 13 teaspoons of sugar! That’s more than double your recommended daily intake…in one drink! We consume enough sugar in our food, we really don’t need it in our drinks. Our bodies thrive on water. (Click here for my tips on drinking more water)

3 – Reign in the sweet treats

We are all aware that some of the most sugar-laden foods are things like sweets, biscuits, chocolate and cakes. Like I always say, I don’t expect anyone to completely give up the treats that they love. But I know that I got to a point where I would chow down a half a packet of biscuits or a whole chocolate bar without even realising I had done it. I was just eating them mindlessly, not even really enjoying them. Try to recognise if you are doing this and avoid eating these foods purely out of habit (see Tip 4). Eat them less often, so you can enjoy eating them when you do!

4 – Have healthy snacks to hand

I’m sure you’ve heard before that you should never go food shopping on an empty stomach, right? Well that’s because we tend to make VERY bad decisions when we’re hungry! If you always have healthy snacks at the ready, such as fruit, vegetable sticks, nuts, seeds, plain yoghurt, then you will be much less likely to snack on sugary junk foods.

5 – Keep it real

With all the hype around sugar at the moment, I’ve noticed more and more people turning to “diet” and “sugar-free” drinks and foods, which usually contain artificial sweeteners. This is NOT the solution to the sugar epidemic! Artificial sweeteners are not actually food, so they don’t really belong in our diet. Apart from that, all artificial sweeteners do is reinforce our love of sweet things, making our taste buds and bodies crave them even more!  

So there’s my top 5 tips to get you started with cutting down on sugar. There will be many more tips to come! Just remember, eat less sugar, cos you’re sweet enough already!    

Lisa xox

Friday 5, Healthy Eating, Lisa Dunbar, Sugar, Thrive
Avatar

Lisa Dunbar

More posts by Lisa Dunbar

Related Post

  • Another 5 Foods I Buy In Tesco

    By Lisa Dunbar | 0 comment

    In a previous blog post I told you about 5 foods that I always buy when I do my shopping in Tesco (click here to read that first). Well, here’s another 5 for you toRead more

  • 5 Things You Should Know About Mental Health

    By Lisa Dunbar | 0 comment

    If you’ve read my story on the website (click here to read it) you’ll know that I developed some mental health issuesRead more

  • 5 Foods I Buy In Tesco

    By Lisa Dunbar | 0 comment

    Like I mentioned in my last ‘5 Things I Buy’ post (click here to read it), I like to visit a few different supermarkets to do my weekly shop. I spread the business and supportRead more

  • 5 Foods I Buy In Aldi

    By Lisa Dunbar | 0 comment

    If anyone was to follow me doing my weekly grocery shopping they would see me zipping all over town, as I often go to a few different supermarkets to get the best foods, the best deals orRead more

  • 5 Things You Should Know About Being “Healthy”

    By Lisa Dunbar | 0 comment

    Here goes….my very first blog post! I thought I’d start off with a post about that thing we are all striving for in lifeRead more

NextPrevious

Contact Lisa

lisa@lisadunbarhealth.com

Follow Lisa

Lisa Dunbar

Newsletter

Search

Recent Posts

  • 3 Years Since I Quit My Smartphone

    3 years ago I gave up my smartphone and went back to

    21 January, 2021
  • December’s ‘Mind Yourself’ Tips

    Drink Sensibly There’s nothing wrong with enjoying a few tipples now and

    31 December, 2020
  • Home
  • My Story
  • Consultations
  • Talks
  • Corporate Wellness
  • Videos & Recipes
  • Blog
  • Contact
Copyright 2018 Lisa Dunbar Health | Website Freshly Made by The Digital Bakery | Photography by Ciaran Dunbar
  • Home
  • My Story
  • Consultations
  • Talks
  • Corporate Wellness
  • Videos & Recipes
  • Blog
  • Contact
Lisa Dunbar Health