Many health and diet experts talk about the dangers of consuming too much sugar. Some articles have even compared sugar addictions to drug addictions, claiming sugar does more harm to the body than some drugs. We know a lot of sugar spikes the insulin in our blood and leads to a later crash where we feel sluggish.
So how do we know how to balance sugar in our diets daily? What is the safest amount to consume a day and still feel our best?
According to the American Heart Association, women should be consuming no more than 25 grams of sugar per day and men no more than 37 grams per day. This gets tricky when we look closely at ingredient labels and realize sugar is added to almost every packaged item. We can avoid eating too much sugar by eating mostly whole foods, fruits, vegetables, lean meats, complex carbs, and healthy fats. Also by choosing packaged items by companies who are not adding sugar to things like salad dressings, condiments, peanut butter, bread, pasta, rice, etc.
It also helps to be mindful when choosing “healthy” foods and snacks while out to eat. A popular Strawberry Smoothie from a shop contains 115g of sugar! That is over 9 tablespoons. You can make your own strawberry smoothie at home using frozen strawberries, frozen bananas, and even adding frozen riced cauliflower or spinach to thicken, and then choosing a no sugar added nut milk or milk instead of fruit juice.
Following these guidelines will help you drastically cut the amount of sugar in your daily diet.
