I love sweets. I love juice. It’s hard to keep it out of the house. However, with childhood obesity and type two diabetes rates rocketing, I’m dedicated to keeping the amount of sugar we eat to a minimum. Yet, it’s hard. Once kids get a taste of sugar, they are likely to want it. Here are some ways that I’m cutting down on the sugar in my family’s diet.
Cut Juice with Water
Of course, it is better to drink water than juice. However, in my family we like our juice. Even if juice doesn’t have any added sugar, there is still fructose that is naturally present in fruit. In fact, some fruit drinks have as many grams of sugar as soda. Thus, try cutting the juice with water. Typically, I do a 50/50 mixture. In addition, there are some juice drinks that are made with 50 percent water already.
Keep it out of the House
You are less likely to eat sugar if it is not in your house. If there are sweets in the house, we are likely to polish it off in a day or two. Thus, I save the treats for special occasions like holidays and birthdays.
Look at Ingredients
Sugar can be snuck into any food. We expect it in cookies. However, I recently noticed that a barbeque sauce we loved had high fructose corn syrup as the second ingredient. I quickly switched. Sugar can be found in bread, sauces and even salad dressing. If you see sugar as one of the top three ingredients, try to find a replacement. Furthermore, be aware that ingredients like evaporated cane juice are similar to sugar.
Make it from Scratch
Typically, we bake cookies at our house. This way, you can make reduced sugar recipes or substitute fruit purees for the sugar. Using whole-wheat flour can increase the amount of complex carbs in your baked goods.
Eat More Protein, Veggies and Whole Grains
I don’t have any problems getting my daughter to eat fruit. However, sometimes it is a struggle to get enough veggies into her diet. Still, it’s important to offer plenty of protein, vegetable and whole grain choices. A few years back, we switched to whole wheat bread. I don’t even like white bread anymore. Whole-wheat pasta is a little harder but can be done with a good dose of flavor in the sauce.
You don’t have to give up sugar! Simply use it in moderation. Your family will be healthier.
Sources:
hookedonjuice.com
kidshealth.org
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