Sugar Free Swaps
We’re a few days into the 21 Day Sugar Free Challenge. The rules we set were simple, cut added sugars out of your diet. These changes can help to drop some kilos quickly, helping you to feel better about yourself, and fitting into some smaller clothes (who doesn’t miss that old dress or those old pants!). Some people find it easy to take a goal and stick to it, cutting out all the nasties. Others, well most of us, need some help to get there. In this blog I’ll go through some common sources of sugar in our diet, and some simple swaps that might help to give you a similar hit.
Below is a list of foods that I commonly see come up during the week for most people which may be holding them back from their health/weight loss goals. Most of the foods below have added sugar, in addition to the sugars contained within the raw ingredients that existed many steps earlier during the processing. Next to it I’ve listed some healthier alternatives you could try (I have tried a few of these with success over the last two weeks).
It is important to note that you will get some sugar through most foods, particularly fruits, so eating these in moderation is key. The current dietary recommendations are 2 servings of fruit per day, helping get you some recommended vitamins/minerals, along with dietary fibre to keep you regular. A normal sized piece of fruit is one serve, with the exception of bananas, a large banana is two serves (your whole daily intake).
In terms of alcohol, we wouldn’t recommend drinking any, and would suggest slowly removing this from the diet, as it stops your body burning body fat, helping to slow your weight loss. That said, the recommendations in the table above are for the lower sugar options.
Sure, the sweeter options don’t always taste that great to begin with, particularly if you have built up a sweet tooth over many years. With a few weeks of persistence, you can get used to the taste of natural or Greek yoghurt or coffee with no sugar, and discover the real flavour of your foods.
Tim Coombs
Mobile Personal Training Specialist
4 U Body Fitness