These 8 tips make it easy to make your diet less sugary

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends consuming no more than 50 grams of added sugar per day. This threshold can easily be reached without even realizing it. But the risks of excessive consumption are real: dental caries, excess weight, obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases… To reduce sugar consumption, some levers can be activated.

Make sure starchy foods are cooked

The choice of cooking has a direct effect on the glycemic index of foods, which indicates the rate of absorption of sugar into the blood. Thus, “the longer the cooking time, the faster the absorption of sugar after ingestion,” comments nutritionist Corin Chicheportich-Ajache. So we’re all for cooking al dente starchy foods (rice, pasta, lentils, potatoes, quinoa, bulgur).

Take care of support

Another tip for a low-sugar diet. focus on fiber. These “trap sugars and slow down their rate of absorption into the blood,” says the nutritionist. Specifically, we choose whole foods (bread, pasta, rice, etc.) that will retain their fibrous shell, unlike their so-called refined counterparts. Additionally, we make sure to include vegetables, legumes, and even oil seeds (almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, etc.) in our recipes.

Read the labels

The elements present in the largest proportion are listed first on the labels. Thus, “if sugar appears in the first place, especially if it is a diet product, we avoid it at all costs,” emphasizes Vanessa Lopez, a naturalist specializing in nutrition. More generally, we distinguish carbohydrates and specifically the subcategory “including sugars”. “We cannot imagine how much sugar is in industrial vegetable soup or vinaigrette. By reading labels, we can eliminate most of the excess sugars,” says nutritionist Florence Foucault.

Delicious breakfast

Pastry, baguette, jam, orange juice… A traditional French breakfast often puts sugar in the spotlight. Only this morning’s menu will cause blood sugar levels to rise, which will drop unexpectedly, leading to fatigue and cravings for sweets. In practice, we prefer a fiber-rich protein breakfast that will fill you up. We choose eggs, ham or cheese. Those with a sweet tooth can have breakfast with wholemeal bread (richer in fiber) with a little jam, all accompanied by cottage cheese; or toast with almond or hazelnut puree.

If sugar appears in the first place, especially if it is a diet product, we avoid it at all costs

Vanessa Lopez, Natural Nutritionist

Cut out the sweetest foods

Cookies, sodas, fruit juices, spreads, ready meals… Some foods bought from supermarkets are very sweet, but if you are used to consuming them regularly, your palate gets used to them. “You have to start by eliminating the sweetest foods, like industrial pastries, to kick the habit. Then it only takes ten days a day to understand the true taste of food, and then you will probably find sweets disgusting,” emphasizes nutritionist Raphael Gruman.

Don’t eat too much fruit

Fruits contain natural sugar (fructose), but the latter can damage the balance of the diet if they are consumed in excess. French public health recommendations set the number of daily servings of fruit and vegetables to be 5, ie 3 vegetables and 2 fruits. Please note that the portion size does not correspond to the whole fruit. that’s 200 grams or one apple, 20 grapes, half a banana or even two kiwis. “If we consume five or more servings per day, the development of diabetes in the long term can be beneficial, even for an individual who does not consume other sugary products,” assures nutritionist Dietitian Barbara Martin Goncalves.

Sleep well

The quality of our nights is important. “After a good night’s sleep, we turn to low-calorie foods, while sugar and fat are more appealing to us when we haven’t had enough sleep,” says Dr. Olivier Coste, a sleep physician. To benefit from restful nights, we make sure to settle into dimly lit environments, avoid blue light from getting under the covers, and try to stick to regular bedtimes and wake-up times.

Sugar and fat are more appealing to us when we don’t get enough sleep

Olivier Coste, sleep doctor

Choose a slightly sweet drink as an aperitif

Monitoring the amount of daily sugar intake is also used as an aperitif. To avoid the sweetest drinks, we avoid alcohol. “Alcoholic drinks contain empty calories. More simply, they only provide energy (sugar) to sustain the body without otherwise benefiting from an interesting nutritional contribution,” explains nutritionist Alexandra Murcier. You can then choose your own flavored water, such as basil or lemon. If you don’t want to give up alcohol, you should know that one glass of red wine has about one hundred calories, and one liter of beer has twice as many. “In general, the higher the alcohol content of beer, the sweeter it will be,” says the nutritionist.