Obesity, hypertension, diabetes - each of these diseases is a stigma and at the same time a nightmare of our times. Modern society lives at a crazy pace, often ignoring the basic principles of healthy eating. This results in a radical deterioration of health. Can this be prevented? Yes, but it involves changing bad habits to good ones. A great starting point is a sugar-free diet. You should know that this substance is responsible for many health problems. How to eliminate sugar from your diet? What are the effects of quitting sugar? This article answers each of these questions.
How to give up sugar when it is present in most food products? It may seem impossible, but it is only an appearance. It is a fact that "junk" food is flooding the market, but there are also healthy products that are an ideal counterweight to it. It's true, a sugar-free diet requires some perseverance. However, it is enough to realize the benefits of such a nutritional strategy to be able to include sugar-free food in your diet more easily and willingly.
Sugar-free diet – why is it worth choosing?
Sugar is called the white death for a reason. It is responsible for the occurrence of many serious diseases and significantly increases the risk of developing cancer. Ironically, society is consuming more and more of it. It is present not only in sweets, but also in drinks (even so-called juices), meat products and all processed foods.
More and more people are aware of the negative impact this ingredient has on health. As a result, a sugar-free diet is becoming more and more popular. The effects of such a nutritional strategy appear quite quickly. These are primarily:
- weight reduction,
- greater ease in maintaining the correct weight,
- improving the condition of skin, hair and nails,
- reducing the risk of caries development,
- decreased feeling of fatigue,
- improving sleep quality.
A sugar-free diet also reduces the risk of diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and the development of cancer.
Sugar-free products are not the same as eating without carbohydrates
How to replace carbohydrates in a sugar-free diet? Nothing, because this macronutrient is irreplaceable. It is the basic "fuel" for the body. They provide energy to every system, and for the brain they are practically its only source. How to eliminate sugar if you shouldn't give up eating carbohydrates?
A properly balanced (i.e. healthy) menu is one in which the three main macronutrients - carbohydrates, proteins and fats - appear in appropriate proportions. There are various elimination diets that exclude the first of these. However, it should be emphasized that they have nothing to do with rational nutrition, and meals containing only carbohydrate-free food (e.g. meat) cannot be considered valuable. Eliminating sugar from the diet does not mean giving up carbohydrates, but giving up added sugar. It is this ingredient in the industrial variety that is primarily responsible for the epidemic of obesity and other lifestyle diseases. A sugar-free diet, which is in line with the principles of healthy eating, involves limiting simple carbohydrates to complex ones. How to limit sugar?
How to limit sugar in your diet?
The key to success is to completely give up unhealthy food, and this term primarily covers products rich in simple sugars, including added sugars. What ingredients should a sugar-free diet exclude? What not to eat? Here it is worth mentioning, first of all:
- sweets,
- salty snacks (chips, sticks, etc.),
- fast food,
- low-quality delicatessen dishes,
- sweetened jams and preserves,
- sweetened fruit yogurts and cheeses,
- sweet pastries,
- sweetened breakfast cereals,
- ketchups and other ready-made sauces with added sugar.
It is also worth completely eliminating or at least limiting the use of dried fruit (especially dates, apricots and figs) and fresh fruit, which contain a lot of fructose. These are primarily bananas, grapes and pears.
What products are worth including in your diet? The list is quite long. The key ingredients of a healthy diet include:
- whole grain products (dark bread and pasta, oatmeal, groats),
- milk and unprocessed dairy products,
- vegetable fats,
- nuts and seeds,
- legumes,
- vegetables,
- meat,
- fruits that have the least sugar/fructose (avocado, grapefruit, lemon, raspberries, strawberries, currants).
A few problems may arise here. Firstly, some of the products mentioned are not suitable for people on a vegan or gluten-free diet. Secondly, not everyone has time to prepare healthy, properly balanced meals on their own. How can you reduce sugar in your diet when any of these circumstances apply? This is where powdered and liquid food comes in handy, i.e. dishes that can be poured with boiling water or cold water and ready to eat immediately after opening the package.
It was mentioned earlier that ready-made meals contain a lot of added sugar. However, we are talking about completely different products. The eatyx meal replacement shake and other ready-made meals have been specially developed for healthy eating. They do not contain added sugar, preservatives or other additives considered harmful. However, they contain carbohydrates, proteins and fats balanced in appropriate proportions, as well as vitamins and minerals that cannot be missing on a daily basis. They provide a lot of variety, which eliminates the problem of getting bored with the menu. Detailed information on the packaging allows you to fully control the carbohydrate content in the products. Here are some of the available variants:
- eatyx COMPLETE HOT MEAL GREATS WITH MUSHROOMS AND VEGETABLES (LARGE PACK 7 PORTINGS),
- eatyx COMPLETE HOT MEAL, RICE WITH VEGE CHICKEN AND VEGETABLES (LARGE PACK 7 PORTINGS),
- eatyx COMPLETE CHOCOLATE MEAL (LARGE PACK 15 SERVINGS),
- eatyx BALANCED COMPLETE MEAL READY TO EAT VANILLA 500ML.
The above eatyx meals have no added sugar and are 100% vegan.
Negative effects of quitting sugar – does a sugar-free diet have any disadvantages?
Can a diet without sweets and other products high in sugar have any disadvantages? In a sense, yes. Sugar affects the reward center in the brain and in this respect it resembles some psychoactive substances. When sugar-free and low-sugar products appear in the menu instead of "junk" food, you may initially experience some unpleasant symptoms. The negative effects of quitting sugar include:
- headaches,
- chronic feeling of fatigue,
- mood swings.
However, it should be emphasized that they are temporary and the benefits of giving up this substance significantly outweigh the disadvantages.
