It’s hard to distance yourself from sugar. Sure, it’s in your favorite desserts, but it’s maybe also lurking in your sandwich bread and go-to bottled salad dressing. It’s everywhere in the supermarket, which is why so many Americans are consuming a lot more added sugar than what is recommended.
According to the American Heart Association, women should have no more than 6 teaspoons of added sugar a day and men no more than nine teaspoons (which is equal to about 100 calories for women, or 150 calories for men). Many people are blowing past these numbers, and that is concerning.
A 2023 review of 73 meta-analyses, published in The BMJ, found that a diet high in added sugar was linked to 45 poor health outcomes, including diabetes, cancer, gout, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, asthma and depression.
“In essence, added sugar contributes “empty energy” or calories without the benefits of key nutrients like fiber, protein, or vitamins,” says Debbie Petitpain, MBA, RDN, spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
The good news is you can make a few simple changes to the way you eat to decrease (not eliminate!) your added sugar intake.
Here’s how to cut back on the sweet stuff without feeling deprived.
Read the fine print: Now that the Nutrition Facts panel on packaged foods requires producers to list the grams of added sugar in their products, it is easier than ever to spot how much is being stealthily added to everything from granola to ketchup to jerky. Another good move is to look for labels such as “no added sugar” or “unsweetened” on items like almond milk and applesauce.
Natural selection: To help quell a sweet tooth, try eating more foods that are naturally sweet. Sugars in vegetables like beets or sweet potatoes, and fruits such as apples, don’t count as added sugars, and research is bereft of any data linking natural occurring sugars with health woes.
“Naturally occurring sugars in vegetables, fruits, and dairy are part of a complex food matrix which alters how the body digests, breaks down, and uses these sugars, which changes the effects on the body,” notes Petitpain. “There also tends to be a lot less sugar, bite for bite, compared to foods with added sugars.”
So buy plain versions of items like yogurt and oatmeal and sweeten them with naturally sweet foods such as berries.
Make the cut: If you are keen on baking, keep in mind that many recipes including those for muffins and cakes call for more sugar than what is necessary. So, you can try reducing the amount of sweetener called for by about 25%. Petitpain suggests including sweet-tasting items like mashed banana, dates and applesauce in your baking in place of some of the added sugar.
Embrace other tastes: Sweet is one of the five main tastes, with others being salty, sour, bitter and umami. To reboot your taste buds, gradually increase your intake of unsweetened sour (such as plain yogurt or tart cherries), bitter (like arugula and radicchio), and umami (such as parmesan and mushrooms) foods. As a payoff, you’ll net more nutrients.
Be wary of “free": Be especially skeptical of products like peanut butter, frozen yogurt, and salad dressings advertised as “reduced-fat” or “fat-free,”
“When fat is removed from a product, sugar is usually added as a replacement to improve mouthfeel and flavor” Petitpain says. A serving of fat-free, fruit-flavored yogurt typically has three times as much sugar as a serving of 2% plain yogurt.
Spice it up: Research suggests amping up the flavor of your cuisine with spices may allow you to cut back on the amount of sugar added to foods while still preserving acceptable overall liking. So, go bigger on spices like cinnamon and nutmeg in items like baked goods, oatmeal and hot chocolate.
Don’t fall for health halos: Sugar now comes in many guises, some of which, such as honey and maple syrup, are marketed as being better-for-you “more natural” ways to get your sweet fix. But for the most part, they don’t live up to their hype.
“While they may offer extremely minimal nutritional benefits over refined sugar, they should still be consumed in moderation,” says Petitpain. No matter how virtuous it might sound, “organic sugar” is still sugar.
Walk away from cravings: The next time you’re about to give into candy bar temptation, lace up your running shoes. Research shows the simple act of taking a 15-minute brisk walk is enough to tame cravings for sugary snack foods. “Exercise releases endorphins and can improve mood and reduce stress, which are common triggers for sugar cravings,” notes Petitpain.
Order water: Soft drinks, even the smallest sized ones, sold at top-earning restaurant chains in the U.S., have greater amounts of added sugar than the suggested daily limit, according to a report from the Center for Science in the Public Interest. When dining out, look for unsweetened beverage options.
Environmental Nutrition is the award-winning independent newsletter written by nutrition experts.
