3 Best Ways to Downsize on Sugar
It’s no secret: added sugar is rough on the body. From heightened inflammation to dysbiosis and insulin intolerance, too much sugar can wreak havoc on the body’s delicate internal balance. Whether you’re looking to lose weight or just transition to a healthier, whole food-focused diet, these three ways to downsize on sugar can help boost health, energy, and fitness.
Why Cut Sugar?
Why downsize on sugar? According to one 2021 review, between 2017 and 2018, the average American consumed over 70g of added sugar per day. That’s over twice the AHA’s recommended daily maximum for men (30g/day) and women (25g/day). But what does that really mean in terms of our health?
Excessive sugar intake isn’t just bad for your waistline–it can also have negative consequences for your digestive, cardiovascular, and brain health.
Sugar and Digestion
Added sugar from high-fructose corn syrup, table sugar, and even natural sweeteners like honey and maple syrup can alter your gut’s microbiome and trigger inflammation in your intestinal lining. Specifically, too much sugar can fuel the reproduction of Candida albicans, a yeast species that naturally occurs throughout our GI tract.
In limited amounts, the presence of Candida albicans isn’t an issue. It helps us break down carbohydrates and sugars for better nutrient extraction. However, when candida growth gets out of control, it can push out beneficial bacteria and other probiotic species that we need in our gut. The result? Run away inflammation, bloating, brain fog, and dysbiosis.
Limiting sugar can help starve excessive candida colonies, leaving more room and resources for other probiotic bacteria species to move in and thrive.
Sugar and Cardiovascular Health
Sugar can be rough on your heart. Excessive sugar intake can cause weight gain, which among other things can raise triglycerides (fats that circulate in our blood), blood pressure, and cholesterol levels, all of which place strain on the heart and arteries.
Additionally, high sugar intake has been linked to heart disease. Higher inflammation levels, increased rates of atherosclerosis (hardening of artery walls), and higher rates of obesity all play a role.
Sugar and Brain Health
Need more reasons to tackle your sweet tooth? Excessive sugar consumption can increase stroke risk. In fact, one 2023 study found that for every 5% increase in total calorie intake from added sugars, stroke risk increased by a whopping 10%.
And that’s not all: high sugar intake has been linked to Alzheimer’s and dementia. Researchers theorize that chronic inflammation caused by free radical damage and oxidative stress (a side effect of excessive sugar consumption) plays a role in age-related cognitive decline. As a result, antioxidant consumption and lower sugar diets are advised to help most people stay sharper, longer.
Finally, too much sugar can dysregulate dopamine, the neurotransmitter at the heart of our neurological “reward” system. Whenever we experience something pleasant or rewarding, like a sweet flavor, our brain produces dopamine, which is associated with motivation and pleasure.
Unfortunately, too much dopamine can flood our system, leading to addiction and feelings of anxiety and depression when our supply runs dry. In fact, high sugar diets have repeatedly been shown to correlate with poorer mental health outcomes.
3 Best Ways to Downsize on Sugar
Looking to downsize on sugar consumption? Try these three strategies.
1. Use Natural Sugar Replacements (No, Not Those!)
For many, the first step to kicking the sugar habit is transitioning from table sugar and high-fructose corn syrup to natural sugar sources like sugar cane, honey, maple syrup, and agave. However, while transitioning to these natural sugars might cause you to take in less sugar overall, they still cause many of the same issues as table sugar.
That’s why we recommend taking this healthy choice one step further by replacing natural sugar sources with natural, non-sugar based sweeteners. Our favorites? Both stevia and monk fruit are naturally-occurring sugar alternatives that provide a sweet taste without the glucose spike.
2. Eat Fruit
Before you reach for fruit juice, jelly, or jam, try getting your sweet fix with a banana or apple instead. Not only are whole fruits packed with fiber, which can help slow down sugar metabolism and feed healthy gut bacteria, but the antioxidants, micronutrients, and phytochemicals found in fruit can help fuel regenerative processes throughout the body.
Additionally, fruit still contains fructose, a naturally-occurring form of sugar that can satiate sugar cravings. But unlike fruit-flavored treats, whole fruits provide sugar without the crash (again, thanks to fiber).
3. Exercise Regularly
Is exercise the solution to sugar cravings? According to one 2015 study, it might be. In this study, 47 participants with BMIs over 25 were asked to abstain from sugar consumption for 3 days to elevate cravings. Participants in the experimental groups were asked to walk briskly for 15 minutes before completing a sugar craving assessment while participants in the control group remained sedentary. Ultimately, the study found that 15 minutes of brisk walking resulted in a significant reduction in sugary snack cravings.
