How Sweet It Is: Managing Sugar

More and more, we’re learning about the detrimental effects of added, excess sugar in our diet. Whether it’s in the form of high fructose corn syrup, refined carbohydrates or even “all-natural” fruit juices — the sweet stuff can have deleterious effects on our health including promotion of inflammation, weight gain and diabetes. And sugar crashes can hurt your energy level and dampen productivity.

Many people want to decrease the amount of sugar in their diets, but it’s pretty darn hard to cut it out entirely. But what if there were things you could do to mitigate some of the damage? As it turns out — there is! Now these techniques do not cancel out the negative effects of sugar, and are by no means a license to consume more (or continue consuming too much) sugar, but they can help. And always make dietary modifications under the guidance of your doctor. With those caveats in mind, here are 3 strategies to consider:

  1. Add a little more fiber to your diet. Fiber can slow the sugar absorption into your bloodstream, reducing the intensity of the resulting insulin spikes that can lead to reduced insulin sensitivity and even diabetes over time. Again, this does not negate the overall effect or sugar, but can help mitigate some of the damaging metabolic impacts.
  2. Consume some acidic foods with sugary ones. Foods with a more acidic pH, such as vinegar, can slow gastric emptying which also helps to moderate insulin spikes produced by the pancreas. Don’t guzzle a glass of vinegar, but changing to vinegar-based salad and sandwich dressing, for example, can  help when sugary foods are being consumed along with it. 
  3. Eat some protein with high-carb meals. Protein initiates a “first-phase insulin response” keeping your blood sugar from rising quite as high as it would otherwise later — and lowers the amount of insulin your body needs to process a meal. So add a couple of low-fat meatballs to that spaghetti dinner (and watch your cholesterol).     

But remember, the best plan of all is to develop a strategy to reduce excess added sugar from the diet, Because developing healthy eating habits is the sweet success you’re really going for.

 

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