"Just reducing sugar helps you lose weight"... How to cut down on sugar and eat?

"Just reducing sugar helps you lose weight"... How to cut down on sugar and eat?

 

 

Reducing sugar intake helps with weight loss. [Photo=Clipart Korea]

 

The first thing people who want to control their weight exclude from their diet is sugar. This is because they cannot consume snacks high in sugar or carbonated drinks while dieting. To lose weight, overall calorie intake must be reduced, but indulgent foods like sugar are highly addictive and require extra attention to reduce.

 

If you quit abruptly, withdrawal symptoms can cause your mood to decline, and cravings for sugar may intensify, leading to an uncontrollable increase in appetite. The American health and food magazine 'Clean Eating' summarized helpful tips about sugar based on advice from nutritionists like Don Jackson Blatner.

 

Why can sugar potentially be harmful to health?

 

Sugar does not fulfill our body's nutritional needs. The reason sugar is categorized as 'empty calories' is because it has no nutritional value. Since natural foods also contain carbohydrates, there is no need to deliberately consume artificially processed sugar.

 

The problem is well known: sugar has a taste. Because it enriches the flavor of food, it is highly addictive and leads to overeating. As a result, weight gain, obesity, diabetes, and various other health issues occur.

 

What foods do you consume that contain sugar?

 

Fruits and root vegetables contain sugars such as fructose, and dairy products contain lactose. We are already consuming sugars through our daily meals. There is no need to additionally consume sugar.

When you need to quickly and easily replenish energy, like when hiking, snacks such as chocolate can be helpful, but there is no need to consume processed sugars in daily life with low activity levels. However, people who love sweet foods tend to consume excessive amounts of sugar through carbonated drinks, snacks, cakes, and other treats.

 

Sugar is added to foods under various names such as agave, sucrose, liquid fructose, raw sugar, honey, molasses, maple syrup, and maltodextrin, so simply looking at the ingredient "sugar" does not allow you to know how much sugar you are actually consuming.

 

How much sugar can I eat in a day?

 

The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends that women consume no more than 25 grams of added sugar per day, and men no more than 36 grams. 25 grams is approximately six teaspoons.

 

In Korea, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety recommends reducing sugar intake through processed foods to below 50 grams, but in reality, reports on sugar consumption show that people are consuming over 65 grams of sugar.

 

Does reducing sugar alone help with weight management?

 

In theory, creating a diet without sugar increases the likelihood of successful weight loss. This is because many foods high in sugar are calorie-dense but lack nutritional value.

 

Therefore, limiting the intake of artificial sugars and sweeteners, excluding natural food sources of sugars, inevitably increases the likelihood of losing weight. Foods containing natural sugars are rich in dietary fiber and nutrients, so they should be consumed appropriately.

 

 

Kwon Soon-il Reporter (kstt77@kormedi.com)