8 SWEET WAYS TO CUT BACK ON SUGAR

Last Updated on January 7, 2021

Use our cheat sheet to remove sugar from your diet.

Fifty grams. That’s the daily cap on added sugar recommended by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the average American. Fortunately, artificial and natural sugar alternatives can help kick sugar cravings.

“The brain gets a reward or sweet response from sweeteners,” says Brian St. Pierre, M.S., R.D., and director of performance nutrition at Precision Nutrition. “Generally when people replace sugary beverages with artificially sweetened ones, they eat less sugar, fewer calories and lose weight.”

The FDA labels, “high-intensity” artificial sweeteners such as asparatame and sucralose as food additives. Of these types, St. Pierre says, “there’s a lot of anecdotal evidence of health issues but the scientific evidence doesn’t show many negative effects.”

Sugar alcohols, such as erythritol and xylitol, are low-calorie carbohydrates found in plants processed for sale as table sugar substitutes. Refined stevia and monk fruit extract are natural sweeteners generally regarded as safe.

If you’re looking to rid your diet of sugar, try one the natural sweeteners below.

Honey

Effective as a cough suppressant, honey has high anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties.

Calories: 64 per tbsp

Maple syrup

Contains at least 24 different substances and significant amounts of some minerals.

Calories: 52 per tbsp

Yacon Syrup

A good source of fructooligosaccharides (FOS), which feed friendly gut bacteria for various health benefits.

Calories: 21 per tbsp

Molasses

Reportedly a mild laxative, contans some beneficial minerals as well.