6 Quick Diet Edits to Eat Less Sugar

You’re a Dietitian and You Bake with Sugar?

“Yup.  I do”.

There is no question that, as a population, we eat too much sugar.  At our house we eat sugar in baked goods like the recipes you see here.  But we don’t have a high sugar diet.  The main reason?  We don’t drink sugar.  We just don’t.  It was very intentional on our part, to teach (it has to be taught) our boys to crave water when they are thirsty.  Soda/pop, juice, sweetened warm drinks are only on special occasions around here.  And to be honest, even then, they are usually a turn off because we are not used to it.

My kids really are normal.  They will be the first to look for sympathy that their mom is a Dietitian, but don’t let them fool you.  I’m not a food police momma.  I’ve met those that are, and they have reinforced to me that I would rather save the mind space for other things.  So, when the boys asked to be like the other kids and have a sports drink at basketball practice, I said yes…as a special occasion.  In the end, they didn’t drink it and came home running to the tap with a glass. It didn’t quench their thirst and they were dehydrated.  Born this way?  Not a chance.  We all do what we are used to; we like what we eat and drink most of the time.  They weren’t used to it and didn’t like it.

Without a trickle of sugar drank throughout the day, it leaves room for using sugar to enhance other foods, like baked goods.  Is fruit better for us on its own?  Of course.  I will always be an advocate of whole, unprocessed foods.  But sometimes we enjoy our fruit in a dessert.  I know it is part of an overall healthy diet and that the sugar doesn’t erase the goodness of the meal as a whole.

6 Quick Diet Edits to Eat Less Sugar

Pick a takeaway to try:

1. Put a water and a white milk jug on the table at mealtimes, allowing your family to choose either.
2. If you do have juice at your house, make a rule that it is a breakfast food, use an old-fashioned juice glass portion size (4 oz or ½ cup) and be done with it for the day. When more is asked for, say, “Sure; tomorrow at breakfast”.
3. Does your family prefer flavoured sweetened milks currently? Limit it to snack time only.  Still buy only white milk and purchase flavoured syrup so you can have less sugar added.  Keep putting white milk on the table so there still is an opportunity to learn to like it.
4. Wean yourself off sugar in your hot drinks, one teaspoon at a time.
5. Not a fan of plain water, yet? Make it more inviting with frozen fruit ‘ice cubes’, add in mint or basil leaves or a herbal tea bag for subtle flavor.
6. Make fruit the base of your desserts. Enjoy fresh fruit in season, unsweetened frozen or canned or in a baked good.