Weight Loss Tip-5 Eat Less Sugar

Sugar is an important source of energy for our body and acts as fuel. But, sugar also has empty calories which means it is devoid of proteins, fat, vitamins, minerals, and fiber.

Consumption of foods high in sugars activates certain parts of the brain for pleasure and reward, thus enhancing the craving for sweet foods¹. That piece of chocolate or cake may be tempting and make you calm but be cautious of overeating. Excessive consumption of foods high in sugar leads to body fat deposition and weight gain. To lose weight cut down on foods high in sugars such as table sugar, cookies, processed foods, sugar-sweetened beverages, soft drinks and try to achieve your weight loss goal.

WHO and US Dietary Guidelines recommend limiting the intake of added sugars to just 10% of the total calorie intake. As per this guideline, if 2000 kcal is your daily calorie intake goal, the calories from sugar should not exceed 200 kcal, i.e., same as 50 grams of added sugar. One glass (240 mL) of coca-cola contains 26 gms of sugar. You can see that the limit for sugar intake in a day has been exceeded with just two glasses of soft drink. Now imagine how much sugar you get in those huge cups of coke in a movie theater. Furthermore, don’t forget that the limit for sugar consumption should be much lower for people with lower daily calorie intake goals.

However, all is not lost, and you need not entirely avoid foods with sugar. Use the Hint app and get a personalized goal for sugar intake and keep your sugar intake within limits by tracking the food you ate in your daily diet summary.

REFERENCES:

1. Freeman CR, Zehra A, Ramirez V, Wiers CE, Volkow ND, Wang GJ. Impact of sugar on the body, brain, and behavior. Front Biosci (Landmark Ed). 2018 Jun 1;23:2255-2266.