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Four food swaps for reducing your sugar intake

Trying to reduce the amount of sugar you eat can be harder than it sounds – and it already sounds pretty hard to me…

Never mind forgoing the Haribo, there are hidden sugars in all-sorts of unexpected foods, from low fat yogurts to white bread. Seeking out actual alternatives can start to feel like a full time job, and who has time for that?

Thankfully, for some it is a full-time job. To steer you safely through the sugar swap minefield we’ve enlisted nutritionist Saadia Baig from Haven Kinesiology to give us her recommended food swaps.

Chocolate change-up
Ditch the Dairy Milk and experiment with dark chocolate. Start off with chocolate containing 70-85% cocoa and build up to try raw, sugar-free chocolate, which is a fantastic source of energy, vitamins and minerals.

We’re not simple—we’re complex!
Swap refined carbohydrates, like white pasta and rice, for wholegrain versions and those that are low on the glycemic index (GI). This means they are digested more slowly and have less of an impact on blood sugar. Good examples include brown basmati rice, spelt or buckwheat pasta. You can also replace refined carbohydrates with spiralised or grated vegetables, like courgette, carrots and butternut squash spaghetti

Citrus over sauce 
Condiments often contain a lot of sugar. Instead, try squirting lemon juice onto your food for an added zing that will actually lower the GI of your food. Lemon also has a detoxing effect and is good for digestion

Go full fat and organic 
Replace low fat foods with full fat and organic where possible. Whenever a product has fat removed from it, various chemicals are added to create the texture and flavours that would otherwise originate naturally. Hormones and antibiotics are often common in non-organic foods. These chemicals cause more problems than the fat, which is increasingly being acknowledged as good for you.