Most people cannot help but dig into that gulaab jamun, or that bowl of kheer. Excess sugar is one of the three biggest contributors to waistline expansion, the other two being processed food and ‘bad’ fats. Harper’s Bazaar breaks down the five most common sources of sugar and their possible alternatives. Try these substitutes to fulfil your sugar cravings without piling on the pounds.
Sports Drinks
Store bought sports drinks are loaded with sugar. Try making your own sports drink by adding lemon juice, artificial sweeteners and sea salt to your water. The lemon juice and sea salt are loaded with natural minerals/electrolytes, and the sweetener will help with the sweet craving you are looking for.
Energy Bars
Most energy bars are loaded with processed sugar. Be sure to choose energy bars that contain natural sweeteners such as dates, coconut sugar, honey and maple syrup. Also, look for a bar with as few ingredients as possible.
Ice Cream
Apart from the obvious fact that ice cream is full of sugar, it also contains dairy, which can at times be very difficult to digest. A delicious, dairy-free dessert can be made with peeled, frozen, ripe bananas. Remove the bananas from the freezer, and blend with blueberries. You can add nuts and shredded coconut for added texture. If this doesn’t satisfy your sweet tooth, you can add some honey or maple syrup.
Yogurt
Most store bought yogurts contain a lot of sugar. The low-fat variety has even more sugar, since when the fat is taken out; more sugar is added in order to improve the taste of the yogurt. Choose full-fat yogurts, preferably from a grass-fed source, and add your own fruit and/or honey.
Chocolate
If you love chocolate (and who doesn’t?), there is no reason to cut down on it in order to reduce your sugar intake. Chocolate has a number of health benefits. You can take advantage of these by making sure you eat the highest quality dark chocolate you can find. This will also result in a chocolate bar with less sugar. Choose organic chocolate bars with a high cacao count (over 72%) and organic sweeteners.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 24th, 2014.
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