Sugar was a happy factor in our grandparents’ extended lives and active lifestyles. The lifestyles they lived did, in fact, affect how stress-free their lives were as they aged. The journey to lose weight does not stop with cutting out sugar. It is unpleasant to eat too many sweets. To maintain a healthy BMI, you don’t have to give up consuming your favourite desserts.

Giving up sugar probably won’t improve your health more than eating fewer ultra-processed foods, more vegetables, preparing your own meals, and cutting back on added sugar. The sugar-free diet enforces an arbitrary set of recommendations that aren’t backed up by research and is, at best, unclear. A diet this strict could, at worst, result in anxiety related to food or a bad connection with food. You don’t have to stop consuming sweets, though, in order to alter your eating patterns. The health advantages of consuming the recommended quantity of sugar will probably outweigh those of sugar abstinence.

Keep in mind that health is about more than just the figure on the scale, our waistline, or the foods we avoid. Our mental and emotional well-being, as well as how we connect to food, are equally as important as our physical health.

How to avoid excess sugar?

Hence, if your objective is to reduce weight, it is good to limit your sugar intake. You do not, however, have to abstain entirely from sugar. These are some strategies to reduce excessive consumption:

Keep sweets concealed from fresh fruits and vegetables in plain sight.

Try to take plain water, unsweetened drinks, and diet beverages rather than sugar ones.

Consume low-carb marinades

The most essential thing is to keep some sweets in your diet. Later, when binges are more probable, there are more calories from sugar. Keep in mind that the total amount of calories is what matters. However, consuming fewer calories generally by cutting back on sugar and substituting more fiber or non-caloric sweeteners will help you lose weight.

Cutting off sweet food is harmful

Numerous sugar-free diets advocate eliminating or restricting wholesome foods and food categories like fruit and dairy without any supporting data. This perpetuates the pattern of food anxiety and dietary limitations and could lead to vitamin deficiencies. consumption of lactose that comes naturally from dairy products.

How to stop craving sugary foods?

Many people think that all sugar should be avoided, even the natural sugar found in foods like fruits and cereals. You don’t need to restrict or prevent consuming these sugars. These sugars differ from table sugar in the manner they are presented.

Table sugar is produced by extracting and processing natural sugar. Your body can process this sugar the easiest. On the other side, the sugar found in fruits or starches has a longer chain length. Your body will feel fuller for longer thanks to these complex carbohydrates. So, the next time you want something sweet, reach for a berry.

How do diet changes help in weight loss?

Making these changes gradually is one of the best ways to have a long-lasting change, though. Do not make a sudden diet change. Instead of simple carbs like refined flour, which is used to manufacture the majority of desserts like sandwiches, ice cream among others, include more whole grains in your diet. When you are desiring sugar, have nuts, dark chocolate, berries, banana, coconut, raw honey, dates, apple sauce, and jaggery along with a few pieces of almonds. You can make some healthy recipes with natural sugar like:

Sugar-free granola: Filled with the goodness of high-fiber oats, yogurt, protein-rich flax seeds, and almonds, sugar-free granola is the ideal, healthy dessert for diets. Combine flax, sesame, pumpkin, sunflower, and sunflower seeds with the oats, and bake the mixture with a hint of orange juice tang. After that, top it with yogurt, almonds, and fresh fruit. You can modify the recipe by including any nuts or grains you choose. Add a dash of cinnamon, ginger, or nutmeg powder for a unique touch.

Ragi Mulpua: A sweet treat made from ragi and oat flour, milk, coconut, honey, and fruit. An Indian pancake with a healthy twist is called ragi Mulpua. Oats have a lot of nutritional value and are high in antioxidants, while ragi is one of the healthiest flours and are packed with calcium, fiber, iron, and other elements. You can enjoy the meal guilt-free and in good health. To avoid using too much oil during the preparation, use a non-stick pan.

Halwa made from sweet potatoes is the ideal solution for your sweet needs. It is not only delicious but also loaded with health advantages. Sweet potatoes, low-fat milk, natural sweetener, and a dash of ghee make this dessert calorie-free so you can indulge without feeling guilty. While ghee is beneficial for lowering joint inflammation, sweet potatoes are a great source of vitamin A. After boiling the sweet potato, roast it for 4-5 minutes with the natural sweetener and one teaspoon of butter. You may top the halwa with nuts like cashews and almonds and serve it hot to make it more satisfying.

It is preferable to use the deadline style repeatedly rather than just once. Make a timeline to experience a time across the boundary. The sudden flow you’ve had since childhood in one sitting is too much for your body to manage. Your health would suffer if you abruptly stopped eating sweets.

(Dr Siddhant Bhargava is a Fitness and Nutritional Scientist, and Co-Founder- of Food Darzee)