To continue our discussion about managing sugar intake, let’s dive into some practical strategies that can help you reduce your sugar consumption.

Watch your sauces

You now know that ketchup is very high in sugar, but sugar is also found in many other sauces: in chutneys, dressings, thicker shop-bought cooking sauces like curry, Bolognaise, and stir-through sauces too.

Even though it might be challenging to start with and require a little bit of work, one of the best things we can do to lower our sugar intake is to make the sauces we like from scratch.

I’m not talking about ketchup if that’s something you only have occasionally, but if you regularly have curry, tomato-based sauces, or stir-fries, it might be worth investing some time into learning how to make them.

There are lots of other things you can do to add flavour to your food: you can include herbs, spices, or condiments like chili, mustard, vinegar, or pesto, which usually has no sugar. 

And items like peanut butter, tahini, lemon juice, or lime juice, can bring lots of flavours to your cooking without adding sugar too.

If you’re making a sauce and it tastes too bitter, adding some pineapple or apple can bring some sweetness in to balance it out.

Make sure you get enough sleep

Tiredness can predispose you to make less healthy choices throughout the day. Your brain usually wants energy and for you to feel awake, so it may tell you that you need sugar.

In fact, you don’t need sugar, you actually need more sleep. So, if you’re tired a lot, and find yourself eating more sugar because you are tired, then it’s worth focusing on sorting out your sleep so you’re not predisposed to eating more sugar.

The same goes for stress; stress also makes you crave more sugar. So, if you’re stressed, it’s worth looking at the root cause of that.

Always eat from a plate

Do you eat cereal straight out of the box? Or pick at some of your kids’ sweets when you give them a bowl? Do you grab a biscuit or a bit of chocolate here and there?

Having a standard that all the snacks you eat are eaten from a plate, or better still, a plate on a table, means you will be far more mindful of what you are eating. And being mindful will help you to decide whether you really want to make the choice to eat something, or not, and prevent mindless snacking.

Before you eat, pause

If you know there’s sugar in what you’re about to eat, but you really want it and you’ve actively chosen to eat it, then that’s OK. 

But it’s always worth pausing and considering whether there’s something similar but healthier you could eat instead, or whether that thing is what you really want and to be clear that’s your choice.

‘Water down’ soups, sauces, or cereals

If your children (or you) are in a bit of a sugary cereal habit, can you gradually ‘water it down’ with some non-sugary cereals? 

That could be a base of oats or a base of something like Weetabix which is lower in sugar and then just a tiny sprinkle of the sugary cereal on top. So, they (or you) still feel like they’re having some sugary cereal, but it’s not sending their blood sugar into the sky.

You can apply the same idea to savoury sauces. Rather than using a whole jar of pasta sauce, use less and bulk out your dish with tinned tomatoes or passata, or more fresh vegetables.

Navigating sugar can be challenging and tricky! We’re absolutely surrounded by it everywhere.

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