Easy Ways To Reduce Sugar Intake

Sugar is not great for overall health, and that includes our skin. But it is yummy, and this is why many of us eat sugary foods so much. It can be hard to stop something that we enjoy, however bad it is. The Insider state that there is a reason why we love sugar so much; it is delicious, but it also activates our opioid receptors in the brain, which makes us feel good emotionally. However, it has lots of negative side effects like headaches, energy crashes, and even hormonal imbalances. Beauty wise sugar is bad for our skin. Dr Carl Thornfeldt who is dermatologist that has researched this advises that sugar activates inflammation, which causes long-term skin damage, as well as binding to the collagen to make the skin stiff. You could use the best natural skincare possible, but our diet will also massively affect how our skin looks. So, it is definitely worth cutting down on sugar to improve our health and looks. Luckily, we have some extremely easy ways to reduce your sugar intake, without giving up those yummy foods and drinks.

The National Health Service advise that adults should have no more than 30g of sugar a day as a recommended limit, and that is in the region of 100 calories. This is equal to 7 sugar cubes and includes all the sugar intake throughout the day; including sugar that is part of processed foods like cereals and tinned food. To give some context on this, one can of coke has 10 cubes of sugar, so drinking this on its own drinking would already take us over the daily limit. Most cereal portions have between ½ a cube and two cubes of sugar. A 45gram dairy milk chocolate bar has about 6 spoons of sugar. These are quite scary facts, but there is an easy way to reduce sugar intake by switching the high sugar foods to healthier options. These healthier options are still lovely and easy to get used to.

One of the best sugar alternatives on the market is a product called Stevia. Lots of artificial sweeteners have a bad name for causing health problems, but this is a good option. The US National Library of Medicine advise that Stevia sweetener does not affect the blood glucose level. Unlike the low-calorie synthetic sweeteners, stevia is quite safe, non-toxic and non-mutagenic. Stevia is derived from the leaves of the plant species Stevia Rebaudiana native to Brazil and Paraguay. Stevia is easily available and can be used in cooking to replace sugar as a much better alternative. This makes biscuits and cakes a much healthier sugar free option, while still being delicious. It can also be used to make an alternative fizzy drink. Pour some sparkling mineral water and mix with freshly squeezed fruit like oranges and lemons. This is a gorgeous drink on its own, but if you find it does need sweetening then Stevia can be added.

Many of us are big chocolate lovers but might not know that there is a huge amount of sugar in some chocolate. The amount of sugar varies with each product. Generally white chocolate has the most sugar, then milk, then dark versions. However, it does vary from brand to brand. A good example of how sugar varies in different types of chocolate is given by Hotel Chocolat. This brand is quite a luxurious one, so many cheaper brands are likely to contain more sugar. This data just shows how much a difference in the amount of sugar there is in different types of chocolate bars. The sugar per 100g of different chocolate bars is listed below, as you can see the white chocolate and 40% milk chocolate is nearly half sugar. The 100% dark chocolate really is low in sugar, at just 5% sugar.

• White Chocolate 46.6grams
• 40% Milk Chocolate 46.6 grams
• Super Milk 65% Chocolate 24.6 grams
• Dark 70% Chocolate 27.1 grams
• Dark 90% Chocolate 9.3 grams
• Dark 100% Chocolate 0.5%

It might sound too good to be true, but high percentage dark chocolate can take a while to get used to. It has quite a bitter taste, so you might need to wean yourself onto it slowly. Dark chocolate is also good for us and Medical News Today say that it is a rich source of antioxidants and minerals. Some research suggests that dark chocolate may help lower the risk of heart disease, reduce inflammation and insulin resistance, and improve brain function.

We hope that you found our advice helpful about reducing your sugar intake. Reducing sugar consumption is one of the best things that you can do for your overall health, and your skin. All you need is some time to find and prepare alternatives, and pretty soon it will become part of your daily lifestyle. Eating healthily is so important for your physical and mental wellbeing. You will also find that you lose weight, and your skin will glow. Great natural skincare will also help with this and keep your skin looking as good as it can. Following a good skin regime morning and evening, as well as using natural cruelty free face products are small steps to take, along with staying hydrated, having a healthy diet and getting good sleep. At Nakin we believe in looking as good as we can naturally, and this is why we developed our award winning anti-ageing skincare range. A healthy lifestyle combined with always using the best skincare products is one of the easiest things you can do to enhance your look naturally.

Nakin are dedicated to achieving beautiful skin at every age using the best natural ingredients. To find out more about Nakin and our award-winning anti-ageing skincare then visit us at www.nakinskincare.com Nakin produce natural face products for all skin types, including sensitive skin. The full range can be found here and is designed to help skin to thrive and flourish by using the best plant active ingredients. Everything is cruelty free and made in the UK. If you would like to get in touch with Nakin then please email us at info@nakinskincare.com We would love to hear your thoughts and are also available to offer skincare and product advice.