Zap That Extra Sugar

Zap that extra Sugar! by Katy Budge

If you’re trying to avoid excess sugar (as most of us should), processed food is not your friend. A glance at most labels usually reveals a surprising amount of it. One way to skirt around that is to make more of your own food from scratch. It’s much easier than you might think.

For example, instead of purchasing individual servings of pre-flavored yogurt, buy a larger container of plain yogurt and keep some favorite additions on hand. Those can run the gamut from applesauce to maple syrup, fresh fruit to jams and preserves, granola to shredded coconut. Plus, you’ll cut down on the extra packaging needed for all those individual servings.

Flavored beverages are also a sneaky source for sugar, in part because it makes them taste good! If sodas are your thing, try substituting juice mixed with sparkling water and ice. It will have far less sugar, and be healthier overall. This approach can even work with fermented juice – as in wine. Obviously, you don’t want to use that bottle you’ve been saving for a special occasion, but you’d be surprised how refreshing a wine spritzer on the rocks can be on hot summer days. Lighter, dry white wines like Pinot Grigio work especially well for this, and also for refreshingly festive fruit-based sangrias.

Summertime means grilling time, but think outside that bottle of barbecue sauce. Instead, make your own, such as mixing together soy sauce, garlic, pineapple juice, and some local honey for a riff on teriyaki. In foods like this, by the way, there’s an added benefit to cutting down on added sugar because you’ll be cutting down on added salt as well!