Stop drinking sugar

When you drink it is easy to consume a lot of sugar very quickly, you don't even need to chew! Some of the sugar can even enter the bloodstream before you swallow with levels in the blood rising quickly after drinking.

The main offenders are fruit juice and fruit smoothies along with any non-diet soft drinks.

Check out our drinks page for more detailed information.

Eat fruit from closer to home

Fruits can contain large amounts of sugar but there is a wide variation in how much different fruits contain. As a rule fruits grown in more tropical environments contain more sugar per portion. Therefore, eating fruit grown in colder climates will tend to mean consuming less sugar.

Dried fruits have most of the water removed and so contain highly concentrated sugar and should be avoided.

A page showing the sugar content of various fruits can be found here.

Start by looking at breakfast

Bread and breakfast cereals are broken down to significant amounts of sugar. Even porridge is not a great option as although the sugar is released more slowly it still enters the bloodstream. High sugar levels after breakfast cause increased insulin levels which then make you hungry mid-morning. It can be great to break this cycle to aid with weight loss.

Check out our breakfast page for more detailed information.

Avoid "double carb" meals

Some traditional meals contain significantly more carbohydrates than others. Remember that all carbohydrate is broken down into sugar. Double carb meals are things like battered fish and chips, pie and mash/chips, curry with rice and naan bread.

By replacing one of these carbohydrate portions with something else like a green vegetable or salad you will reduce the amount of sugar consumed significantly.

Check out our alternatives page for ideas of potential switches you could make.

Reduce and replace other carbs

Meals don't have to include a portion of potatoes/rice/pasta and nobody actually needs bread to survive. Why not try substituting rice or pasta for strips of cabbage or finely cut broccoli or cauliflower.

Having a salad for lunch instead of a sandwich would reduce your sugar intake significantly, as long as its not a potato or pasta salad!

Check out our products page for examples of lower carb pastas and breads.