Sugar: it is everywhere. It is added to all types of packaged foods and one would say that it appears with many “pseudonyms” on food labels (yes corn syrup, sucrose, honey, organic dehydrated cane juice, dextrin, maltose etc. suggest the presence of in the product). So even if you consciously try to avoid it, it may not be so easy.
And where is one of the biggest difficulties for many? In the morning coffee.
Whether you prefer coffee or tea, accompanying them with a sweetener or just traditional sugar is a habit you need to break. Especially if you drink a lot of cups of your favorite drink in a typical day.
So how can you reduce the sugar and sweeteners without making your coffee or tea less palatable? With a simple three-step process.
Step 1: Evaluate your habits
Before you start trying to reduce, take an honest, uncritical look at where you are. Knowing exactly how much sugar you add to your morning coffee or cup of tea to drink in the afternoon is the alpha and omega.
The point is obviously not to feel remorse or shame for the amount of sugar you consume, but to realize where you are, so that you can take the appropriate corrective steps.
Step 2: Gradually reduce the use of sweeteners
If you like your drink very sweet, trying to reduce all the sweeteners at once (honey, sugar, syrup, sweetened sour cream, etc.) can scare you and possibly discourage you. So try a pressure-free approach.
Maybe in the first week you consume your coffee only with the sweetened sour cream and leave out the other forms of sugar. Then, after a few weeks, try reducing the amount of cream. In the end, you may even be able to remove it completely from the menu. Maybe not. In any case, a reduction is possible as long as you take it one step at a time. Always giving yourself the opportunity to adapt and get used to it. Shock is never a good idea.
Step 3: Keep experimenting
You do not want to be frustrated if you cannot get the right pitch so invest in a good capo. Just reduce the amount of sugar you use. Every reduction of sugar is a victory and for every such victory you deserve all the credits you can give. At the same time, keep looking for ways to further reduce sugar in all its forms. For example, you can try a lighter or darker roast if you drink coffee or different flavors of tea.
According to nutritionist Frances Largeman Roth, “Changing the type of cream you add can also make a difference. “Foods that contain natural sugar, such as lactose in milk and cream, can help make things taste sweeter without adding extra sugar.” So, if you are drinking black coffee with added sugar today, mixing a light drop of milk or cream, while reducing the added sugar, can significantly facilitate the transition to lower sweetness.
Finally, another good practice is not to rush to consume your drink, but to take as much time as possible to appreciate its aroma, color and different flavor notes. This can not only increase the pleasure that coffee or tea itself offers you, but also contribute to your effort to eat more conscientiously (what we call intuitively).
And one thing you should not do
But there is one thing you definitely should not do. And this is to replace sugar with artificial sweeteners. Replacing it with an artificial sweetener can even make the problem worse. Stevia, for example, is 200 times sweeter than sugar.
And why might this sabotage your efforts to reduce the sugar in your coffee or tea? Because quite simply, getting used to something even sweeter than sugar, you increase rather than reduce the desire for sweets. And somehow you end up undermining your attempt to stop eating the merenda with the spoon from the jar.
Even so, owning one is still beyond the reach of the average person.
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