At the time I was diagnosed with prediabetes, I was in the habit of dipping into the cookie jar a little too often. My first dietary adjustment was to curb sweet snacks. I knew I couldn’t go completely cold turkey so I looked up how much “free” sugar might be allowed for a prediabetic.
Free sugars, by definition, provide little or no nutritional value and include those “added to food products, and sugar naturally present in honey, syrups, fruit juices and purées.” (Source: Heart & Stroke Canada)
Diabetes Canada suggests that less than 10% of daily calorie consumption be free sugar, which works out to about 50 grams (g) per day, based on a 2,000-calorie per day diet.
When I first started cutting sugar, I came across a guideline of 30 g per day and went with that. Even at that amount I could still enjoy a couple of cookies or a few squares of dark chocolate each day.
To my great surprise and relief, I found it pretty easy to stick to this lower amount of sugar. There was an adjustment period but as I reduced free sugar, I definitely found I craved it less. Let that serve as inspiration if you are having trouble taming your sweet tooth.
NOTE: Free sugar is just one part of the story. Carbohydrates also raise blood sugar and are notoriously easy to overeat, so any attempt to control blood sugar has to include a right-sizing of carbohydrate portions. See my post on Carbohydrates for more information.
So where do you start when seeking to reduce sugar? I went with what I call the low-hanging fruit – the obvious sugary foods that were easy to identify and cut back on. I then dove a little deeper to see where else I could make some cuts, using nutrition and ingredient labels as my guide.
Note that my low-hanging fruit does not include actual fruit. I’ve heard of some wellness influencers advising people to avoid fruit when trying to manage their blood sugar, but no medical professional I’ve ever heard of shares this opinion. Fruit is loaded with nutrients and fibre which, as we have seen, is extremely important for managing blood sugar. (Fruit is a carbohydrate and can raise blood sugar, so portion size is important.)
Consider this post a guide to reducing sugar, starting with the easier stuff and pointing out some hidden sources you might not have thought of.
The First Step in Reducing Sugar – Reading Labels
Nutrition labels are a guide to what is actually in the packaged foods we buy. It is essential to read these labels to verify the amount of sugar a food contains, but you will also need to read ingredient labels to get the whole picture (at least in Canada).
In Canada, the total sugars listed on the nutrition label include those that occur naturally in the food and those that are added. To figure out the amount of added or free sugar, you have to do a bit of detective work. This is where the ingredient label comes in.
Added sugars are included in the ingredients list on the package. As noted by Diabetes Canada, if a product’s ingredient list does not mention sugar or sugars, the sugars listed in the nutrition facts table are naturally occurring.
If, however, the ingredient list includes sugar near the top of the list, you can assume it has “more sugar in it compared to the ingredients that follow it.” (Source: HealthLinkBC)
Note that sugar can take many forms, including glucose, fructose, dextrose, various syrups, and cane juice. Check Diabetes Canada for a comprehensive list of sugars and sweeteners.
NOTE: Sugar is sugar, whether free or natural, but recognizing which foods have high amounts of added sugar is important when shopping for food as there are often reduced-sugar alternatives available, like unsweetened fruit sauces or reduced-sugar cereals. Choosing options with less free sugar will help you stick to your daily “sugar allowance.”
The nutrition label on a food also lists the portion size which helps you gauge the volume of food relative to its overall sugar content. This is important information because, as I have said elsewhere in this series, portion distortion is real. It’s very easy to underestimate a serving size and, in the process, overeat a particular food.
As an example, consider a source of sugar that many people don’t think about: sauces.
A teriyaki sauce I have used in the past has 5 grams (g) of sugar in a serving of 15 mL (1 tbsp). The first two ingredients are water and soy sauce, followed by sugar, modified corn starch, and corn syrup. (Corn starch is not a sugar but is a carbohydrate, and one that is considered high on the glycemic index.) It’s safe to say a good amount of the sugar content in this product is added sugar.
Most applications of teriyaki sauce use a lot more than 15 mL, and at 5 g per serving, that can amount to quite a bit of added sugar in a meal.
Other sources of added sugar are more obvious and that’s where I’ll start.
Drinks – Liquid Sugar Traps
Drinks are a major source of free sugar for most people, so they might be a good place to start if you are looking to cut back.
The most obvious examples are those that have been discussed frequently in the media: juice and non-diet pop. Both have extremely high levels of sugar and, in the case of pop, no nutritional value. Some juices might offer decent levels of vitamins, but most dietitians will tell you it is better to get those vitamins from fruit which contains fibre and other nutrients.
Other possible areas of concern in the beverage department:
- Prepared iced tea and sparkling water flavoured with “real fruit juice.”
- Drinks marketed as “healthy” or “functional” including sport drinks and flavoured soy/oat/rice/almond milks.
- Bottled protein shakes. Some contain close to 30 g of sugar in a very small serving.
- Alcohol. Drier wines have less sugar than sweet wines. Liquor has little or no sugar, but the mixer can be high in sugar.
- Coffee shop lattés or other milk-based coffees, including the new protein-enhanced options. They can contain 30 g of sugar, or more.
Your morning coffee–homemade or takeout–is another potential source of sugar. I’ve always taken my coffee black. I would recommend that but I know it’s a tough transition from lightly sweetened coffee to a dark brown cup of bitterness, so you might want to consider the amount of sugar and cream you are using here and weigh that against your daily sugar allowance.
Making changes to your favourite beverages can be challenging, so talk to your doctor or a dietitian to see if there are good substitutes for the sweetness you crave in a cold or hot drink. Diabetes Canada also has some information about sugar and sugar substitutes.
Hidden Sugars
Most of us recognize that foods like packaged cookies and candy will be high in sugar and low in nutrients, but there are other foods that might contain more sugar than you think. This list is not comprehensive, but gives you a good idea where to look for unexpected sugar:
- Sauces. I mentioned teriyaki sauce above, but other condiments can carry a fairly high sugar load. Read labels on products like ketchup, plum sauce, salad dressings, barbecue sauce, and pasta sauce.
- Cereal. The cereal aisle is a bit of a minefield for sugar and even those that seem to include healthy ingredients – or added protein, which is all the rage these days – can contain a lot of sugar. Always read labels and consider the serving size to know exactly how much sugar you are getting.
- Cereal bars and granola bars, even those in the “health food” aisle and especially those covered in chocolate.
- Granola. Many brands of granola are extremely high in sugar.
- Flavoured instant oatmeal.
- Muffins. Whether purchased from a grocery store or coffee shop, they are often far higher in sugar than you think – even carrot or bran, which sound healthy. And one muffin can equal 3 to 4 servings of carbs.
- Applesauce and other canned/packaged fruit. Look for unsweetened applesauce. Many canned fruits are packed in juice or “light syrup” which can mean a lot of added sugar.
- Bread. Most breads are okay but some have sugar added so it’s always best to read the label.
- Flavoured yogurt and yogurt drinks. Yogurt is a great snack but the flavoured varieties are much higher in sugar than plain options.
Sugar Is Not All Bad
Sugar is often demonized but we do need some in our diet. So think of it as something to moderate, not eliminate. Be aware of hidden sources and check labels so you know how much you are getting in a serving of food. And if you exceed your limit, as we all do from time to time, just make adjustments in subsequent meals and snacks to get back on track.
To read this entire series, visit the Prediabetes Series page.
Disclaimer: I am not a dietitian but have worked with one to learn all I can about prediabetes. I have also done a lot of my own research, from valid sources like Diabetes Canada and books and news articles written by dietitians and doctors. I am speaking here of my own experience and nothing I say should be taken as a substitute for advice from a medical professional. Always consult with a doctor or dietitian before making any lifestyle changes for prediabetes or any other condition.
Photo of sugar cubes by Daniel Kraus on Unsplash.