The nutritional quality of our diet depends on many social, environmental, and physiological factors. To guide people toward healthy eating habits, health organizations define nutritional recommendations based on current scientific knowledge and culinary cultures and traditions. In its recommendations regarding carbohydrates, the WHO has recommended limiting the consumption of free sugars to approximately 50g per person per day (which corresponds to 10% of the AETQ ). Discover our 5 tips to implement every day to help you reduce your consumption of added sugars and improve the quality of your carbohydrate intake.
PRACTICAL ADVICE
1.Recognizing added sugars through nutrition labeling
Nutritional labeling regulations require that all ingredients in a product be listed on the packaging . Added sugars are included in this list, but they can be called by different names : “sugar” (cane sugar, invert sugar, etc.), “syrup” (corn syrup, wheat syrup, etc.), “starch” (wheat starch, modified starch, etc.), but also words ending in “ose” (glucose, fructose, maltose, etc.) and more.
2.Favor raw and “homemade” products
According to Anses , the majority of processed products contain at least one sweetening ingredient or sweet taste vector. Therefore, buying your ingredients in their raw or minimally processed form allows you to limit your consumption of added sugars. In the same approach, when possible, favoring “homemade” cooking using fresh products, jarred foods or unprepared frozen foods , guarantees better control over the composition of your dishes. And for sweet recipes , in particular, this allows you to be aware of your intake .
3.Prefer solid food matrices
The quality of the sugars consumed can also depend on their source . For example, a whole fruit or vegetable contains sugar but also dietary fiber, which delays the absorption of carbohydrates after a meal. Fiber also increases the feeling of satiety , as does chewing a food in its solid form . These are all reasons why drinking a glass of fruit or vegetable juice is not the same as consuming the whole product ; the solid matrix of the food therefore improves the quality of its carbohydrates.
4.Satisfy your body and your taste buds
When you’re used to eating products with added sugars , it can be difficult to cut down on the amount. It’s about gradually getting your taste buds used to less powerful sweet tastes. If, for example, you’re used to eating fruit-flavored yogurts, try replacing them with plain yogurts and adding a little sweet touch yourself : honey, agave syrup, jam, etc., and even pieces of fruit (banana, red fruits, kiwi, etc.) to also benefit from their health benefits (fiber, micronutrients , etc.).
5.Think about your meals as a whole
In order to know and balance your carbohydrate intake , it is important to understand the meal as a whole , or even the diet as a whole . For example, in the same meal, consuming foods that are sources of good fatty acids , fiber and/or protein helps regulate the post-prandial blood sugar peak (except in cases of diabetes ). as well as raw or minimally processed foods , rich in elements that provide benefits for the body.
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