Sugar does not make you fat, that insight came from a two-year study. Read on to find out why and how you can avoid sugar more often.
The study was conducted by the Swedish Council on Health Technology Assessment. In two years, they reviewed 16,000 studies, published through May 2013.
Breakthrough
The results led to an important breakthrough:Sweden is the first country in Europe to change national dietary guidelines from low-fat to low-carb. A low-fat diet would even promote weight gain.
Why does it work?
Low-carb eating is already known for people who follow or have followed the Atkins diet. Atkins' dietician Erica Slof explains why a low-carbohydrate diet works.
'In recent years, more and more diets are urging us to eat less fat. All kinds of light products have appeared on the market, but never before have so many people been overweight. This is because we have started eating and drinking sugar-rich products instead of fat-rich products. The downside of sugar and other carbohydrates is that insulin is required to process them. The more insulin, the more fat the body makes. Eating carbohydrates leads to fat storage. This also applies the other way around:eating fewer carbohydrates leads to less fat storage. By avoiding sugars and by choosing good fats as an energy source, obesity is prevented.'
4 tips to eat less sugar
1. Breakfast with raw ingredients
Muesli is a delicious breakfast, but cornflakes and granola often contain a lot of sugar. Rather use unprocessed ingredients. Nuts, bran, seeds and kernels taste delicious in your yogurt.
2. Eat savory snacks
Try to have a savory snack more often, such as nuts, a block of cheese or a stuffed avocado. Savory snacks are more filling because of the proteins they contain. If you are very hungry, or for lunch, you can opt for soup. You can make endless combinations and easily freeze the soup for the next day.
3. Drink less soft drinks
Soda contains 10 percent sugar. By eating less soda, you get a lot less sugar. Coffee, tea, water and vegetable juice are healthy alternatives.
4. Eat fruit
Eat your daily portion of fruit, instead of drinking fruit juice. Eating fruit makes you feel fuller. The least carbohydrates are in, among other things, berries, strawberries, blackberries, cherries, melon and raspberries.
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