A healthy lifestyle doesn’t mean missing out on the sweet life

There is research that shows you may start adding more sugar to your meals as you get older because your tastebuds become less likely to detect sweetness.

Even if your tastebuds are in tip-top condition, you may still be eating too much sugar. A recent study showed that 52 per cent of Australians consume more sugar than the standard global recommendation on intake. It’s not hard to guess why, because sugar is in almost all edible products in one form or another.

Eating too much sugar doesn’t just threaten your dental health, it can cause serious issues such as diabetes.

But it can be daunting to consider cutting down on sugar, and giving it up altogether can even cause physical withdrawal symptoms. So, if you can live a life without sugar, that’s great, but for those who still love the sweet life, we have some tips to keep it as healthy as possible.

An easy way to start is to replace some of the sugar in your diet with one of the many sugar substitutes available. Stevia is one of the most popular as it’s a natural sweetener made from the leaves of the stevia plant that’s found in Paraguay and Brazil. Stevia contains no calories, no sugar, no carbohydrates and is more than 200 times sweeter than regular sugar.

You can buy stevia from most supermarkets and it can be used in baked goods. It won’t cause your blood sugar to spike.

Splenda has similar properties to stevia but is derived from sugar. Splenda is already added to many baked goods available in stores.

If those options don’t satisfy your sweet tooth, you can try honey, which is jammed-pack with vitamins, minerals, and protein. Honey is a great sweetener for cold or hot drinks and baked goods.  One of the added benefits of using it in baking is that honey attracts moisture so your cakes will stay moist for longer.

Replacing sugar in your life doesn’t have to be hard. Challenge your taste buds by trying some of the tips offered and see what a difference a few healthy changes can make.