As a nation, we're eating far more free sugar than is recommended by health professionals for good health. Often referred to as 'empty calories', cutting down on the free sugar you're eating can be a great way to improve the nutritional quality of your diet by turning your focus to more complex, high-fibre sources of carbohydrates.
Perhaps you're living with diabetes, or have been advised by your doctor to reduce the sugar in your diet. If so, a lower-sugar diet could help you manage your blood sugar better.
If you'd like to try a lower-sugar diet, we've already calculated a healthy lower-sugar target for you – just select our pre-set Less Sugar nutrient goal (in the app, tap the blue menu button next to the search bar in your diary > 'Nutrient Goals' > 'Less Sugar' goal).
Here is a sample day's menu based on a 1400 calorie diet that meets all your nutrient goals. (Suitable for vegetarians).
Kcals | 317 |
---|---|
Fat | 17.9g |
Sat fat | 4.4g |
Carbs | 25.4g |
Sugar | 1.2g |
Fibre | 4.5g |
Protein | 12.7g |
Salt | 1.22g |
Kcals | 107 |
---|---|
Fat | 6.1g |
Sat fat | 1.2g |
Carbs | 8.7g |
Sugar | 4.1g |
Fibre | 1g |
Protein | 4.9g |
Salt | 0.02g |
Kcals | 368 |
---|---|
Fat | 10.5g |
Sat fat | 1.5g |
Carbs | 53.8g |
Sugar | 14.8g |
Fibre | 10.1g |
Protein | 13.3g |
Salt | 0.15g |
Kcals | 395 |
---|---|
Fat | 12g |
Sat fat | 3.5g |
Carbs | 58.7g |
Sugar | 8.5g |
Fibre | 11.2g |
Protein | 16.7g |
Salt | 0.25g |
Kcals | 134 |
---|---|
Fat | 9.7g |
Sat fat | 5.7g |
Carbs | 9.3g |
Sugar | 9.3g |
Fibre | 4.6g |
Protein | 2g |
Salt | 0.06g |
So with a portion of all the recipes above, along with two cups of tea with semi-skimmed milk and a glass of no-added-sugar fruit squash, here's what your diary would be looking like at the end of the day. The numbers in brackets are your daily nutrient targets for reference:
It's important to remember that everyone's calorie needs are different – if you have been set a higher target than 1400 calories per day, we recommend sticking to that number as it has been calculated based on your personal details to be suitable for you and your weight goals. If you select the Less Sugar goal, your targets will change in proportion to your calorie target – this is the amount you should be aiming for.
To set yourself the Less Sugar nutrient goal in the Nutracheck app, tap the blue menu button next to the search bar in your diary, then select 'Nutrient Goals'. Choose the 'Less Sugar' goal from the list. Save your changes by tapping 'Set this goal'. On the website, click 'Settings' from the top navigation bar, then 'Set a nutrient goal'. Choose the 'Less Sugar' goal from the list, then scroll down and click 'Apply Changes'.
Nutritionist Amy Wood (ANutr), MSci BSc Nutrition has a keen interest in the relationship between diet and health. Having been published in the European Journal of Nutrition, Amy is passionate about making evidence-based nutrition accessible to everyone and helping others to adopt a food-focused approach to taking control of their health.
This site uses cookies to personalise content and ads, provide social media features and analyse our traffic. Find out more about how we use cookies.
Choose which cookies you allow us to use. You can read more about our Cookie Policy in our Privacy Policy.