A day on the Less Sugar nutrient goal

Amy Wood - Nutritionist | 21 Aug, 2022

FLASH SALE now on
Save 60% with annual membership*

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).

Avo and egg on toast

Breakfast: Egg & avocado on toast

Serves 1 - 317 kcals per serving

Kcals 317
Fat 17.9g
Sat fat 4.4g
Carbs 25.4g
Sugar 1.2g
Fibre 4.5g
Protein 12.7g
Salt 1.22g

Add recipe to your saved meals

Ingredients

  • 1 medium egg
  • 50g slice sourdough bread
  • ½ avocado
  • 1 lime wedge
  • Salt and pepper to season

Method

  1. Bring a small pan of water to the boil and cook the egg for 8 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, lightly toast the sourdough.
  3. Scoop out the avocado half and mash it up in a bowl.
  4. Squeeze over the lime juice and season with salt and pepper. Mix well.
  5. Top the toast with the avocado. Once the egg is done, peel and chop into slices and lay over the avocado.

Pistachio and vanilla protein balls

Mid-morning snack: Pistachio & vanilla protein ball

Makes around 16 balls - 107 kcals per ball

Kcals 107
Fat 6.1g
Sat fat 1.2g
Carbs 8.7g
Sugar 4.1g
Fibre 1g
Protein 4.9g
Salt 0.02g

Add recipe to your saved meals

Ingredients

  • 80g rolled oats
  • 125g smooth cashew butter
  • 70g honey
  • 40g vanilla protein powder
  • 40g unsalted pistachios, shelled and roughly chopped
  • 30ml water

Method

  1. Add all ingredients to a large mixing bowl and mix well to combine, forming a dough-like consistency. If the 'dough' seems a little dry, add an extra splash of water.
  2. Using your hands or a small batter scoop, form the dough into small balls, roughly 1 inch in diameter.
  3. Space the balls out evenly on a baking sheet or large plate lined with parchment and pop them into the fridge for one hour to set.
  4. Tuck in straight away or store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week. They also freeze well – store in a sealed bag and defrost before eating.

Quinoa salad

Lunch: Mexican quinoa & bean salad

Serves 5 - 368 kcals per serving

Kcals 368
Fat 10.5g
Sat fat 1.5g
Carbs 53.8g
Sugar 14.8g
Fibre 10.1g
Protein 13.3g
Salt 0.15g

Add recipe to your saved meals

Ingredients

  • 300g quinoa
  • 400g can black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 200g can sweetcorn, drained
  • 12 cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 1 green bell pepper, diced
  • 2 tbsp avocado oil
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • ½ tsp cumin
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1 handful fresh coriander, to garnish

Method

  1. Cook the quinoa according to the packet instructions. Leave to cool.
  2. Add the cooled quinoa to a bowl along with the beans, sweetcorn, tomatoes and peppers.
  3. Create a dressing by whisking together the oil, lime, garlic, paprika, cumin and salt and pepper to taste.
  4. Pour on the dressing, toss thoroughly and serve topped with fresh coriander.

Pesto spaghetti

Dinner: Pesto spaghetti

Serves 4 - 395 kcals per serving

Kcals 395
Fat 12g
Sat fat 3.5g
Carbs 58.7g
Sugar 8.5g
Fibre 11.2g
Protein 16.7g
Salt 0.25g

Add recipe to your saved meals

Ingredients

  • 300g wholewheat spaghetti
  • Low-cal cooking spray
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 600g cherry tomatoes
  • 120g reduced-fat pesto
  • Black pepper to season
  • 50g Italian hard cheese
  • Few sprigs basil

Method

  1. Cook the spaghetti according to the packet instructions.
  2. Meanwhile, lightly spray a small frying pan with cooking spray and set over a medium heat. Cook the garlic and tomatoes, stirring once or twice, for 3-4 minutes until the tomatoes start to soften.
  3. Drain the cooked spaghetti, then return to the warm cooking pot and stir in the pesto.
  4. Divide between four warm shallow bowls and add the tomatoes and garlic. Grind some black pepper over the top. Sprinkle with Parmesan shavings and garnish with sprigs of basil.
Strawberries and cream

Dessert: Strawberries & cream

Serves 1 - 134 kcals per serving

Kcals 134
Fat 9.7g
Sat fat 5.7g
Carbs 9.3g
Sugar 9.3g
Fibre 4.6g
Protein 2g
Salt 0.06g

Add recipe to your saved meals

Ingredients

  • 120g fresh strawberries
  • 50ml single cream

Method

  1. Wash and hull the strawberries. Serve topped with the fresh cream.

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:

  • Calories: 1356 (vs 1400)
  • Fat: 57.7g (vs 54.4g)
  • Sat fat: 17g (vs 17.1g)
  • Carbohydrates: 159.4g (vs 175g)
  • Sugar: 41.3g (vs 42g)
  • Fibre: 31.9g (vs 30g)
  • Protein: 52.6g (vs 52.5g)
  • Salt: 1.91g (vs 6g)
  • 6.9 portions of fruit and veg

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.