The WHO recently announced their updated sugar intake recommendations. These suggest that we need to make sugar less than 5% of our daily intake. That means we should eat a maximum of 25g or 6 tsp of sugar each day. By decreasing our sugar intake we dramatically decrease our chances of developing obesity, diabetes, heart disease & some types of cancer.  Since Canadians get about 21% of our daily calories from sugar we need to really do some work on decreasing this!

The sugar we are talking about here is the added refined sugars added to foods to make them sweeter, not the fabulous unrefined sugars found in nature!

Here are some healthy options that are low in sugar but still super yummy!

• Choose whole grain pasta & rice varieties. These are much lower in sugars and higher in fibre, which will keep you feeling full longer.
• Have dinner for breakfast. Chili, soup and stews are fabulous ways to start the day instead of high sugar breakfast options. These foods are super easy to prepare and are very nutrient dense. Most North American breakfast options are very high in sugary carbohydrates and low in healthy fats and protein.
• Soda is never a good option. At 40grams of sugar per small can this is way above the recommended daily intake.
• Use naturally sweetened almond milk / cashew milk / coconut milk or pure almond extract / coconut sugar in place of cane sugar in your morning cup of coffee or tea
• Dark chocolate is much lower in sugar and much high in antioxidants than milk chocolate. Replace milk chocolate with dark chocolate.
• Have dark chocolate with a few nuts & herbal tea as an afternoon snack instead of a coffee and donut!
• Ants on a log. Take celery sticks and smear them with nut butter (no sugar added varieties) and sprinkle with a line of blueberries or raspberries instead of raisins, which themselves are high in sugar.
• Seasoned nuts. Nuts, especially walnuts, are rich in omega-3 fatty acids.  Mix with maple syrup & cinnamon and bake at medium-low setting for 10 to 15 minutes.
• Seeds are a rich source of vitamin E and some, like pumpkin seeds, have omega-3 fatty acids.  Roast seeds yourself for crunch and less salt.
• Full fat plain Icelandic Skyr yogourt. This is much lower in sugar and higher in protein than the sweetened varieties. Add some seasoned nuts, seeds and fruit for a yummy breakfast or mid afternoon snack.
• Veggies and hummus. There is no excuse for not having fresh vegetables on hand! Buy prechopped, prewashed bagged veggies if necessary.  Hummus is available in grocery stores and is rich in protein.  Carrots are tasty dipped in nut butter as well!
• Fresh fruit. Especially berries, apples, and pears are high in fibre & antioxidants and lower in sugar than other fruits.

Have a great day!