Cutting down on sweets and confectionery
The Basics
It sounds easier than it is… TonyHirving RD, a dietitian, has this advice.
“Cutting down for some is harder than cutting out. Whichever cause of action you take – having an alternative to your usual ‘chocolate fix’ is important”.
“Many of the people I have helped lose weight over the years have found that it’s the chocolate that lets them down. Snacking on it and then thinking they have blown their diet. That’s not the case”.
“It’s also often used as a comfort food – try and work out the times you eat it and also how you feel. Consider how you’ll feel after eating it too”.
“Sweets and chocolate, and treats generally can play a part in a healthy balanced diet – but you must keep in mind your end weight goal. Will having a second helping or a super-size chocolate bar help you or hinder you in reaching it”?
Try this – a sugar cube weighs roughly 3grams. Check how many grams of sugar are in your favourite sweets and biscuits and divide by 3. Whatever the answer is equivalent to how many cubes of sugar are in it. Would you eat that many straight out of the box?
Common Myths and Misconceptions
- “Eating a lot of sugar or sugary foods causes ADHD”. There is no evidence that sugar causes ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). A diet high in sugar may indicate a poor intake of nutrients and an irregular eating pattern, both of which can affect concentration. Whilst it is a very good idea that anyone with ADHD eats regular balanced meals, cutting out sugar completely is not necessary.
Tips and Tricks
- Keep a sweets diary for one week to see how often you eat sweets or confectionery – once you’ve done this you can set yourself a target for cutting them down.
- Avoid the sweet aisle at the supermarket – if it’s not in your trolley /basket it won’t be in your cupboard!
- When you join GetFit Nutrition®, you get daily personal nutrition and diet targets, which include treats. You can choose to use them up however you like, even save them up if you are going out or want to indulge!.
- Buy the smallest bars of chocolate – if you accidentally (!) buy a large bar, freeze it in cling-filmed squares of 2-4 for those planned treats
- Do your best to keep sweets or confectionery out of the home or your office desk drawer – if they are there you will eat them! It’s been shown that if treats are stored in a place which is hard to get to, or out of the way, less are eaten.
- Find someone else who wants to cut back on sweets and support each other in saying ‘no’ when the goodies are on offer – it’s not easy, but together you can support each other.
- Queue at the supermarket checkout that does have sweets by the till to avoid the ‘impulse’ purchase!
If possible, shop without children as they may pester you to buy sweets and confectionery – or slip them into the basket when you’re not looking!