How to quit sugar in 5 steps for more energy, fewer cravings and better health — Transcript

Full transcript

1. 0:00This is the maximum amount of added
2. 0:03sugar we're allowed every day. But most
3. 0:05of us have double or triple this, which
4. 0:08over a week
5. 0:11leads to a huge excess. And it's not
6. 0:13just coming from sweets or fizzy drinks.
7. 0:15Today, I'm going to show you where added
8. 0:17sugar sneaks into your diet, how it
9. 0:19affects your mood, energy levels, and
10. 0:21cravings, and my five simple tips to
11. 0:24help you cut down sugar without giving
12. 0:26up everything you love. Even as a
13. 0:28doctor, I used to have sugar all the
14. 0:31time. Used to crave something sweet
15. 0:32after meals. I used to have high sugar
16. 0:35sweets when I was doing hospital shifts.
17. 0:37And then I try to cut down my sugar by
18. 0:39swapping for healthier snacks. But as it
19. 0:42turns out, I was still having a ton of
20. 0:45sugar. Because cutting back isn't just
21. 0:47about skipping desserts or sweets. Sugar
22. 0:50hides in plain sight. It's in more foods
23. 0:52than you think, even those that look
24. 0:55healthy. A bowl of granola, four
25. 0:57teaspoons of sugar. A glass of juice,
26. 0:59four or more teaspoons of sugar. A snack
27. 1:02bar, 3 tesps of sugar. An iced caramel
28. 1:05coffee, 6 tsp of sugar. An energy drink,
29. 1:0910 teaspoon of added sugar. But the
30. 1:11original sugar sweetened beverage, Coke,
31. 1:14has 12 tep of sugar in a 500 mil
32. 1:17serving. Even foods that you wouldn't
33. 1:19typically associate with sugar. Salad
34. 1:21dressings, marinades, sauces, pre-made
35. 1:24soups, these all typically have added
36. 1:27sugars in as well. Another problem is
37. 1:29manufacturers will hide sugar in their
38. 1:32products under various names. Syrups,
39. 1:35agave, concentrates, it's all sugar. Not
40. 1:39forgetting refined carbs that you find
41. 1:41in white wraps, white pasta, white rice.
42. 1:46They all break down into simple sugar in
43. 1:49your bloodstream as easily as added
44. 1:52sugar. So hopefully you can see how easy
45. 1:54it is to over consume sugar. By
46. 1:56lunchtime, by having any combination of
47. 1:58these, you would have smashed through
48. 2:00your daily maximum of six teaspoons of
49. 2:03added sugar. But here's the important
50. 2:05part. Not all sugar works in this way.
51. 2:08Take whole fruit like this apple for
52. 2:09example. Yes, it contains sugar, but it
53. 2:12also comes along with fiber and other
54. 2:15antioxidants, almost like its own
55. 2:17protective packaging. When you consume
56. 2:19this, pectin is released, which forms a
57. 2:22gel-like layer on the inside of your
58. 2:24intestines, slowing the absorption of
59. 2:26sugar into your body, which gives you a
60. 2:28steady release of energy, and it also
61. 2:30makes you feel fuller for longer. The
62. 2:32same goes for whole grains like frea,
63. 2:36quinoa, pseudo grain, starchy vegetables
64. 2:38like sweet potato, and even things like
65. 2:41lentils. You don't need to avoid these.
66. 2:43These all come with that protective
67. 2:45packaging of antioxidants and extra
68. 2:48fiber, which is linked to better health,
69. 2:50not worse. When you consume these foods,
70. 2:53they're in their natural structure,
71. 2:56which is different for juice. juice has
72. 2:58been completely stripped of its fiber,
73. 3:01which means the sugar is super
74. 3:03concentrated and readily absorbable.
75. 3:06This juice has got the equivalent of
76. 3:08three to four pieces of fruit in. This
77. 3:11would take me at least 15 minutes to
78. 3:14consume. This I can drink in about 10
79. 3:17seconds. No, I'm not going to drink it.
80. 3:20Even though the sugar is identical, the
81. 3:22form in which you find sugar in fruit
82. 3:25versus natural juice is completely
83. 3:28different and therefore it has a
84. 3:29completely different effect in your
85. 3:31body. Just to clarify the different
86. 3:33types of sugars. This is natural sugar.
87. 3:36This is free sugar and what you find is
88. 3:39this is added sugar. Added and free is
89. 3:43not the same as natural. When your diet
90. 3:46is full of added and free sugars, it can
91. 3:49do far more damage than just damage your
92. 3:51teeth. Dayto-day, too much sugar can
93. 3:54drain your energy, affect your mood,
94. 3:56increase cravings, and make it harder to
95. 3:59sleep well. Over time, it's linked to
96. 4:01serious health problems. Fatty liver
97. 4:04that's rising quickly, heart disease,
98. 4:06obesity, certain cancers, type 2
99. 4:09diabetes, and even depression and
100. 4:11cognitive decline, including dementia.
101. 4:13And that's because excess sugar can do
102. 4:16three big things to your body. It can
103. 4:18disrupt the harmony of your gut
104. 4:20microbes. It can increase inflammation
105. 4:22in your bloodstream and push your liver
106. 4:25to make and store fat that builds up
107. 4:28over time. The good news is is you don't
108. 4:30need to cut down on sugar completely to
109. 4:33get the benefits. Cut down your sugar
110. 4:35consumption with these five simple
111. 4:37steps. Morning is where a lot of hidden
112. 4:39sugar sneaks in. cereal, jam, toast, and
113. 4:43it adds up fast and it puts you on a
114. 4:45sugar roller coaster. You get this rush
115. 4:47of sugar going into your bloodstream and
116. 4:49then the corresponding dip. And in that
117. 4:51dip, that's when you crave more sugar.
118. 4:54Instead, build a breakfast with protein
119. 4:57and fiber. Think eggs, beans, even last
120. 5:00night's dinner. It'll keep your energy
121. 5:02and sugar levels steady. Now, if you
122. 5:04really want something sweetish, a yogurt
123. 5:07bowl, overnight oats, for example, these
124. 5:10are all great. Just make sure that you
125. 5:12adding lots of protein and fiber richch
126. 5:14ingredients like hemp seeds, flax, mixed
127. 5:17nuts, nut butter in the yogurt, for
128. 5:19example, berries. Even if you add a
129. 5:22little bit of sugar in the form of honey
130. 5:24or maple syrup, you can choose how much
131. 5:27you put in, and you could start to
132. 5:28reduce it gradually. Let the fruit and
133. 5:31spices like cinnamon and clove bring the
134. 5:35sweetness. And you can find some of my
135. 5:36favorite breakfast recipes on the
136. 5:38Doctor's Kitchen app. Just by cutting
137. 5:40out breakfast sugar, you'll feel fuller
138. 5:42for longer. You'll cut out a couple of
139. 5:44teaspoons of added sugar without even
140. 5:46noticing, and it will keep you on the
141. 5:48straight and narrow for the rest of the
142. 5:50day. Drinks, as you'll realize, are one
143. 5:52of the biggest sugar traps. And it's not
144. 5:54just fizzy drinks or sodas. It's in
145. 5:56bottled smoothies, fruit juice, iced
146. 5:59coffees, energy drinks, chai lattes,
147. 6:01sweetened oat milk. It's everywhere. A
148. 6:03single glass can contain more free
149. 6:05sugars than a dessert, especially if
150. 6:08it's made with these added syrups and
151. 6:10concentrates. And because it's liquid,
152. 6:12your body doesn't register in the same
153. 6:14way. It's not satiating. It doesn't make
154. 6:16you feel full. So, it's super easy to
155. 6:19take in lots of sugar without realizing
156. 6:21it. Make these instead. water or
157. 6:24homemade iced tea with a black tea bag
158. 6:27and sweeten it with either a pinch of
159. 6:29cinnamon, some berries, or make it sharp
160. 6:32with a slice of lemon. Try a habiscus
161. 6:34drink. Hibiscus tea leaves are naturally
162. 6:37quite sweet and they have a bit of
163. 6:38tartness as well. If you're looking for
164. 6:40focus and energy, have a black coffee
165. 6:43that actually has lots of metabolic
166. 6:44health benefits instead of an energy
167. 6:47drink. Try and make a homemade smoothie
168. 6:50with whole fruit and yogurt. you'll
169. 6:52avoid a lot of the syrups that
170. 6:54unfortunately are found in lots of
171. 6:56store-bought smoothies. Now, we have
172. 6:58tons of low sugar drinks on the Doctor's
173. 7:00Kitchen app if you're looking for
174. 7:02inspiration. What catches people out
175. 7:03with drinks is that they simply go for
176. 7:05sugar-free or diet versions of the
177. 7:08originals. Now, I'm not a fan of these.
178. 7:10They can help if you're trying to get
179. 7:12off added sugar in the short term, but
180. 7:14they're not the end goal. Over time,
181. 7:17drinking diet drinks could affect your
182. 7:19gut because some of these artificial
183. 7:20sweeteners might disrupt your microbes
184. 7:22and it can disrupt your cravings and
185. 7:25your taste for sweetness. So, if you
186. 7:26drink a sweet tasting drink that's
187. 7:29artificially sweetened without the
188. 7:31calories, you actually haven't satisfied
189. 7:33your craving for the sweet thing that
190. 7:35you were looking for in the first place.
191. 7:37Hence, you still crave something sweet.
192. 7:40And anecdotally, a lot of people find
193. 7:42themselves still eating more sugar even
194. 7:45though they're having diet drinks. So,
195. 7:47think of them as a stepping stone, not a
196. 7:49long-term solution. Now, look, I still
197. 7:52crave sweet foods all the time, but
198. 7:54whenever I do, I try and pause and ask
199. 7:56myself three things. Number one, am I
200. 7:59hungry? If so, I'm going to have
201. 8:01something with protein first, something
202. 8:03like a Greek yogurt or a handful of
203. 8:05nuts. At other times, if I'm genuinely
204. 8:08after something sweet, I'll reach for
205. 8:09fruit that I can grab quickly like an
206. 8:12apple or some berries, cherries,
207. 8:14blackberries, which are absolutely
208. 8:15delicious and they come bundled in with
209. 8:18antioxidants as well. Or I'll have a
210. 8:20couple of dates with some peanut butter,
211. 8:21a square or two of good dark chocolate.
212. 8:24These all come bundled with health
213. 8:26benefits as well as the sweetness.
214. 8:29Number two, am I thirsty? Often a big
215. 8:32glass of water or a herbal tea is all I
216. 8:34need. And people commonly mistake
217. 8:36dehydration for craving something sweet.
218. 8:38Number three, and this is a big one, is
219. 8:40it about comfort? If I'm tired or
220. 8:43stressed, I tend to crave sugar. And I
221. 8:46recognize that and build in other wins
222. 8:49that make me feel good as much as sugar.
223. 8:52Things like a quick walk, stretching, or
224. 8:54even phoning a friend. Often I
225. 8:57overconume sugar because I'm craving
226. 8:59this little bit of comfort. The
227. 9:01difference now is that I try and make
228. 9:03sugar a mindful treat. Undistracted,
229. 9:07away from screens, phones rather than a
230. 9:10mindless habit when I'm just mooching
231. 9:13around the kitchen, bored at home, or in
232. 9:15front of the TV. I try and make it an
233. 9:17occasion with people enjoying it
234. 9:19socially, but it's not a daily staple.
235. 9:21Most sugar decisions happen in the shop,
236. 9:25not in the kitchen. If something's in
237. 9:26the house, it's going to be easy to
238. 9:28reach for. So, the goal is to set up an
239. 9:31environment that makes it easier to eat
240. 9:33whole foods first rather than sugar. The
241. 9:36first thing is check the label before
242. 9:37you buy. This is where a lot of sugars
243. 9:39sneak into your diet. Do a quick scan
244. 9:41for those hidden sugars and remember all
245. 9:43the names that can show up as hidden
246. 9:46sugar. Check the content per 100 g. You
247. 9:48want to be aiming for 5 g or less per
248. 9:51100 g. That is considered low sugar.
249. 9:54Instead of granola loaded with sugar,
250. 9:56buy whole plain oats and add your own
251. 9:58toppings. Instead of bottled dressings,
252. 10:01make one yourself with olive oil, lemon,
253. 10:03and herbs. Rather than juice, pick up
254. 10:06whole fruits instead. And instead of
255. 10:08cookies, go for almonds and dark
256. 10:10chocolate. If all this sounds too
257. 10:12complicated, let our AI meal planner do
258. 10:14it for you on the Doctor's Kitchen app.
259. 10:16You can plan your whole week of eating,
260. 10:17and it can generate a shopping list for
261. 10:19however many people you've got in your
262. 10:21house. If you can make two or three
263. 10:23swaps to your food shop each week, it's
264. 10:25going to make a big difference. Eat
265. 10:28enough protein. This is what changes
266. 10:31everything long term because in my
267. 10:33opinion, it goes straight to the root
268. 10:35cause. If your meals aren't filling with
269. 10:37the most important macronutrient,
270. 10:39protein, you're going to keep craving
271. 10:41something sweet. So, instead of building
272. 10:43your meals around carbs, like a big bowl
273. 10:46of rice or pasta, start first with a
274. 10:49clear source of protein, tofu, tempeh,
275. 10:52fish, chicken. Then add an extra plant
276. 10:55protein source, beans, lentils,
277. 10:58chickpeas, and make sure you also get
278. 11:00added fiber from things like greens, and
279. 11:03colorful vegetables. This formula is
280. 11:06super important to keep you satisfied
281. 11:08and fuller for longer. And if you don't
282. 11:10know how much protein that you should
283. 11:12specifically be consuming, there is a
284. 11:14free protein calculator on the Doctor's
285. 11:16Kitchen app. And over time, it doesn't
286. 11:18just cut your sugar cravings. It
287. 11:20supports your muscle health, your
288. 11:22metabolism, and your long-term energy.
289. 11:24It's the foundation that makes all the
290. 11:27other steps stick. If you want to know
291. 11:29what my high protein food shop literally
292. 11:32looks like, I'll show you what I buy
293. 11:34every single week right here. I've done
294. 11:36a whole video on