Sugary foods such as cakes and biscuits often also contain a lot of fat and so have a lot of calories. By reducing the amount of sugar in your diet, you can often also reduce the amount of fat too.
How can I reduce sugar in my diet?
- Switch from sweetened to unsweetened drinks and don’t drink too much fruit juice
- Choose cereals without added sugar and put a sliced banana or apple on top rather than sugar
- Try to reduce the amount of sugar you use in cooking. This works well except for jam and sugar-based cakes. Try dried fruit, cinnamon or cloves for a sweeter flavour rather than sugar
- Reduce the amount of cakes, biscuits and pastries that you eat or switch to teacakes or fruit loaf
- Switch your mid-morning snack to a piece of fresh or a handful of dried fruit
- Swap pudding for fruit or yoghurt
How can I reduce the amount of fat in my diet?
- Switch from butter or margarine to low fat spreads
- Grill food rather than frying or roasting
- Choose large straight cut chips rather than crinkle cut or French fries which soak up more oil
- If roasting potatoes, cut the pieces larger to reduce the amount of fat they soak up
- Choose lower fat sausages and back bacon rather than streaky – look at the labels
- Avoid creamy takeaway curries and switch to drier types
- Choose low fat frozen yoghurt rather than ice cream
- Swap crisps for a small handful of unsalted nuts or buy smaller sized packets of crisps
- Adding flavours such as vanilla and nut flavourings can add a buttery flavour to cakes and allow the amount of butter to be reduced
- Grate cheese rather than slicing to make the cheese go further
- Choose sandwiches with lower fat mayonnaise
- Swap full-fat Greek yoghurt for lower fat varieties
- Try baked beans with jacket potato rather than butter