Cookies, candies, cakes, pastries, soft drinks . . . sweet treats often end up in our grocery carts (usually accompanied with guilty feeling)! How much do you spend each week on these empty calories? Here are some tips to help you cut out sugar and reduce your weekly grocery bill as a result.

1. Progressively cut down on sugar

If your goal is to eat less sugar, you could partially or completely eliminate desserts. However, to keep your family sane, start by reducing the amounts, sizes, and even how often you purchase sweet, non-nutritious food (think boxed cookies, ice cream tubs, and certain snacks). Explain to your children that the sweets purchased should last all week, otherwise they’ll be left with no treats at all.

2. Pay attention to the list of ingredients and the nutrition facts tables

Read the list of ingredients and look for sugar. Keep in mind that sugar goes by different names: sucrose, glucose, fructose, dextrose, glucose/fructose, maltodextrin (found in sports drinks), honey, sugar cane juice, sugar (white, brown, raw, liquid, icing, fruit, invert), syrup (corn, malt, golden, maple, refined), Demarara, or turbinado. If sugar is one of the first listed ingredients, it means the food contains a high amount of it: from a nutritional standpoint, this is not a good thing.

Also check the nutrition facts tables to help you make informed food choices. Look for products that contain less than 10 g of sugar per serving—the equivalent of two sugar packets. You’d be surprised to learn that sugar can even be found in savoury food. Canned tomato soup, for example, contains an average of 15 g of sugar.

H3 : How much sugar should you eat per day, at most?

According to Heart&Stroke, sugar should not account for more than 5% of your daily calories. For example, in an average adult diet of 2,000 calories per day, you should not exceed 48 grams (or 12 teaspoons) of added sugar. As reference, a 355 ml soda typically contains 10 teaspoons of sugar.

3. Buy plain food, like oatmeal and plain yogurt

Choose the plain version of foods. For example, instead of buying flavored oatmeal packets, which tend to be very sweet, cook plain oatmeal and sweeten it with a hint of maple syrup, brown sugar, honey, or fruit syrup. A few pieces of fruit or berries, such as blueberries, strawberries, or raspberries, can also naturally sweeten your oatmeal.

The same goes for plain yogurt: garnish it yourself to better manage the amount of added sugar. Another option: mix flavoured yogurt with plain yogurt. Over time, try to use more of the plain yogurt and less of the sweetened one. After a few months, you'll be used to the tangy taste of plain yogurt. If not, add a few 70% dark chocolate chips: an excellent balance of pleasure and health!

4. Tweak your recipes

Reduce the amount of sugar added to your food and recipes. Ideally, try to use more natural sugars. For example, instead of adding refined white sugar to cereal, oatmeal, and smoothies, use fruit for a more natural sweet taste. Also reduce the amount of sugar in your recipes by one-third. This tip is ideal for muffins, cookies, flat cakes, and banana bread. The end result will be just as tasty. You can even replace half—if not all—of the sugar in your recipe with date puree.

H3 : Sugar-free eating: the ultimate goal?

It all depends on the type of sugar you eat. Natural sugars like those found in fruit and milk, for example, are an essential part of a healthy diet. But beware of fruit juices. Even juices labelled "no added sugar" or "100% pure juice" should be consumed in moderation, as they do not have the fibre found in fruit, which contributes to a feeling of fullness and plays a variety of roles in keeping the body healthy, particularly in terms of digestion. Also, their vitamin and mineral levels do not come close to those found in fresh fruit.

5. Get the kids involved

Have your kids join you in the kitchen, especially when trying a new recipe containing less sugar (such as oatmeal cookies sweetened with date puree). Your little ones will be proud to have helped and more likely to taste the fruit of their labour. Remember, what's good for you is good for your kids, too! Be a positive role model. Children may not be as enthusiastic about changes to the family’s diet, so we recommend going about it progressively. Once one change has been fully adopted by all, make another. As a rule of thumb, it takes three weeks for a new habit to form.