Eating high amounts of added and free sugars could handicap your immune system in the short-run and long-run.
-Byte x Black Oaks: Lower the Load Campaign

📷@matosalbers

Day 12 of 14

Immune Support with Low-Sugar Eating

Today’s tip offers a couple ways you can cut back on added and free sugars (mainly sweeteners):

Cut your sugary drinks in half today. That includes soda/pop, juice from concentrate, packaged sweetened iced tea or coffee drinks
Replace the sweetener in your recipes with whole fruit. Try using a date in desserts and hot drinks in place of sugar or syrup. Try using bananas and other sweet fruits like (mangos, pineapples) in smoothie recipes in place of syrup.

Need more help beating sugar cravings? Check out this podcast from some of our favorite plant-based dietitians at Food Heaven Made Easy.

What is a Free Sugar and What Is an Added Sugar?

Added sugars are sweeteners added to food during processing or manufacturing or at the table
Free sugars (like fruit juice) are the sugars that existed naturally in foods at one time but have been processed to be more powerful.

One study showed that free and added sugars that spike blood sugar could temporarily handicap your cell fighters that are at the front lines of your immune system swallowing up invading bacteria and viruses.
Blood sugar spikes can also increase the inflammation in your body. This can lead to to weight gain and the chronic inflammation that can exist with obesity.
The American Heart Association recommends the following daily limits on added sugars:
- 6 teaspoons (25 grams) for women
- 9 teaspoons (36 grams) for men

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