cut down on sugar

Meaning

This phrase means to reduce the amount of sugar you consume in your diet. It is commonly used when discussing healthy eating habits, lifestyle changes, or medical advice. The tone is neutral, encouraging, and highly practical.

Examples

• I'm trying to cut down on sugar, so I've stopped putting it in my morning coffee.

  I'm trying to cut down on sugar, so I've stopped putting it in my morning coffee.

• If you want to lose weight, cutting down on sugar is a great place to start.

  If you want to lose weight, cutting down on sugar is a great place to start.

• The doctor advised him to cut down on sugar to manage his blood pressure.

  The doctor advised him to cut down on sugar to manage his blood pressure.

• It's hard to cut down on sugar when there are always donuts in the office breakroom.

  It's hard to cut down on sugar when there are always donuts in the office breakroom.

• She managed to cut down on sugar by replacing sodas with sparkling water.

  She managed to cut down on sugar by replacing sodas with sparkling water.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ I need to cut down sugar.

  ✓ I need to cut down on sugar.

  The phrasal verb is 'cut down on' something. You cannot omit the preposition 'on' when specifying what you are reducing.

• ✗ I am cutting off sugar.

  ✓ I am cutting down on sugar.

  'Cut off' means to completely stop or disconnect. If you are just reducing the amount but not eliminating it 100%, use 'cut down on'.

Related Expressions

Practice

• My dentist told me to ___ because I have two new cavities.

  💡 Reduce the sweet stuff.

  Show answer

  cut down on sugar

• Instead of quitting dessert completely, I decided to just ___.

  💡 Lower your intake of sweet ingredients.

  Show answer

  cut down on sugar