The Only 7 Tips You Need to Help Cut Back on Sugar ...

Sugar is bad, bad, bad. OK, it’s fine to enjoy a bit here and there, but for the most part, you should really be limiting how much you get on a daily basis. In fact, the American Heart Association tells women to limit their added sugar intake to about 4 teaspoons per day. Just to put things in perspective, there’s more than that in a single can of soda. Too much sugar can lead to insulin resistance and weight gain. Cutting back is hard, but it will be so worth the effort. You’ll feel better and look better since too much of the sweet stuff can also accelerate the signs of aging. Here’s how to cut back right now.

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Start Reading All the Food Labels when You Shop

The single best way to get a handle on your sugar intake is to read the labels for anything you buy. You might be surprised to see what has sugar added to it. I’m talking pasta sauce, salad dressing and even bread. By getting a handle on what foods you can eliminate or limit, you can cut your sugar intake pretty easily.

Reach for Water Instead of Anything else to Drink

Water is the best choice for rehydrating and your body relies on it for virtually every process it performs. And, when you grab water, you won’t need anything else to get rid of thirst. You should be skipping soda, energy drinks and juice if you want to cut back on sugar as all of these beverages are often loaded with more than you need in one day.

Don’t Worry about the Sugar in Fruit – It’s Always a Healthy Pick

The recommendations you see regarding sugar have to do with added sugar. The sugar in fruit is natural and has a place in a healthy diet. In fact, fruit is a must for many reasons, including fiber, vitamins A and C, and potassium. So, go ahead and have a few servings of fruit every day. It will fill you up and help you resist the temptation to grab the Ring Dings from the vending machine when you get hungry.

Plan for a Splurge Now and then to Keep You from Feeling Deprived

Anyone who has ever dieted will tell you that skipping your favorite treats only sets you up to totally binge on them down the road. It’s fine to enjoy a brownie or cup of hot cocoa from time to time, but make sure you budget their sugar intake into your day so that you don’t overdo it.

Sugar Has a Lot of Sneaky Names That You Should Be Aware of

Going back to reading labels for a moment here. Sugar goes by many names so just because you don’t see sugar in the ingredients list doesn’t mean it isn’t in there. You want to watch for anything that ends in –ose (fructose, dextrose, etc.). Cane juice, molasses or syrup are all code names for sugar as well.

Look for Unsweetened Versions of Your Favorite Foods

Many food manufacturers are catering to customers who want to cut back on sugar by selling their most popular products with less added sugar. This includes things like applesauce, baked goods and bread. Look for those labeled as “unsweetened” and it won’t be hard to reduce your overall sugar intake.

Don’t Go Cold Turkey when You Quit Sugar

Your body will react uncomfortably if you just give up sugar all at once. Instead, cut back gradually so you give your body a chance to adjust to the changes that happen when you don’t get as much of the sweet stuff. For example, start by eliminating one soda per day for a week. Then take away another one and so on and so forth until you are down to just drinking water. Think you can do it?

Do you get too much sugar? Most of us do. What changes are you going to make so you can cut back and get healthy?

Feedback Junction

Where Thoughts and Opinions Converge

I gave up on sodas,and juices for a while now but i consume most of my sugar in wines.

I drink water for everything so that is not a problem dor me

@ Claire I usually strongly agree with you so far as "junk food" for the most part but I "go to town" when Easter, Thanksgiving, Halloween, & Christmas time comes around. Easter is "chocolate bunny" time, Halloween is "tootsey family pack" time, Christmas is "chocolate Santa +" time. As well my daughter & I make homemade pumpkin pies Easter, Thanksgiving, & Christmas dinner times. I do behave myself for the most part for the rest of the year but I just can't seem to not stalk up @ those special times of the year. I do, however, make those items last for a very long time but I usually have run out by no later than the beginning of June, which is the beginning of my weekly extra exercise time. 😉😄

I'm petrified of getting diabetes, so I steer clear of sugary things.

Are you forgetting that sugar is in fruit? And a lot of healthy things. Please, people. Do not cut out healthy sugars! Cut out what is considered 'junk food'. That's it. Or just eat it in moderation! ;)

Water is really all that I drink.

Claire, the author mentions in the article that natural sugars found in food are acceptable. It's the added sugar that causes so many problems.

Up until a little over a year ago I wouldn't drink just "plain" water as it was neutrally charged & I have to have "negatively" charged drinks. I was introduced to a product called a "turbulen" disk, which turns everything that I drink to something my body will accept without getting dehydrated anymore, which most water is supposed to not do. I purchased my disks in a tea shop here in town, so I would imagine that anyone would be able to get in a tea store in any tea store. I usually have my 750 ml bottle of water nearby everywhere I go, anywhere in the house I go, but I take with me my water bottle & 1 - 4 bottles 500 ml of water refilled from our spring filled well. If I go anywhere out of town I usually take up to 6 bottles from our well water & an entire case of pre filled water bottles purchased from any store carrying bottled water. Needless to say, I don't go out of our local area more than I absolutely have to. 😅

Someone send me a healthy health nut diet regimen please

I think mixed nuts are a godsend. I have no more than a serving a day, and it really is a treat to make not cause a sugar craving:) Water flavored with grapefruit juice was doing for a while, now i experiment more with natural flavors.

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