Sugar sure does taste good, but it wreaks havoc on our body. Giving up or reducing processed sugar is no small feat because, chances are, it's been your diet for years and it's addicting. And, what I've learned from reading labels is that sugar is in more food than you'd like to think. Some examples of those foods are:
• Broth/stock
• Soup
• Bread
• Crackers
• Yogurt
• Tea
• Pasta sauce
• Mayonnaise and ketchup
• Protein bars/powder
Sugar typically isn't labeled sugar on an ingredients list, so it can sometimes go unnoticed as we strive to make healthy choices for our family. So, when reading labels, look for sugar under these names:
• Agave syrup
• Artificial sweeteners (Splenda, Sweet'N Low, NutraSwee, Equal, Sunette or Sweet One, Sorbitol, Mannitol
• Brown sugar
• Corn syrup
• Dextrose
• Fructose
• Galactose
• Glucose
• High Fructose Corn Syrup
• Lactose
• Malt
• Maltodextrin
• Maltose
• Muscovado
• Powdered or confectioner's sugar
• Rice Syrup
• Sucrose
• Sucralose
• Turbinado sugar
The best and easiest way to start reducing the amount of sugar you eat is by reading every label and avoiding products with sugar. The next best thing, but a lot harder, is to reduce the intake of sugary sweet foods and to avoid white and processed sugars (brown sugar, confectioners sugar, white sugar, and even some that are labeled raw sugar). Here are some other suggestions for licking the sugar habit:
• Always keep healthy snacks on hand at home, work and travel. This will not only save money, but keep you from caving in to sweet snacks when healthy ones are easily accessible.
• Don't buy sweets while grocery shopping. If you don't keep it in the pantry, you won't eat it.
• If you must have something sweet, make homemade treats with natural sugars like fruit, raw honey, stevia, or sucanat so that you can control the amount of sugar in the recipe.
Even if it takes some time, cutting out sugar means a healthier lifestyle with more room for nutrient-dense foods. For more information of sugar, check out these resources:
• This Addictive Commonly Used Food Feeds Cancer Cells, Triggers Weight Gain, and Promotes Premature Aging
• Lick the Sugar Habit by Nancy Appleton
• Relationship between sugar and disease and allergies
You can find recipes for sweets that we love by clicking on the sweets link, under categories, on the far right of this website.
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