Ditch the Sugar Now!

• By Beth Meirav
• My Blog

I know it can be a challenge to eliminate sugar from your diet. As a big fan of ice cream and dark chocolate, I have found myself indulging on many occasions. However, eliminating or cutting back on your daily sugar intake can have tremendous health benefits. If you can make a dent in your intake on a daily basis then you will reap the rewards!

Consuming added sugars is proven to be detrimental to your health. Added sugar, which is the sugar found in sodas, sweets, and other processed foods, has been shown to contribute to obesity, type 2 diabetes, higher blood pressure, fatty liver disease, heart disease, cancer, and tooth decay. This is fact. Yet so many of us do it anyway. Cutting back or even, dare I say, eliminating added sugars will aid in heart health, weight loss and much more. Your entire body will thank you. I promise! Here are just a few helpful tips to get you started.

1.Avoid sauces

You might not think to check the label on that bbq sauce, hot sauce or salad dressing. It seems harmless enough. Sugar is everywhere! Instead try seasoning your food with dry spices and fresh herbs. I love cilantro! There are so many spices in your cabinet... use them!!

2.Eat full fat foods

Clients are always surprised when I advise them to eat full fat Greek yogurt. It's actually quite good for your bones. It is also much more filling. The truth is that often these "low-fat" varieties of your favorite foods contain more sugar than the full fat. You want naturally occurring sugar, not added and certainly not artificial.

3.Ugh, soda? Really?

I have preached about this repeatedly. A client and I just yesterday had a conversation about Diet Coke. It's a slippery slope. Switch to water or brewed iced/hot tea, seltzer (if you need bubbles). Drinking that sugar will cause a spike and then a crash. Not worth it. By the way, juice falls into this sugary drink category (unless you are juicing that orange yourself of course).

4.Avoid foods that you tend to sweeten

Do you normally add sweetener to that oatmeal? Do you add 5 sugars to your coffee or "just one pump" of that simple syrup at Starbucks? Try cinnamon next time. It's yummy in coffee, oatmeal and just about everything plus it's anti-inflammatory! You can also reach for something that does not "require" sweetening. Fruit is naturally sweet and delicious. Try reaching for some berries to satisfy your craving.

5.Don't eat processed foods

Did you know that 90% of added sugars Americans ingest are from ultra-processed foods? Focus on whole, real foods and you will automatically be eliminating a remarkable amount of sugar from your diet.

Those are just 5 quick and easy tips. I could go on, but let's start small. If you would like someone to coach you and hold you accountable as you make the shift into a healthier lifestyle, give me a call (561) 409-2137.