Why is America the fattest country on earth? Sugar addiction! The food industry has 56 names to disguise sugar. The average American consumes 19.5 teaspoons of “added” sugar/day. One sugar packet= 4 grams of sugar. Here are 7 tips to reduce and/or eliminate added sugar
- Be wary of foods labeled fat-free: Fat-free foods are usually loaded with sugar to compensate for no fat especially baked goods.
- Opt for fresh fruit over dried fruit: Dehydrated fruits and sauces contain concentrated sugar and don’t fill you up as much so you eat more and in many cases, 3-5x’s the sugar.
- Choose plain over flavored yogurt: Add your own fresh fruit or honey for sweetness which will have much less sugar. Also, watch baby yogurts which are known to be loaded with added sugar.
- Don’t give infants juice or sweetened foods in their first year: Give babies more veggies and less fruit to train their taste buds to like less sweet foods from the beginning.
- Cut down your weekly dessert intake: If you have dessert every night, start with cutting back to 5 nights/week. It’s easier on the body and mind to wean off the excess added sugar cravings.
- Leave sugar out of recipes if possible: Try to either eliminate, reduce or substitute honey, agave or even maple syrup instead of processed sugars.
- Drink water instead of sweetened beverages: Nearly two-thirds of kids in the USA ages 2-19 consume at least 1 sugar-sweetened beverage/day which includes soda, fruit drinks and energy drinks, coffees and teas.
