Fitness Friday: Cutting sugars out of diet

FORT MYERS, Fla. – Americans consume on average 22 teaspoons of added sugars per day, more than three times the amount suggested by the American Heart Association. Although, sugar has never been considered “healthy”, evidence shows it can do even more damage than previously thought, setting you up for obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. Weaning yourself off sugar can be difficult as it hides in so many foods and provides an almost addictive buzz, but Wink News Fitness Expert Mike Drumm has tips to help you cut sugar out of your diet forever.

Sugar is Dangerous

When checking a food’s nutrition label, remember that every 4 g of sugar equals 1 teaspoon (And 16 calories). That doesn’t seem like much, but it can pack on hundreds of calories without offering any nutritional value. Extra calories raise your risk of obesity, which in turn sets you up for diabetes. A 2014 study found that the more added sugar a person took in, the higher their odds of dying of heart disease.  Don’t forget about the way sugar plays with blood glucose levels,  and creates an addictive cycle of hunger, fatigue and moodiness.

• It initially spikes blood sugar, causing us to feel energized and happy. But since it’s devoid of real nutrition, blood sugar quickly plummets, leaving us tired, hungry and moody. So we reach for more sugar …
• Sugar causes excess storage of fat: It triggers the body to produce insulin, which tells fat cells to store more. Yikes!
• Sugar causes inflammation. This causes pain and is seen as a precursor to heart disease, diabetes and cancer.

The 5 Phases of How to Quit Sugar for Good

Are you a sugar addict hooked on the sweet stuff? It’s time to restore your brain to its pre-sugar-fiend state. Resetting your palate and eradicating cravings isn’t easy, but it is possible.

PHASE 1: Eliminate Sugary Beverages
If you’re anything like the average person, you slurp down nearly 40 pounds (70,000 calories!) of liquid sugar per year. Sipping sweet, fiberless beverages (think soft drinks, sweetened waters, coffee drinks) spikes your, insulin levels and cues major cravings. Over a period two weeks, cut out all such drinks. If straight H2O bores you, sip seltzer water or unsweetened teas or coffee.

PHASE 2: Quit Sugary Junk Foods
Cakes, cookies, candy bars—give ’em the heave-ho. Also press pause on secretly sugary fare such as granola bars. When you can, opt for fresh food over processed snacks—nearly 80 percent of the latter contains loads of added sugar. First, ID the foods you have the hardest time avoiding (um, cupcakes?) and quit those first, one at a time. Over the next two weeks, edit out all sugary junk. Sub in fruit when your cravings start up.

PHASE 3: Reduce Simple Carbs
Chances are, by this point you’ve halved your sugar dependence—and shed some serious pounds. Next, tackle simple carbs, which act just like straight sugar in your body. Make a list of the refined foods you typically eat (e.g., crackers, white breads, white pastas) and, again, reduce them one by one over the next two weeks. Try starting with pastas: Instead of making two cups of spaghetti, make one cup and top it with a protein-packed lean meat; the next time around, replace that remaining cup with a veggie such as spaghetti squash.

PHASE 4: Sleuth for Hidden Sugars
This one’s the trickiest and could take a full two weeks to master. Because hidden sugars are, well, hidden, you could still be ingesting lots of sweet stuff. Keep a critical eye on ingredient labels on condiments, sauces, and salad dressings—all sneaky sugar sources. Also, be leery of “sugar-free” offerings; many are packed with simple carbs instead.

PHASE 5: Keep It Up (Realistically!)
It’s all right to indulge every now and then, but pay close attention to your cravings. A slice of cake might be okay for one person, but it could push another over the addictive edge. If a sweet snack leaves you yearning for more or, worse, bingeing, you’ll know you’re particularly vulnerable to sugar’s powerful lure. Major bright side: Once you’ve kicked the habit and your taste buds are back to normal, fruits will taste supersweet and satisfying—and massive amounts of added sugar will taste like what they are: sickeningly sweet.