Reduce Added Sugar

Currently, there are no federal guidelines regarding the amount of sugar you should consume.  However, the American Heart Association (AHA) recommends that we consume less sugar overall as part of a healthy lifestyle- no more than 6 teaspoons (tsp.) or 100 calories a day of sugar for most women and no more than 9 teaspoons or 150 calories a day for most men.

Added sugar in foods such as desserts, candy, cookies, soda, and many cereals are providing empty calories.  Empty calories are calories that contain no nutritional value. Taking in these added/extra calories overtime can lead to unwanted weight gain and can also impact blood sugar levels for those diagnosed with diabetes or pre-diabetes.

Reducing your sugar intake may be easier than you think.  Here are some tips to get you started!

• Cut down on adding sugar (table sugar, syrup, honey) to foods (cereal, cookies, pancakes) and beverages like coffee or tea. Try decreasing the amount you typically add and cut it in half and then continue to decrease from there.  
• Instead of adding sugar to cereal or oatmeal, try fresh fruit (bananas, blueberries, raspberries or strawberries) or dried fruit (raisins, cranberries or apricots).
• Remove soda. Choose a seltzer that's naturally flavored or you can add a splash of 100% fruit juice (such as Pomegranate, orange, grape…) to flavor a plain seltzer or just choose plain water if you don’t like the bubbles. 
• Avoid fruit canned in syrup, especially heavy syrup. Choose fresh, frozen, dried or canned fruits that are in water or natural juice. 
• When baking your favorite cookies, brownies or cakes, decrease the amount of sugar called for in the recipe. You can cut it by ½ the amount or slightly less and you will likely not even notice. 

Note: You do not need to count the naturally occurring sugars found in fruits and milk toward your daily intake of added sugar.

Bottom line is that it is important to be aware of your sugar intake and reduce it if you find that you are taking in more added sugar than the AHA recommends.  Use the tips mentioned above and work toward consuming less sugar overall.
Resources:

• Tips for Cutting Down on Sugar. Accessed January 24, 2018 http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/HealthyLiving/HealthyEating/Nutrition/Tips-for-Cutting-Down-on-Sugar_UCM_461811_Article.jsp#.WmkQbyMrJok