According to its publicist, sugar is a health food. After all, it contains zero fat, provides instant energy, and makes almost any food taste better. But these attributes are all trumped by a physiological fact: Sugar makes you fat. That may seem like a given, but by understanding why, you can minimize sugar's harmful effects and create a leaner, healthier body.
Reading labels is an important part of avoiding sugar, look out for the following in the ingredients list:
Sucrose
Glucose
Dextrose
Fructose
Maltose
These are all forms of sugar!
Other forms of sugar include: honey, syrup, raw sugar, brown sugar, cane sugar, muscovado and concentrated fruit juice.
How to reduce your sugar intake?
Cut down on processed and packaged foods. Salad dressings, spaghetti sauces, soups and even pizza crusts contain sugar. If you make your own soup, you will unlikely be adding a cup of sugar to the stew pot, however this is exactly what manufacturers do. Try to purchase groceries with the least amount of packaging as possible.
Free sweets aren't free. Many work sites, businesses or offices always have on hand candy, doughnuts or other sweets to snack on. It is human nature to grab these cheap calories and ingest them, however you will pay for the free treats later with poor health and a belly roll.
Foods you think are healthy might actually contain excessive amounts of added sugar. Two of the most common culprits are yogurt and oatmeal. While many people believe that any type of yogurt is healthy, you should really choose only the plain varieties. Some types of fruit-flavored yogurt can contain as much sugar as a can of soda. Many instant and prepackaged oatmeal packets also contain high amounts of sugar. While the sugar might make the oatmeal more palatable, it does not do your body any favors.
