Healthy eating tip 3: Reduce sugar

Added sugar in our food is a serious problem in the Western diet.  It causes weight gain and has been linked to diabetes and depression. Sugar is hidden in many foods, yet your body gets all it needs from sugar naturally occurring in whole foods so all this added sugar just means a lot of empty calories. (from healthy eating topics section of HelpGuide.org)

Tips for cutting down on sugar

• Slowly reduce the sugar in your diet-your taste buds will gradually adjust
• Avoid sugary drinks-try sparkling water with a splash of fruit juice instead.
• Don’t replace saturated fat with sugar-low-fat doesn’t necessarily mean healthy, especially when the fat has been replaced by added sugar to make up for loss of taste
• Avoid processed or packaged foods-canned soups, frozen dinners, or low-fat meals often contain hidden sugar that quickly surpasses the recommended limit
• Be careful when eating out-gravy, dressings and sauces are packed with salt and sugar, so ask for it to be served on the side
• Eat healthier snacks-cut down on sweet snacks such as candy, chocolate, and cakes and eat naturally sweet food such as fruit or natural peanut butter to satisfy your sweet tooth-
• Check labels and choose low-sugar products

Have some in season juicy ripe strawberries for dessert!