5 Things You Can Do Today to Cut Sugar From Your Diet

Do you know how much sugar you're eating on a daily basis? If you don't know, that is one clue; one big fat red flag blowing in the wind, that you need to take better control of your health and diet. Check out Sugar Stacks to see how much sugar is in your favorite beverages, foods, breakfast meals, shakes, smoothies, and condiments.

As someone who has battled reactive hypoglycemia head on, I've talked a lot about the toxicity of sugar. After watching Sugar: The Bitter Truth, I was convinced that sugar was the cause of my condition and the easiest way for me to prevent a further decline was to avoid sugar.

Here are 5 things you can do today to cut sugar from your diet:

1. What's for breakfast?
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and it should be packed with nutrition and substance to get your day off to a good start. Your breakfast may currently include sugary cereals, granola bars (basically candy bars), sugary shakes, oatmeal loaded with sugar, pancakes or waffles with syrup, honey buns, a couple of doughnuts with a cup of coffee or tea with sugar. Opt instead for a protein-based breakfast.

2. Look at ingredient labels.
To take control of your health and diet, reading labels should become standard practice. By looking at the ingredient list for sugar and other hidden sugars before you make a purchase, you'll make better food choices.

3. Think twice before squeezing on the condiments.
Syrup, ketchup, salad dressing, honey BBQ sauce, relish, spaghetti sauce, and other sauces contain sugar and add to your daily sugar intake.

4. Skip the dessert.
I use to think that life was too short to skip dessert. I'm wiser now. Desserts are loaded with sugar. If you have to have dessert, try a sugar free option. You can also be sure to have well balanced meals to curb your craving for dessert.

5. Opt for water.
Sweetened beverages and fruit juices are a major source of sugar. Our ancestors didn't have coca cola, hard lemonade, and Kool-aid. Water was how they quenched their thirst and stayed hydrated. They sustained themselves on plant-based foods such as fruit, vegetables, nuts and seeds, and good protein sources. The closer you get to natural sources of nourishment the better off you'll be.

Take the Sugar Free Challenge!
Go sugar free for 2 weeks to reduce your cravings for sugar and bring your taste buds back to life.  Toss the bags and boxes of refined sugar, drink water only, and only eat foods and condiments that contain 0g of sugar.

If after taking the Sugar Free Challenge, you decide to commit to a sugar free lifestyle to improve your health and longevity of life, here's where to start.