Stop the Sugar Destruction in Its Tracks

By Donna Stark

Sugar has been under the microscope for years now, and although you may not be shocked when you hear that it is bad for your health, you may be alarmed to hear exactly what kind of damage it can do to your body.  A teaspoon here and a teaspoon there doesn't sound very horrifying, but studies are showing that sugar inflicts more damage to the body than previously thought.  It's vital to your overall health and wellness that you reduce your sugar intake as much as possible, and it's never too late to start.

Reducing Your Sugar Intake

High sugar intake can lead to obesity, heart disease, poor skin conditions, depression, diabetes, and liver disease. And even though that's enough to make you cringe, taking it out of your diet can be very daunting. It's hard to get new habits to stick, but this one can be especially difficult because sugar has a way of becoming extremely addictive to those who consume a lot of it. But don't worry! Here are some tips on how to be successful with removing it from your daily diet.

• Take it slow - Quitting cold turkey can cause significant withdrawal symptoms such as headaches, mood swings, fatigue, muscle aches, intense cravings, and poor sleep. So take it slowly and don't be in a rush. You want this healthy habit to stick!
• Replace the sugary drinks - All of those sweet drinks we have come to love so much are really nothing more than sugar's own sneaky way of getting into our bodies. Skip the soda, juice, and sweet teas and replace them with water. And if you really want to be bold, infuse your water with some fruit. You won't miss those drinks at all if you do!
• Start your day with a healthy breakfast - Starting your morning with a plate full of protein and heart-healthy fats is the perfect way to curb that sweet tooth of yours. In addition to filling you up and providing a day's worth of energy, it will also help to reduce those mid-morning cravings for something sweet.
• Limit your dessert servings - The way many people remember to spell "dessert" instead of "desert" is that dessert has the double "s" ... for double the sweetness. It's a good rule to remember when you are in a spelling bee, but for anything else, double the sweetness is not something you want at all. Limit your desserts to just a few bites or choose something healthier instead.

Remove the Sugar, Improve Your Health

Slashing the amount of sugar in your diet is definitely something that you will want to focus a lot of your time and effort on. So stop the slow destruction of your body that sugar can cause and start becoming shocked at how well you feel and look once it is removed from your diet.

To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Raleigh, N.C.