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• by AprilMay

• Who doesn't love sugar? It tastes good, gives you a burst of energy and is a cheap, sweet way to reward yourself. It also decays your teeth,American Dental Association: Tooth Decay packs on the poundsWomen's Fitness: Sugar Packs on the Pounds and facilitates the onset of diseases such as Type 2 Diabetes.Emedicine Health: Preventing Type 2 Diabetes Cutting back on the sugary foods in your diet may seem like a difficut task, but in the end, your body - and your dentist - will thank you!

• Eating less sugar means first avoiding the foods that have lots of sugar. The USDA recommends eating as little sugar as possible to maintain good health.Family Doctor: How to Make Healthier Choices Educating yourself about foods that are loaded with sugar will save you time and energy when grocery shopping or eating out!

1. Limit foods that obviously contain a lot of sugar, such as:
   1. Candy
   2. Chocolate
   3. Cookies
   4. Pastries
   5. Cakes
   6. Other desserts
2. Learn how to read labels: Nutritional information labels will tell you how many grams of sugar are in that food.Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition: How to Understand and Use the Nutrition Facts Label The less grams per serving, the better!
3. Educate yourself about hidden sugars, such as high fructose corn syrup or sugar derived from corn rather than cane. Many juices and sodas contain high fructose corn syrup, which the Mayo Clinic notes has been proven to be bad for the body. Avoid foods which list high fructose corn syrup as one of the first ingredients.Mayo Clinic: High Fructose Corn Syrup

• Once you have learned how to identify foods high in sugar, it is time to evaluate your kitchen's contents.

1. Go through your pantry and throw out sugary snacks and foods such as sugary cereal, cookies, donuts and even white bread.
2. If you must keep some sugary foods on hand (perhaps for a family member), then put them high on a shelf or otherwise out of sight.
3. Consider getting rid of the sugar for your coffee and replacing it with an artificial sweetener.
4. Stock up on artificial sweeteners of your choice.Health MSN: A Buyer's Guide to Sugar Substitutes

• Once you've gotten rid of sugary snacks, you can now start to replace those unhealthy foods with healthier snacks and foods.World's Healthiest Foods: Eating Healthy

• Fresh fruit is a tasty, healthy snack when you're feeling the urge to munch. Try out some of these tips for replacing unhealthy snacks with fruit:My Pyramid: Tips to help you eat fruit

1. Arrange fruit in an attractive bowl and place it on your counter.
2. Stock your fridge with grapes—they are delicious cold on a hot day!
3. Create a fruit salad and have it for breakfast or for dessert.

• Eating less sugar does not necessarily mean depriving yourself. You can still snack, so long as you do so the smart way!Fitness Magazine: The Best Snacks

1. Keep small portions of healthy snacks in a small bag in your purse or briefcase for when you're on the go.
2. Mixed nuts or a low-sugar granola mixture make a tasty, filling snack.
3. When the urge for a sweet treat strikes, try frozen yogurt.
   • -Many brands are made with artificial sweeteners, or are naturally low in sugar.

• Now that you have made the choice to stock your kitchen with healthier snacks and ingredients, Fit: Stock Your Kitchen With Healthy Foods it's time to learn how to cook with as little sugar as possible. There are several natural and artificial sweeteners you can use in place of white or refined sugar.Healthy Child: Baking Witout Refined Sugar

1. Honey is sweeter than sugar. Use in baking to add moisture and density to your recipe.All Foods Natural: Honey
   • -A 3/4 cup of honey is equal to one cup of sugar.
   • -Honey is acidic, so you will need to add a pinch of baking soda to neutralize it.All Foods Natural: Honey
   • -For each cup of honey used, reduce your liquid ingredients by 1/4 cup.All Foods Natural: Honey
   • -Honey will cause over-browning, so reduce your oven temperature by 25 degrees F before baking.All Foods Natural: Honey
2. Molasses consists of sucrose, glucose and fructose. Molasses also contains small amounts of B vitamins, calcium and iron. It is produced during the process of refining white sugar and is healthier than white sugar. Molasses will give your baked foods a darker, less sweeter flavor than white sugar.Homecooking: Molasses Tips
   • -Use 1 1/3 cup molasses for 1 cup of sugar.Homecooking: Molasses Tips
   • -Add 1/2 teaspoon baking soda for each cup used, and reduce the liquid used in your recipe by 5 tablespoons as molasses is very dense.Homecooking: Molasses Tips
   • -Reduce your oven temperature by 25 degrees F (15 degrees C)] before baking.Homecooking: Molasses Tips
3. Maple syrup is a wonderful, albeit expensive substitue for sugar. Use it to sweeten pancakes, waffles, cookies, cakes and pies.World's Healthiest Foods: Maple Syrup
   • -Use 3/4 cup for every cup of white sugar.World's Healthiest Foods: Maple Syrup
   • -Decrease the total amount of liquid in the recipe by about 3 tablespoons for each cup of syrup you use.World's Healthiest Foods: Maple Syrup
4. Fruit juice concentrates are a popular choice for use as a sugar substitute. Orange juice, apple juice or white grape juice all add moisture and sweetness to baked goods and are healthier than white sugar. Nature Doc: Natural sweeteners
   • -Use 3/4 cup for every cup of white sugar.Nature Doc: Natural sweeteners
   • -Decrease the amount of liquid by 3 tablespoons for each cup of juice.Nature Doc: Natural sweeteners

• Many people turn to artificial sweeteners when trying to limit the amount of sugar in their diet.About.com Cooking With Sugar Substitutes Oftentimes artificial sweeteners get bad press, with claims that they can cause a variety of health problems, including serious ones. However, numerous studies by the FDA and other institutions have shown that they are safe for the general population, although pregnant women should avoid consuming them.Mayo Clinic: Artificial sweeteners
• Sweeteners tested by the FDA and considered safe to consume are:Mayo Clinic: Artificial sweeteners

1. Aspartame (NutraSweet, Equal)Aspartame: Aspartame Information Center
2. Saccharin (Sweet'N Low, SugarTwin)Saccharin: How Sweet It Is!
3. Acesulfame K (Sunett, Sweet One) Acesulfame K: Sweet Facts
4. Sucralose (Splenda)Sucralose: Your Recipe for Sweet Success
5. NeotameNeotame: High-Intensity sweetener

• It is impossible to avoid eating out, and who would want to anyway? Most people eat out frequently: at work during business meetings, at play with their children at the nearest fast food restaurant or during a romantic dinner date. But how can you make eating out a healthier experience?American Heart Association: Tips for Eating Out Here are some ways to reduce the amount of sugar you consumer when eating out.

• It's not easy to start eating less sugar. After all, a sweet treat is an easy and cheap way to reward yourself after a hard day at work, or for a job well done. It is important to find a way to motivate yourself to eat less sugar. New Scientist: Cut Sugar to Battle Obesity

• Start small: Perhaps replace that sugary cereal with a whole-grain, sugar-free brand instead. After a week, move on to replacing some of your sugar-laden drinks, or desserts or both!

1. Enlist the support of friends and family who are willing to help you eat less sugar. Who knows; maybe they'll join you in your healthier lifestyle!
2. Use a visual aid. Display a chart on the fridge with ideas for healthy, sugar-free snacks or create a calendar and label some of the days, "sugar free".
3. Reward yourself!Weight Loss:Reward Yourself But not with sugar! Instead, once you've met all of your sugar free goals for the week, month, or even day, treat yourself to something fun-a day at the spa, a new pair of shoes or golf with the guys.

• Let's be honest: Eating less sugar isn't easy. It is, however, a smart choice for a healthier life. Make the decision to be healthy, stick to it, use the tips and tricks listed in this article and you will find that eating less sugar may be easier than you thought!