In today’s society, many people do their best to look and feel good. Taking care of yourself is an attribute that’s shared by seasoned adults and young adults. Many people are living a busy lifestyle that prohibits them from living as healthy as they would like too. Your friends and family may recommend new diet supplements, a diet, or an intensive workout. However, others may offer walking around the block 3 nights a week. All of these may work very well for them, but might be impossible to incorporate in your busy lifestyle while raising your family or holding down a full-time job.
How To Reduce Added Sugar To Stay Healthy
So what can a person with an active lifestyle do to stay fit? The Food and Drug Administration has estimated that the average American takes in roughly 150 pounds of added sugar each year. The extra sugar intake adds an additional 400 calories to the average 2,000 calorie diet. Ironically, this is what leads to obesity and decreased energy in thousands of people. If you want to take advantage of your health, reducing the amount of sugar you consume can help. More importantly, added sugar is also an enemy to your health.
Popular Trends To Cut Back On Sugar
Water
Set aside those sugary drinks on break or at dinner by drinking a refreshing glass of water. You’ll be surprised how you can spruce up a glass of H2O with cucumbers, mint, or traditional slices of lemon. In fact, water has zero calories along with helping you stay hydrated and keeping you healthy. Drinking more water has been a creative trend to dramatically reduce the amount of sugar that you consume each day. You can also try adding sugar-free syrup as a sugar alternative to your food and drinks.
Fruits And Vegetables
Fruits contain natural sugar that’s appropriate for your daily recommended food allowance of 2,000 calories. Instead of going for those extra sweet desserts for a snack or while you’re going out to eat, you can incorporate fruit and vegetables into your meal plan. For example, grab a banana or an orange as a substitute for a piece of cake or chocolate chip cookies that contains loads of sugar. Fruits and vegetables have always been a great way to reduce your sugar intake and stay healthy. There are endless amounts of fruits and vegetables that you can choose from with organic sugar contents.
When you’re cooking scrumptious meals that contain sauce, choose sauce options that contain less sugar. Check your food labels to see how much sugar is added into your food and drinks. A lot of people also add sugar alternatives like Splenda or honey. Added sugar can also impact your brain. Your brain needs a daily amount of sugar to function, but too much sugar can have a negative effect on the brain. Fruit is the organic way to add the daily required amount of sugar to the brain.
Sugar-Free Drink Recipe
Homemade Tomato Juice
Ingredients: 3 pounds very ripe tomatoes, (cored and chopped roughly), 1 1/4 cup chopped celery w/ leaves, 1/3 cup chopped onions, 2 tablespoons sugar alternative, few shakes of Tabasco sauce, pinch of pepper, and 1 teaspoon salt.
Put all of the ingredients into a pot and simmer uncovered for 25 minutes until mixture is soupy. Force mixture through a sieve and allow it to cool (refrigerate, but do not freeze). You should store it covered and chilled. Homemade tomato juice will last up to 1 week in the refrigerator. Try a glass of tomato juice instead of sodas or sugary drinks.
Tomatoes are rich in an antioxidant called lycopene. In fact, Lycopene has been known to reduce heart disease and cancer. More importantly, tomatoes are rich in vitamin C and K, along with potassium and folate.
Unfortunately, sugar can raise your blood pressure more than salt. It may be hard to reduce sugar entirely from your diet, but you can reduce your daily intake. Talk with a medical professional on more ways to reduce your daily sugar consumption to stay healthy and increase your energy today.