March is National Nutrition Month! Did you know – Americans average approximately 270 calories of sugar each day, which is around 17 teaspoons a day, compared to the recommended 12 teaspoons per day (200 calories).
Consuming too much sugar can impact your health from head to toe. An excess of sweetened foods can lead to obesity, heart disease, Type II Diabetes, cancer, sleep problems, liver disease, and more. It’s a good idea to try and keep added sugars (those added during the processing of packed foods) to a minimum whenever possible.
Let’s look at some ways to cut down on your added sugar intake.
- Eat fruits in this order: Fresh > Frozen > Canned – Fresh is always best – this way, you are also getting the added fiber benefits and all the nutritional value of the fruits you are consuming. Frozen is second-best, as many of the nutrients are preserved in the freezing process. Canned is certainly an easy way to keep fruits on-hand, so if this is how you are going to eat them, choose fruit that is canned in 100% water or natural juice. Avoid fruits canned in syrup, which contains a lot of unnecessary added sugar. Drain and rinse your fruits in a colander to remove excess syrup or juice.
- Swap out the soda – We know soda is PACKED with sugar. In fact, some of the most popular sodas, like Pepsi and Dr. Pepper, have more sugar than 4 donuts! When looking at healthy beverages, water is best. But if you want something sweet to drink, try using flavor packets, or fruit, to give water some added taste. You can also try sparkling water or unsweetened seltzers. Diet soda is also better in terms of sugar content, but aspartame and other artificial sweeteners are still not ideal.
- Shop the perimeter of the grocery store – Next time you go to the grocery store, stick to the perimeter as much as possible. This is where the fresh and frozen items are kept. As you make your way to the center aisles, you get into the more processed foods, which tend to contain lots of sugar.
- Read the labels – Have you ever stopped to look at the nutrition label printed on your packaged food items? Understanding the basics of a food label can help you make healthier food choices. Things to pay particularly close attention to are serving size, calories per serving, and added sugars.
- Stick to “plain” whenever possible – Any time something is flavored, it has a bunch of added sugar. For example, plain yogurt has around 8 grams of sugar, whereas flavored yogurts have around 26 grams of sugar. When possible, stick to the “plain” or “original” version of food and add your own flavorings to cut down on unnecessary sugar.
Consider your sugar intake when you are looking at your nutrition and meal planning. Simple changes can make a BIG impact!