Ways to Cut Down on Sugar — The Dirt on Vegetables

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Growing up, I was the kid with chocolate all over her face after inhaling Lindt truffles and to this day, you will be hard pressed to find someone who loves chocolate more than Michele Elyse Wolfson. Even though I grew up raised by two health-nut parents; a father who is a physician and wakes up with the birds to go to spin class, along with a mother who has a hotter body than most of my peers, my parents were not awesome at curbing the sugar intake that my brother and I consumed throughout our childhood.Sugar is very addictive and I guess part of the reason that Matt and I got away with eating Oreo bars, chocolate chip cookies, and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups all of the time is because we were both crazy skinny and active, so our parents kind of took our sugar binges for granted. I do not have the body of a baby egret anymore and I realize that even if I did, too much sugar is bad news for our health.My brilliant cousin, Eve Marson, is the producer of an amazing movie called Fed Up. If you haven't seen it you definitely should and I am not just saying this because my relative happens to be one of the head honchos of this film. This is objectively an incredible food documentary about health and the effects that sugar has on our bodies, among many other interesting facts relating to the food industry in America.Let's educate ourselves so we can not only look good, but also feel good. I have clients who look fantastic, but they are constantly suffering with different ailments. Cut out the sugar and you will see a difference. You will have more energy, you will lose weight, you will go to the bathroom more regularly, your cravings for sugar will diminish, and your skin will look healthier. Below are 5 reasons to cut out sugar and a breakdown of a day in my life without added sugars.A DAY WITHOUT ADDED SUGARS:8 am: Wake up and drink a cup of black coffee. I wasn't always into black coffee, but I weaned myself off the additives and now I love it black.8:15 am: Eat a small grapefruit with a tiny pinch of salt and drink a tall glass of water with a squirt of lemon.9 am: Whole Greek yogurt with fresh berries, cinnamon, and walnuts or almonds. Tall glass of water with a squirt of lemon.11 am: Half of an avocado with sprinkled sea salt. Tall glass of water.1 pm: Sauteed tempeh, sliced peppers, cucumbers, spinach, onion, garlic, and avocado coconut wraps. Side of sautéed brussels sprouts. Tall glass of water.4 pm: 1 cup steamed broccoli with lemon. Tall glass of water... see a theme here? Drink a lot of water!7 pm: Cabbage soup. Barley with green beans in a basil pesto sauce.Need a little dessert? Have some banana "ice cream." Put a frozen banana into a blender (I use my vitamix). It is so creamy and delicious.Tips & Tricks to get you on your path to no sugar:Avoid hidden sugars: There are hidden sugars practically everywhere and sometimes in places that are least expected. Dressings, sauces, and condiments add flavor to food, but they are typically loaded with sugar. I make my own dressings, sauces and condiments and guess what? They are very easy to make and not just for a trained chef, for anyone.Eliminate sugary beverages: You can eat whole foods, but if you are putting sugary liquids into your body, it will make it very difficult to shed pounds and impossible to eliminate sugar. Avoid soft drinks, sweetened waters, sweetened coffee drinks, energy drinks, fruit drinks, and even apple juice. In fact, apple juice can be a combination of apple flavoring and 100% sweetener derived from concentrated fructose from the apple, so it can be called 100% apple juice. This is a tough one if you’re a big drinker of sugary beverages, so your best bet is to cut them out cold turkey. They are addictive and they are not a part of your new way of eating, and it’s not suggested that you allow even small amounts of them into your diet; they have no value. Make a list of all the sugary beverages you drink and create a plan for substitutes so you don’t feel tempted to cheat. Pour the ones you have at home down the sink, and take them off of your shopping list.Reduce Refined Carbs: Ugh, this is the hardest one for me. Cutting back on white bread, white pasta, and white rice is tough. Too many carbohydrates affect your blood sugar in ways that can derail from your weight loss. If you eat them in excess, you will soon be craving other foods, often those that are high in sugar or largely consist of other carbohydrates. The process of cutting back on bread, pasta, rice, and so on will take more time than the previous two stages. This is largely because many people are heavily dependent on these types of complex carbohydrates as the primary constituents in many meals.This is not a fad, this is a lifestyle: Once you cut out these sugary foods, the goal is to continue eating this way for the rest of your life. The moment you start to make cheats every day, the easier it is to get sucked back into the addiction. Knowledge is power, people! Learn what foods contain sugar and then avoid them. Try to identify why certain foods are more difficult than others. Invest the time and energy ion avoiding sugar, it will be so worth it in the long run.Do you have any good advice on how to cut down on sugar? Comment below and let me know!Check out my video on reasons to avoid sugar: Reasons to Cut Down on Sugar