Sugar can be a buggar to try and kick. Why is it so addictive?! And why is it so bad for us? Sugar most definitely causes inflammation in the body, so we are better off limiting it as much as possible.

To start with, sugar can spike your blood sugar, leading to energy highs and lows. If your body can’t burn it off as energy, it will be stored as fat. Plus, eating too much of it, including refined carbs, can lead to insulin resistance, which leads to weight gain.

Here are some tips to help you reduce your sugar!

4 SIMPLE WAYS TO REDUCE YOUR SUGAR

1. Read your food labels! So many times sugar is a hidden ingredient in processed/ready made food & sauces. Look at your condiments and low-fat foods, too.

2. Eliminate or reduce your sugary drinks/sodas! Water is your best choice to hydrate and if you need flavor, add some citrus! Fruit juices and sodas add a lot of calories that are not giving you much nutritionally and it’s easy to replace these.

3. Bring your own snacks! When you get hungry, having some nuts, cheese or a healthy cracker is better than a sugar laden candy bar! Watch those “healthy” protein bars, too! They can be packed with sugars as well. If a sugar is listed in the first 3 ingredients, you can be sure there’s a lot of sugar in it!

4. Slowly reduce your consumption of sugar - going off sugar cold-turkey can be difficult, so weaning yourself slowly off of sugar is the best way to help you make long-term changes!