by Lisa Beach

Created on: October 05, 2008   Last Updated: October 31, 2008

In today's world, sugar is everywhere. It tempts us through sugary breakfast fare like doughnuts, honey buns, and the like. At home, we are tempted by our own personal favorites, and shy away from even THINKING of giving them up. But giving up sugar makes a person healthier, happier, and better well-adjusted to take on challenges in life. This is a statement that may seem radical, but it's true, because sugar is addictive. Instead, replace the high-sugar doughnuts, etc., with whole grain muffins that include fruit. Blueberries, raspberries, grapes, strawberries, and cherries contain anti-oxidants, that help keep one's immune system in balance, providing a tangy, natural sweetness which can be quite satisfying.

Besides the doughnuts, etc., another offender is soda. Soda is full of sugar in the form of "high-fructose corn-syrup." Depending on the type of drink, you will find between 23 - 27 grams per 8 onces of soda. A 16 ounce bottle [with 27 grams per 8 ozs.] would therefore hold 55 GRAMS of sugar. Drinking just 3 regular-sized sodas per day would have a person ingesting 165 grams of sugar!

Consuming sugar this way is a great way to GAIN weight.. The human body only needs a fraction of what gets ingested; using what it needs as glucose, and storing the rest as fat. Statistics show that one can lose weight by giving up soda all together, and it's easy to see why.

Replace sweet sodas by switching to "no sugar added" juices instead. They contain sugar that exists naturally within the fruit itself. Florida 100% orange juice contains vitamin C, and Ocean Spray fruit blends contain fruits that are natural anti-oxidants as well. Both are good for you in a way soda is not. If you like your coffee or tea sweet, and use popular artifical sweeteners, change to Splenda, which is a substitute made from sugar, yet is NOT sugar. It works well, and won't give you health issues if you are a dieter.

You can also try replacing the sugary, junky snacks you consume with crunchy protein bars: protein helps one feel full longer with very little effort. Soy protein bars are a decent choice, containing between 3 and 10 grams of protein. I use South Beach Diet bars, because I see the combination of crunchy soy and peanut butter as a bonus during my hectic day. If you are allergic to peanuts, try their mixed berry bars instead.

Be inventive in ways to avoid sugar and artifcal sweeteners like high-fructose corn syrup; use fresh fruit and/or soy whenever possible, and be on the lookout for ANY product that says "less-fat" or "fat free". All that means is there is no animal fat present, it doesn't touch on sugar content at all. Soon enough, you will whittle out the lesser amount of sugars; it doesn't take a body long to adjust to this new way of eating. Being healthier by EATING healthier is a huge perk, cutting out sugar ALONE leads to natural weight loss, and friends will want to know what "secret strategy" was used.

I don't know how many dieters would give it up, but I think I would keep it to myself: for a little while anyway. Just long enough to enjoy my success before spilling the beans, if you know what I mean.

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