How to Reduce Sugar Intake

By eHow Health Editor

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On average each American consumes over 152 pounds of sugar annually. Some studies show links between a high sugar intake and increased risks of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer and premature aging. If you would like to take some simple measures to reduce your sugar intake, follow the steps below.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Step1

Know where to look for sugar. Sugar likes to hide in many of your store-bought products by using aliases in the ingredient list. Sugar may be referred to as sucrose, glucose, fructose, dextrose, lactose, maltose and corn syrup. If any of these ingredients are listed in the first three to four words of the list, you can count on a high sugar content.

Step2

Cut down slowly by giving yourself a daily quota of sugar. Fill the daily quota with the foods that matter most to you. If you gradually decrease your intake, you will lessen the craving and the amount of sugar it takes to satisfy the craving.

Step3

Buy sugar-free brands of your favorite foods. In recent years, more items have become available in a sugar-free form, even chocolate, candies and ready-to-bake cookies.

Step4

Convert to diet sodas, which can eliminate 39 grams of sugar per can.

Step5

Use artificial sweeteners in coffee and teas. Sugar substitutes can now be purchased in bulk for recipes that call for sugar or brown sugar.

Step6

Spice up coffee with cinnamon before brewing, top cereals with fresh fruit, and add vanilla to foods with reduced sugar. Use some of the natural sweeteners to add flavor to your drinks and foods.

Step7

Do not skip meals. This can lower your blood sugar levels, which cause you to crave that sugar for a quick fix. This also can lead to increased health risks for hypoglycemia and diabetes.

Tips & Warnings

Read the labels. Sugars can hide in chewing gum, cough syrups and other processed foods.
Low-fat does not mean low sugar content or sugar-free. Read the labels as many times the low-fat option contains more sugar than the regular fat content items.
High sugar intake can also lead to tooth decay.