If you’ve been following along, you know I’ve made three #AgingWell changes so far this year: eating more fruit, walking daily and drinking more water. Some days are better than others but, overall, I’m pretty happy with what I’ve done. The next change, however, is much more challenging and it starts today, March 1.
My next aging well commitment is to drastically reduce the amount of added sugar in my diet.
My husband and I both enjoy sweets. Ice cream in the evening, donuts on the way up to our cottage, jelly beans or candy corn or whatever candy is in season, apple pie and chocolate cake; you name it, we’ll take some! When I think about my goal of being healthier by my 60th birthday in December, I know that we need to cut back on all that added sugar.
The next question was how to do it. I’m pretty much a cold turkey girl when I make up my mind. That’s how I quit smoking nineteen years ago and that’s how we’re cutting out added sugar. I did find a terrific resource to support us through this journey, though. “The Zero Sugar Diet” by David Zincsenko is a great read, which I found surprising for a health related book! It is chock full of easy to understand science, simple and healthy recipes, and aisle-by-aisle shopping lists. My kitchen cabinet doors have already been taken over by post-it notes with gentle tips and stats from the book.
The gist of the plan is this:
For fourteen days we eliminate all added sugars. After that, we continue to eat healthy and keep our fiber intake greater than our sugar intake. It’s that easy. It’s that hard.
Added sugars are everywhere, even in healthy sounding foods. For example, did you know that one container of Dannon Fruit on the Bottom Yogurt (Blueberry) has as much sugar as two glazed donuts from Dunkin’ Donuts? Or that Applebee’s Oriental Grilled Chicken Salad has as much sugar as four and a half of those donuts? Even three tablespoons of Hunt’s Tomato Ketchup has as much sugar as one donut. YIKES!
So, this is it. No added sugar for two weeks. That’s the plan and I’m sticking to it. Our sugar addiction – and it is an addiction – will be broken. I’ll let you know how we’re doing in a couple weeks.
Here’s hoping we survive!
.
For further reading (or, if you want to join us!):
- Click here to buy the book, Zero Sugar Diet, on Amazon. Don’t be confused by the title, natural sugars are okay.
- Read “Added Sugars” from the American Heart Association.
- Read Added Sugars: Don’t Get Sabotaged by Artificial Sweeteners from the Mayo Clinic.
- Click here to check out the added sugars in some of the foods you eat every day.
- Click here for an ABC News article with a few tips and few recipes from the book.
