Shop NowDaily Health Tips update for August 5:
Excess sugar is everywhere. It’s lurking in mundane food like bread, pasta sauce and yogurt as well as in trendy energy bars and drinks. To boost your overall health, you don’t have to go cold turkey. Just start by cutting your sugar consumption by one third and watch its effect on your energy levels, weight and blood sugar. Here’s how to get started:
- Determine your triggers. Do you crave sugar when you’re stressed out, angry or bored? Maybe it’s just because you’re skipping breakfast or lunch. Keep track of what, when and why you eat for a week.
- Take stock of your panty and fridge. Read all the labels and determine which ones are high in sugar in its various forms, especially high fructose corn syrup. Replace them with low-sugar alternatives or reduce their use altogether.
- Fill up on protein. Get it from eggs, salmon, nuts or lean meat, but include it in small meals and snacks throughout the day. If you’re full, you’re less likely to reach for a quick-energy, sugary food item to get you through the afternoon.
- Eat whole fruit. Yes, it contains naturally occurring fructose, but kiwi, blueberries and apples also contain fiber, vitamins and antioxidants like quercetin and resveratrol, which may “help block fructose’s fat storing effect.”
- When you start to drag or feel run down during the day, skip the caffeinated soda or energy drink and try this interesting technique. Sip ice water, then “use your thumb and forefinger to rub up and down the outer ear for 10 seconds.” Then head outside for fresh air and stretch your legs. Why this works? It triggers the nervous system to “get up and go.”
Source: Delicious Living
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