the american heart association is picking on me! i mean it. they are picking on me.
i know it's for my own good, but seriously? limit my sugar intake? it's not funny! it's hard...in fact, it's close to impossible!
according to a recent article in the wsj HERE, the AHA issued a statement this week that says "most women should limit their sugar intake to 100 calories, or about six teaspoons, a day; for men, the recommendation is 150 calories, or nine teaspoons."
seriously...good recommendation and i'm sure good for us, but have you seen the food we eat? it's not good...we have become a country {and i am} who eats our feelings. have a bad day? grab a cookie from paradise and what ails you fades. need to celebrate a straight a report card with your kiddo? head to cold stone for some "love it's" in a waffle cone.
i know it's for my own good, but seriously? limit my sugar intake? it's not funny! it's hard...in fact, it's close to impossible!
according to a recent article in the wsj HERE, the AHA issued a statement this week that says "most women should limit their sugar intake to 100 calories, or about six teaspoons, a day; for men, the recommendation is 150 calories, or nine teaspoons."
seriously...good recommendation and i'm sure good for us, but have you seen the food we eat? it's not good...we have become a country {and i am} who eats our feelings. have a bad day? grab a cookie from paradise and what ails you fades. need to celebrate a straight a report card with your kiddo? head to cold stone for some "love it's" in a waffle cone.
so what can we do to determine the amount of sugar we take in....and then reduce it to a reasonalbe level? first, the labeling is not really conducive to what we are trying to do...they are measure in grams, not in calories, so grab those calulators! the FDA has a great link HERE to answer all your nutrition label questions.the most reasonable step is making different and better choices.
not gonna lie...this is the hard part for me!!
dessert around our house is few and far between, but one of the fav's here is a parfait {everybody loves a parfait...from shrek? no?} any fresh fruit, or frozen you have on hand, mixed with non-fat vanilla yogurt and topped with a granola cereal. i promise you it's a crowd pleaser AND the yogurt can be frozen to do the whole "fake ice cream thing" too!
making better choices with the sugar thing...in rice and breads and beer and even in milk for us and our families! use brown rices and unrefined breads.
and don't just skip on over to eating salads...beware of the dressing monster! salad dressings are chocked full of sugars...i know! use can use a vinaigrette or a yogurt based dressing and seriously reduce the sugars! {everyone's fav, ranch is really not so great on the sugar front}.
i'm totally trying...and still learning, so let me know what you are doing to reduce the sugars in your life! please!!!!
danyele @ a thorn among roses
danyele @ a thorn among roses
It IS hard, isn't it??? I wish I were like my husband, who doesn't really have a sweet tooth! However, I do know that once you cut back and have no sugar, you don't crave it as much......here's to more fruit and veggies!
ReplyDeleteSuzanne
Come on now! I don't drink, I don't smoke....the least I can do is have a homemade chocolate chip cookie. Or five.
ReplyDeleteI have a friend that went "sugar free" for 30 days. She lost 10 pounds. That would be nice, but for me not worth it. I'd rather be ten pounds heavier and not GRUMPY all the time ;)
We use stevia sometimes, but it's too expensive to use much of it.
ReplyDeleteWe try to stay away from processed foods and make as much as we can from scratch. I still use sugar but I buy organic sugar from costco and. I figure if I'm adding it myself at least it's not hidden.
Also we switched from Honey Nut Cheerios to regular cheerios (yes, I know it's processed), compare the sugar! Yikes!
Read lables. I think if everyone opened their eyes to the information on lables people would make better choices. Not always, but at least sometimes.