You can tame your sweet tooth
You know you're eating more added sugar than you should (which in an ideal world is none!). And you're not alone. The average American takes in 17 teaspoons of added sugars from foods like sweetened beverages and desserts daily! That adds up to 270 calories a day or just under 100,000 extra calories a year. Yikes! No wonder sweet snacking increases your risk for everything from dementia and tooth decay to obesity and all its associated complications.
Taming your sweet tooth should be a priority -- and one that you can find joy in, because of how it benefits your health and because of the tasty foods you'll savor in place of the added sugars.
Step one: Walk for 15 minutes. Researchers found that short walks can reduce cravings for chocolate even in stressful situations. We bet it works for doughnuts and sweet drinks, too. So, next time you crave added sugar, stroll away from the impulse.
Step two: Opt for naturally sweet foods such as cherries, grapes, pineapple, and citrus. In addition to the pleasing flavor, you'll be getting plenty of disease-fighting vitamins, minerals, fiber and phytochemicals. If you just have to have a sweetener, consider allulose, a sugar found in figs and raisins, that is 70% as sweet as sucrose but has only 10% of its calories.
Step three: Keep iced, unsweetened black tea and coffee in your fridge. Take them (or water) with you to work or when you run errands. And for more help, check out iHerb.com's blog, "Tips for Curbing Sugar Cravings."
Dr. Mike Roizen is the founder of www.longevityplaybook.com, and Dr. Mehmet Oz is global advisor to www.iHerb.com, the world's leading online health store. Roizen and Oz are chief wellness officer emeritus at Cleveland Clinic and professor emeritus at Columbia University, respectively. Together they have written 11 New York Times bestsellers (four No. 1's).
(c)2024 Michael Roizen, M.D.
Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
(c) 2024 Michael Roizen, M.D. Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
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