Hidden Sugar

Day 68,

Day one of my quest to break my addiction to sugar is in full swing. So far so good. Sugar is so pervasive. It's in almost everything that's processed. Ugh! This is not going to be easy. I stated that I'm only giving up High Fructose Corn Syrup. My secondary challenge is to try and limit any processed foods I eat to no more than 4 grams of refined sugar per serving. (Note: Fruit contains natural sugar and I'm not giving up fruit. It's good for you!)

I decided to solicit the help of Dr. Mamet Oz in this endeavor. I thought it would help keep me honest. Well... honest isn't the right word. Sugar is so pervasive it's more like helping me be less ignorant. :)

Dr. Oz  encourages us to hunt down hidden sugars hiding in our cabinets and pantry. Throw away foods containing high amounts of added sugars, everything from tomato sauces to ketchup to peanut butter. He says to be especially wary of low-fat items as they often contain more sugar to make them taste better.

When purging your kitchen, be on the look out for these names:

• Fructose
• Maltose
• Sorbitol
• Evaporated cane juice
• Syrups
• Xylotol
• Sugars ending in "ol" or "ose"

There's no way I'm going to purge my kitchen of this stuff as my poor husband did not give up High Fructose Corn Syrup for lent. I'm reading labels like a mad woman and I've already told him that I'm going to have to buy high end chili beans and tomato sauce for my chili at the races next weekend. 

Eating healthy is expensive. It's true. But, the doctor bills that come with obesity, diabetes, heart disease and cancer don't really make the extra money on quality food seem like such a high price to pay. I'm just sayin...

Dr. Oz suggests finding alternative healthier sweeteners. Instead of sugar, try using the following alternative sweeteners: (note: I purchased Agave Nectar. But, I haven't tried it yet.)

Stevia

• Non-caloric herb from Paraguay
• Very sweet with slight licorice taste.

Agave Nectar

• Made from blue agave cactus grown in Mexico
• High in calories, but you only need a very small amount

The recommended daily amount of added sugar in a 2,000 calorie diet is 40grams. I've plotted my entire day and feel fairly confident that I will come in under 30 grams of total sugar. PERIOD! That's pretty damn good.

I'll keep you posted on my progress.

Cheers!

Margaret