DO YOU WANT TO GIVE UP THE INTAKE OF SUGAR. Read and Learn

Eating too much sugar is tied to a number of health problems, so more and more people are choosing to give it up altogether. In addition to lowering your risk of obesity, organ problems, heart issues, and more, giving up sugar can lead to an improved quality of life. Sugar is similar to other addictive substances (like caffeine and alcohol). Expect to experience withdrawal symptoms and extreme cravings before coming out on the other side feeling happier, healthier, and more in control of your diet.

Understand how sugar affects the body. Sugar is a type of simple carbohydrate that your body needs as an energy source. Sweet foods taste good to humans because we evolved using sugar as fuel. But now that sugar is so easy to come by, most of us eat a lot more than we'd ever be able to convert into energy. The extra sugar in our systems can lead to weight gain, heart problems, and tooth decay.The extent of the problems sugar causes are still being researched. Recent studies indicate that eating sugar triggers the production of a hormone that makes cells more susceptible to cancer formation. It has also been linked to liver disease and premature aging.

Learn about the different types of sugar. When you think of sugar you might imagine a mound of granulated, powdered or brown sugar, but sugar comes in many forms and is found in all types of food. There are two main types of sugar: naturally-occurring sugar, like the kind that's found in fruit, and added sugars, such as the kind you mix into cake batter to sweeten it. Sugar goes by lots of different names, which you'll want to be able to recognize so you know what to avoid:

• Naturally-occurring sugars include fructose (found in fruit) and lactose (found in milk).
• Added sugars include white, brown, beet, and cane sugar, molasses, agave syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, turbinado, honey, maple syrup, and more. These sugars are derived from plants (or animals, in the case of honey), but they're usually added to other foods to sweeten them.

TIPS

• When you get a craving for sugar, have some fruit instead of juice or sugary treats. The fiber helps fill you up (so you aren't tempted to eat more) and the natural sugars will help keep cravings at bay.
• Don't overeat, even if you are eating good and healthy things, too much of a good thing is bad!

 DO NOT take sugar completely from your diet, it can be very dangerous if you do! Our bodies were made to have some sugar in our blood, but we can use healthy sugars (like honey or agave nectar) to get the amount of sugars we need!