Sugar: How do I love thee? Let me count the ways….

Let’s face it….sugar is YUMMY! Everyone on the entire planet LOVES it, right? And what’s not to love? It’s in EVERYTHING we eat. Well, ALMOST everything….

It’s in our cereal, crackers, granola bars, yogurt, bread, soft drinks, pasta sauce, soups, juice…..and on and on and on.

That being said, as much as we all have this love affair with sugar – it just isn’t good for us. Plain and simple. It does some pretty serious damage to our bodies. Here are just a few:

• Causes tooth decay
• Causes the body to produce more adrenalin, which may explain some hyperactivity in kids
• Causes calcium loss when a person drinks a soft drink containing sugar
• Diabetes results when the pancreas can no longer eliminate sugar from the blood stream
• Increases the likelihood of chronic fatigue syndrome
• Increases mood swings, irritability, and anxiety
• Compromises the immune system (hmmm, ever notice how people get sick around the HOLIDAYS?!?! – Think of all the sugar we eat at grandma’s house, all the goodies our neighbors bring us and the stockings that Santa FILLS with candy, candy and more candy?!)

So does that mean we have to swear off sugar FOREVER? (Gasp!) After all, it IS the New Year and a perfect time for a resolution banning ALL sugar! (insert evil laugh here)

Relax….that’s not what I’m saying. But what about looking at the labels of the foods you buy? What about cutting back a little? What about limiting your soda pop intake? What about having a delicious, sweet orange to satisfy your sweet tooth? Baby steps.

So – give me some feedback…

What do you do to decrease the sugar in your daily diet? What are the things you do to calm the sugar cravings? Anyone? Anyone?