There were two first steps that were the most important when I started my health and fitness journey:
- Drink WATER
- Cut out the SUGAR
I knew that if I could do these two things, that I would be well on my way to reaching my goals. The problem? SUGAR IS LITERALLY IN EVERYTHING.
Now, this is no accident. Sure, call me a conspiracy theorist but consider this for a moment if you will. Sugar may not be a drug, but it is one of the most addictive substances in the world. Sugar adds a “crave-ability” factor that makes us want to consume more, and ultimately buy more. I believe that this is why companies in the US add it to products at almost undetectable levels. I specified the US, because many other countries do not do this!
Sugar is found in the obvious areas like soda, ice cream and candy, but did you know it is in your salsa too? Did you know that it is in your hot dogs? How about your premixed seasonings? Yep. It’s in those too!
It might seem like you will never be able to kick the habit because it is impossible to find products with no added sugars. And you’re right, it is tough, but not impossible!
The number one thing you can do to cut out the sugar is to start cooking! Since I have started my journey, I now cook many of my own condiments, sides and main dishes at home from scratch. I even cook my tomato sauces, because that is one product that they DUMP sugar in. Pinterest has many good recipes and ideas for at home cooking, and I try to post my own in my “recipe” section on this blog.
If you decide you can’t cook ALL of the time. It’s not the end of the world. It is hard to find products with no added sugars, but if you stay vigilant it can be done. Be sure to watch out for many different kinds of sugar (corn sweetener, corn syrup, dextrose, fructose,fruit juice concentrates, glucose, high-fructose corn syrup, invert sugar, lactose, maltose, malt syrup, raw sugar, sucrose, sugar syrup, cane crystals, cane sugar, crystalline fructose, evaporated cane juice,corn syrup solids, malt syrup).