While some people may hate salt and dislikes anything that taste sour, sugar is the food item that everyone adores. It really is a tragedy that while sugar makes life sweeter, an abundance of it can cause devastating health results. Fortunately, the key to enjoying sugar while remaining healthy is moderation. Here are several ways to lower your sugar intake.

1) Buy Less Foods That Come in Boxes and Cans

One of the most effective things you can do is to buy less processed food. This is because it contains additional sugar, preservatives, artificial food coloring and salt. Doctors suggest that you buy meats and foods in its raw form. Therefore, if your grocery cart is usually filled with processed foods, consider limiting your intake. Some of the main culprits you should look out for include:

• Dried fruits
• Vienna sausages
• Tomato sauce
• Mixed vegetables
• Ham

2) Monin Sugar Free Products

Ideally, you should look for products that have either “less sugar” or “sugar free.” In some cases you may be able to mainline your drink related sugar intake by selecting reduced sugar products. However, you should also be on the lookout for products that are marked “sugar free.” Monin specializes in providing some products, such as syrups and sweeteners, that are 100% sugar free. They also have a long line of organic gourmet sauces and purees.

3) Know the Facts

A great way for you to lower your sugar intake is to learn the facts about sugar measurements. A can of soda that has 32 grams of sugar may not seem like much when you compare it to sodas that have 52 grams of sugar. However, one teaspoon of sugar, equates to four grams of sugar. Therefore, the average can of soda has eight teaspoons of sugar. It’s also worth nothing that soda bottles come in different servings. One 16 oz. soda bottle can have two servings with an average of 32 grams of sugar per serving. Therefore, the total amount of sugar in a 16 oz. soda bottle is 16 teaspoons of sugar.

4) Fresh Fruit

If you assume that packaged fruits are fine, you are wrong. Did you know that when peaches are canned at a factory, they usually contain an additional 35 grams of sugar per serving. As such, you may have come to realize that frozen and canned fruit tends to taste much sweeter than their raw counterparts. You should choose to buy fruits and vegetables fresh instead.

5) Check Nutrition Labels

Once you start to check the nutrition labels of the foods you eat, you will learn who are the biggest culprits of sugar. These include everything from bread, sauces, salad dressings, condiments and more. You may be horrified at the fact that some foods that proclaim to be a health food, such as yogurt, tends to have a high amount of sugar. By evaluating the nutrition label you can see what kinds of ingredients have been added. Things to look out for include:

• Corn syrup
• Brown sugar
• Agave nectar
• Glucose
• Fructose
• Crystalline fructose
• Syrup
• Maltose
• Lactose
• Sucrose

6) Moderation

The idea of quitting sugar cold turkey is tempting. But this is not a realistic endeavor as you will inevitably go back to it and possibly consume even more sugar. The key to cutting your sugar intake is sustainability. As opposed to quitting cold turkey, you should gradually lower the amount that you consume daily. Instead of four teaspoons of sugar do three, then two. Feelings of deprivation can lead to the consumption of sugar in excess. As such, with the moderation approach you can combat these feelings by rewarding yourself with a treat for your efforts.

7) Ask For Help

As is the case with everything in life, the type of the support that you get can greatly increase your chances of success. Don’t shy away from the idea of asking your family and friends for support as you make this lifestyle change. Friends may be able to provide a few suggestions themselves, such as different low sugar food and drinks they enjoy. Additionally, when you’re in the midst of temptation, family members can encourage you.