Do you consider yourself a pretty healthy person? I assume you do if you regularly exercise, don’t smoke, drink moderately, if ever  at all, follow a regimented healthy dietary program with low to no fried foods, and keep a positive attitude while doing so. The question is do you still find it hard to avoid the sugar!!?? I know sugar tends to be the biggest culprit to keeping you from reaching your goals, huh..?  As you might have already found out, saying good-bye to those sugars (yes, I am talking about carbohydrates too) is difficult to break.
Not only is sugar addictive, with users experiencing  headaches, anxiety, depression and mood swings , it is almost like  trying to quit smoking or drinking caffeine, it has the ability to keep you wanting more!  Refined sugar can be found in almost all packaged and processed foods.
Americans love the sweet taste of sugar and most that eat it regularly  are seriously addicted. With the United States facing an obesity epidemic, the consumption of refined sugar does not help. The average American eats about 175 pounds of sugar each year, compared to the 15-pound average of 1915. Can you believe that?  Now tell me why the average American is Obese?!!  This over consumption has led to a number of different health problems and here are my top 5 reasons to stay away from sugar!
1. Weight Gain. Refined sugar leads us to pack on the pounds. Especially if eaten in large quantities, it will keep you from achieving that dream body you want and achieving your ultimate fitness goals. This is because it contains only empty calories – no fiber, no protein, no vitamins and no minerals. Nothing. Unlike water, which seems to have the same nutritional value, your body sees refined sugar as an invader and it is bad new from there….
2. Mineral Depletion. When you eat refined sugar, your body takes nutrients from other cells to metabolize it because the sugar lacks the ability to do so on it’s own. Minerals like calcium, magnesium, sodium and potassium are taken from body parts to make use of the sugar you ingested. Over Time, the body processes requiring those minerals run down and become less efficient.
3. Bone Loss. Your body particularly misses calcium as it is destroyed in your body’s fight against sugar. With a decreased amount of calcium being used toward body processes, bones become weak, increasing the chances of osteoporosis, breaks and fractures later in life. Calcium loss also leads to tooth decay.
4. Diabetes. Large sugar intake leads to the onset of diabetes because sugar raises your body’s blood sugar levels quickly, causing the pancreas to release insulin. The constant consumption of sugar throughout the day forces the body to constantly work. Eventually, the pancreas wears out and cannot perform its normal duties.
5. Low Energy. Sugar consumption will leave you feeling run down. Eating sugar after a craving might give you the notorious “sugar high,” but it does not last long. Soon you crash and feel more tired than you did before the high, have less energy and are hungrier.  Here is where your cravings begin.  You are quickly satisfied from that sugar with an extreme high and then from there it is all down hill as your blood sugar immediately drops and you have those cravings to bring it back up…
To wean yourself off refined sugar, be patient and be realistic! Don’t think you will go from eating higher sugar foods to only oatmeal and steamed broccoli over night. Instead, try to eliminate something from your diet once a week that contains refined sugar and replace it with something natural. For example, to keep energy that will last, eat a bowl of oatmeal instead of a high sugar cereal or try a high fiber bread over sour dough bread.
As you are kicking the sugar habit, remember to suppress your craving by feeding your body every few hours with small portions of the right foods!  At first shedding your diet of those high sugar foods is tough but when you stay consistent for a few weeks you will feel and see the difference and it is all so worth it!