Eat Less Sugar

I don’t have a depth of knowledge in nutrition, which is why I don’t often talk about it. However I think even I’m qualified to give this piece of advice: As a society, we need to be eating less sugar.

In the 1800s refined sugar became commercialized and was introduced as a staple in our diet. But even so, on average people are eating 60x more sugar today than they were 100-200 years ago. This overindulgence on sugar is responsible for the obesity crisis where 40.3% of US adults are classified as obese, it increases risk of cancer because it literally fuels overactive cells, it creates chronic inflammation which offsets our immune system, and it increases the risk of heart disease and diabetes. And on top of that, it’s addictive.

It is shocking to witness how much sugar an average person has on a daily basis. For someone looking to decrease their sugar intake, here are some recommendations:

1) Stop drinking your sugar. This is a staple to the Heroic philosophy. Sodas, energy drinks, sweetened coffee and teas, sports drinks, and even juices are loaded with sugar. If you consume any of those frequently, the fastest way to decrease the amount of sugar in your diet is to stop drinking it.

2) Be intentional about your snacks. Often when we’re feeling snacky, it’s more compulsive rather than actually seeking nutrition. This means that our bodies are craving something sweet and rewarding. Many snacks are packed with sugar because sugar doesn’t spoil, so it’s easy to keep in a cupboard for a long time. But instead, you can find healthier alternatives that are vegetable, protein, or nut-based that will satiate your appetite. I even find that flavored water does the trick for me.

3) Read labels. A good rule of thumb is to look over what’s actually in your food. If something has unnatural sugars, or is ultra-processed with ingredients that you can’t pronounce, it’s probably best to limit those. This takes the most work but it’s an incredible way to optimize your diet toward more whole foods.

Again, I am not a registered dietician and everyone’s body and nutritional needs are different. However, in general, it serves us to limit our refined sugars and fuel our bodies from better, more natural sources. As a takeaway, think about the one thing you can do to start limiting your sugar.