Breaking The Sugar Cycle

Breaking the sugar cycle can seem impossible in the world we live in! Sugars are added to almost all processed foods, including most sauces and dressings, packaged snack foods, juices, dairy foods and so much more! However, it is possible to fight back against this sugar-craved world with natural and wholesome food choices!

The USDA 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines recommend no more than 10% of total Calories consumed coming from added sugars. On an average 1500 Calorie diet this would be 150 Calories, or about 38 grams of added sugars each day. To put this in perspective, there are 39 grams of sugar in one 12 ounce can of Coca-Cola- that's your entire day's serving of added sugar in one beverage!

Excessive consumption of added sugars lead to many health issues we are all aware of, including weight gain, Type 2 Diabetes, high blood pressure and even some cancers. In fact, simple sugars increase the rate at which food is moved from your stomach into your intestines leaving you feeling hungry more quickly; which leads to further consumption of sugar-filled foods and we find ourselves stuck in a sugary cycle!

To help break this cycle we have to break away from the sugary foods. Which is much easier said than done! But there is strength in numbers! As part of the FCM 15th anniversary celebration we are challenging ourselves and our customers to take a break from sugary foods for 15 days. This means only added sugars, so fruit and other naturally occurring sugars will be allowed. We will also be allowing natural sugar-alternatives, such as Stevia, in small amounts such as to flavor coffee or tea.

One of the first and most basic ways to consume less added sugars is to know what you are putting into your body! The only way to do that is to read nutrition labels and ingredient lists. It is important to remember that not all sugars listed on a nutrition label are added sugars, and that some occur naturally. Below is a list of ingredients to look for that indicate sugars have been added to a food.