Are you ready to break free from crazy sugar cravings? The truth is, few benefits except instant gratification comes from eating refined sugar. It wreaks havoc on your immune system, causes bloating, and takes you on a wild ride on the blood sugar roller coaster. Keep in mind that it’s impossible to cut out sugar completely. From energy bars to multi-grain breads to vitamin waters to yogurts…from salad dressings to baked beans to pre-made soups to crackers… sugar sneaks in almost everywhere. Behold the golden rule of the grocery store: If it’s packaged, it’s probably packed with sugar In moderation, unrefined sugar is an important part of an active lifestyle. Sugar is needed to fuel you through a strength training or a cardio workout, and what’s leftover will be stored in the liver and muscles as glycogen. Unfortunately, storage space is limited, and anything remaining turns to fat (which is why moderation is key). Even your healthy veggies such as broccoli, carrots and beets have some natural sugar content! In fact, 2 cups of broccoli has 5 g of sugar! The goal is to have a healthy handle on your sugar intake…not eliminate it entirely. To avoid the dreaded insulin dump (which leaves you craving even more sugar), don’t eat your sweets solo. Instead, pair your sugars with protein, fiber and fat. Here are two delicious ways to do satisfy your sweet tooth without the nasty blood sugar consequences:

• Fudgy Protein Brownies (click here for the recipe)
• Protein Shakes (Have you tried the Kathy Smith Protein Shake yet?)

HOW TO FIND HIDDEN SUGARS IN YOUR PANTRY

Sometimes sugar is sneaky, and hides under different names. Do an inventory of the nutrition labels in your pantry, and look for any words that end with “-ose” (such as fructose, sucrose) This is usually an indicator that the ingredient is sugar. Once you identify where your hidden sugars are living, you can start to tweak what you eat and change your patterns.

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LOSE WEIGHT TODAY!

“I have really enjoyed the ReShape program. It has helped me maintain my weight and feel more energetic. I do the exercise program daily and love the delicious healthy recipes. I have tried many other diets in the past but never stuck with any of them until ReShape.” – Julie B.