Stop consuming all that sugar!
Eating or drinking less of the following
will reduce your sugar intake.


  • Fruit juice — Don’t substitute fruit with fruit juice. Fruit juice in cartons or bottles has had all the fiber squeezed out of it, making its sugars more dangerous.

  • Sweetened beverages — Don’t drink sodas, energy drinks, sports drinks and fruit drinks. They contribute as much as 44 percent of the added sugar in the American diet. They have little or no nutritional value. Water and milk are the best drinks, especially for children. Also try flavored (unsweetened) seltzer water, sparkling water, herbal teas, and coffee.

  • Sugar-packed desserts — Stay away from these. Most have little nutritional value. Grain and dairy-based desserts such as cakes, pies, doughnuts, and ice cream account for over 18 percent of the added sugar in the American diet. Stick with fresh fruit, or learn to make your own low-sugar versions of these desserts by using one-third less sugar than the recipe calls for. Try to keep dessert as a special treat instead of a staple in your diet.

  • Sauces loaded with sugar — Cut down on ketchup, barbecue sauce, and sweet chili sauce. A single tablespoon of ketchup can contain a teaspoon of sugar. Use such seasonings as fresh or dried herbs and spices, yellow mustard, vinegar, or pesto instead.

  • Low-fat foods — These often contain more sugar than their full-fat versions, so it’s important to read labels carefully. For instance, a 4-oz. serving of low-fat vanilla yogurt could contain four teaspoons of sugar, depending on the brand. But it’s impossible to know how much of that sugar is from the naturally occurring sugar in milk, or the sugar that was added for flavor. Consider choosing fat-free or low-fat plain yogurt and sweetening it with fresh fruit or vanilla flavoring to avoid unnecessary sugar. 

  • Processed foods — 90 percent of added sugar in the average American’s diet comes from ultra-processed foods such as soft drinks, desserts, cereals, pizzas, and pies, so stay away from these as much as possible. Canned foods are often packed in syrup. Eat whole foods. Or eat simple processed foods, such as breads and cheeses, which have the minimal ingredients you might find in a kitchen rather than in a production facility.

  • Sugar-filled breakfast foods — There is one breakfast cereal that has 12 teaspoons of sugar per serving. Granola sometimes has more sugar than other cereals. Cereals that are not sweetened still often have some sugar. Pancakes, muffins, waffles, and jams are loaded with sugar. Try hot oatmeal, eggs, fruit, and avocado. Go for low-sugar, high-protein options with high fiber.

  • So-called “healthy” processed snack foods — Granola bars, protein bars, and dried fruit can contain as much sugar as regular candy bars. Even though dried fruit has fiber, which is good, it sometimes has added sugar. Try snacking on nuts, a hard-boiled egg, or fresh fruit.

  • Corn-fed beef — Beef from grass-fed cattle is often favored by dietary experts, and can be found in most grocery stores. It is often preferred because dietary amino acids, which cause energy to be stored in fat cells, are found in corn-fed beef.

  • Bread — Watch out for added sugar where you would not expect it.

  • Alcohol — Just like sugar, it pushes up the body's insulin levels, which tells the liver to store energy in fat cells. Alcohol is a recognized cause of fatty liver disease.