Hey Sugar

I've been recording my cals and exercise on myfitnesspal.com the last year or so, and even though I mostly stay within my cals for the day, there are also those days where I eat like Micheal Phelps and workout like an overweight cat. 

So I decided to take a closer look at how my calories break down, and there was one big red number staring me in the face daily.  That number was the amount I went OVER on my allotted sugar intake. 

I can stay within my goals for calories and fat with simple portion control, but that darn sugar just creeps up on you!  175 cals and 2 grams of fat for a yogurt parfait sounds like the best option at McDonalds... But it has 25 of my allotted 37 grams of sugar!  That's about 6 teaspoons of straight-up sugar. 

Now, I'm not hating on sugar that occurs naturally in fruits, I'd happily disregard the 1-2 grams of sugar that naturally occurred in the 2 strawberries in my parfait, and the scant amount that was in the milk before they caramelized yogurt-afied it.  

So, enough about my fast food breakfast craving... Here is a list of food on the "Sugar Busters Diet" that I found on WebMD. 

The Sugar Busters! diet advises you to eat:
Meats, including:

• Lean beef and pork
• Canadian bacon
• Poultry
• Game meats, such as venison
• Fish and shellfish

Vegetables, including:

• Beans
• Lentils
• Peas
• Spinach
• Lettuce
• Squash
• Zucchini
• Mushrooms
• Asparagus
• Artichokes
• Cabbage
• Celery
• Cucumbers
• Broccoli
• Brussels sprouts
• Eggplant
• Onions

Fruits, including:

• Apples
• Lemons and limes
• Pears
• Cherries
• Raspberries
• Kiwis
• Grapefruits
• Apricots
• Melons other than watermelon
• Tomatoes
• Tangerines and oranges

Now, I'm not touting the sugar busters diet... They make some weird claims I can't really get behind.  But I do agree that limiting sugar in a sweet-obsessed country could do some damage to the obesity rate, and I'm willing to keep my eyes open for sneaky hidden sugars and delicious naturally low-sugar foods. 

Topping this list are some of my FAVORITE foods...  Artichokes, Eggplant, Brussels sprouts, lentils, BEEF!!!  And I am excited to work some of these fruits into my current juicing obsession.  Kiwi-cherry juice?  Gimme Gimme!

If nothing else, I hope this list gives you some fun ideas for the next grocery trip and while you're there, turn over that box of food you're about to put in your cart and check that little sugar number.  You might be surprised.