"Two Tiny Changes": 5 sugar cutting tips + update

If you are like me, sugar consumption is one of your biggest food challenges which to me also includes the consumption of artificial sweeteners. Just because you are getting less calories, does not mean that the AS' are good for you. The Inner Resistance Monster really would like us to believe that myth. If you are trying to cut back on your sugar intake, here are some tips that have helped me.

• In your coffee this week, take whatever you normally put into your Java and cut it by half. So, instead of two packets of sugar, only put one. At Starbucks, instead of using the Splenda try the Raw Sugar. It's only 20 calories per packet.

• Look at the labels of the drinks you normally consume, and calculate about how many grams of sugar you drink in a week. Realizing just how much you take in, could shock you into cutting down.

• If you eat candy or sweet baked goods like cookies and muffins everyday, try and see if you can eat only half the amount you normally would. See if you can go one day, and cut it all the way down to something as small as one Hershey's kiss.

• Crystalline Fructose is an ingredient that is used in many "health" marketed drinks like Vitamin Water. However, crystalline fructose is a derivative of cornstarch which is in the family of high fructose corn syrup. Look to see if any foods or drinks you are consuming contain CF, and cut your consumption by half or to none for the week and see how your body feels.

• For any of your juices or non-dairy milks like rice or soy, try drinking the unsweetened versions. As an example, for Almond Breeze milk, the difference between the original and unsweetened versions is 7g of sugar per 8oz serving.

Here's tiny changes I did last week:

• I went one day and ate only half a cookie for my sweet tooth and ate a piece of fruit at night. This actually was a bit of a bigger deal as I normally eat at least some chocolate or full cookie every day.

• I made an effort to go to bed at 11pm three nights this week in an attempt to get myself into a normal sleep routine again after dealing with insomnia.