Better Homes And Gardens Cut Out Sugar Cookies

Reader question:The holidays are here, and I'm afraid of going overboard on the sweets. How can I avoid holiday sugar shock?

Ashley's answer: No one's shocked that we consume extra sugar during the holidays. What is shocking news is that sugar consumed during the holidays affects our health for the next four months, impacting the health of our cells until April. (One hemoglobin test shows that sugar stays "sticky" to our cell proteins for that amount of time.) And unfortunately, while added sugar tastes so sweet, it adds up on the health front, promoting inflammation, reducing immune health, and creating unhealthy fat, for starters. So how can we enjoy the holidays without suffering sugar shock for the next few months?

1. Choose your (added) sugar. Did you know that we consume most of our sugar inadvertently? Sure, the pumpkin pie is an obvious sugar bomb, but yogurt, coffee drinks, bread, and salad dressings are often sneaky sources. Read labels—not just the nutrition facts but the ingredients, too—and look for words like "cane syrup" and "fruit concentrate" as sources of added sugar that you'll want to cut out.

2. Eat better-quality proteins and fats. Load up on hemp seeds and wild salmon, as these foods provide anti-inflammatory properties that will counterbalance sugar intake during the holidays.

3. Have a "no added sugar" day after a sugar-filled one. Reset your taste buds and by avoiding most added sugar for a day or two after you have a sugary day (and that includes one with extra alcohol). Make sure to get in plenty of greens, lemons, quality proteins, fats and carbohydrates—yes, you want the carbs in reasonable portions, but make sure they don't have added sugar! Use my free nutrition plan here as a guide.

4. Rest up and get active. We crave sugar badly when our bodies are fatigued (physically and emotionally), so make time for moments to be active and moments for recovery.

5. Assemble your food (and bring it to a party!) So much of the food we eat out contains added sugar as a preservative, but our "some assembly required" recipes at home would never call for adding buckets of sugar. Making your food is a great way to reduce your sugar intake.

6. Keep it to a spoonful of sugar. Mary Poppins got it right: the sweet stuff can be delicious in small doses. Pay attention to quantity and quality (organic, please!) and your body will recognize the fuel it's getting, process it, and avoid irritation and excessive fat storage.

Where is the strangest, most unexpected place you've ever found sugar as an ingredient? Mine was in an "immune support" shot that someone sent me to try—talk about ironic!

Chewing over a food quandary? Send it to AskAshley@Prevention.com

Ashley Koff is a registered dietitian, Qualitarian, nutrition expert, and co-author ofMom Energy: A Simple Plan to Live Fully Charged(Hay House; 2011) as well as Recipes for IBS (Fair Winds Press; 2007).

Ashley Koff, RD Ashley Koff, RD, seeks to improve the quality of nutrition choices available and consumed.

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io