When you think about eating healthy, you usually think about eating fruits, vegetables, and whole grains to create a balanced diet. But let’s be honest—eating healthy is a great idea until you decide to eat a whole pint of ice cream, a bag of cookies and three bars of chocolate while binge watching Grey’s Anatomy, and suddenly eating healthy seems hard every time you have a craving.

The truth is, sugar is addicting. You eat it and you want more. You crave it and suddenly it makes you forget why you are eating healthy. The World Health Organization has contributed excessive sugar intake to the cause of obesity in the United States. Sugar is in almost every food you eat. Added sugars in foods have contributed to these cravings and are added to these foods on purpose to make them taste better. Without sugar added to foods, the food industry would not be as successful as it is and being addicted to sugar would no longer be a problem.

Reducing sugar in your diet is important if you want to eat healthier. Although eating fruits, vegetables and whole grains are also healthy options, if you are still eating sugar in your diet you will not be able to truly be healthy. When consuming too much sugar on a daily basis, it contributes to many symptoms that make you feel unwell. Feeling tired, bloated, irritable, and gaining weight are just some of the symptoms of excessive sugar consumption. It can also make you more susceptible to disease and causes inflammation in your body, which can prevent proper function of your liver and kidneys and also slow down your metabolism, leading to obesity.

Sugar is sabotaging your diet and putting you at risk for health problems. It is essential to limit the amount of sugar you eat, as it can help to improve your health. Eating less sugar will not only make you feel more energized, but it will also help to improve your health. You can limit inflammation, reduce your risk for obesity, and even lose weight.

Cutting out sugar from your diet can be hard, especially if you eat sugar every day. Limiting sugar starts by looking at the nutrition label, where you can find basic information about how much sugar was added into foods. Reading nutrition labels allows you to realize how much sugar is really in food or even realize how foods you thought were low in sugar actually have added sugars.

Another way to start limiting sugars is to stop eating sugary foods on a daily basis. Sugar is in many foods like cereals, drinks, and foods you may think are healthy like flavored yogurt. These foods have so much extra sugar in them and can be avoided if they are cut out of your daily diet and swapped out for a healthier option that is low in sugar. For example, instead of eating a sugary breakfast cereal, have plain oatmeal. Drink unsweetened iced tea or sparkling water instead of soda. Instead of cookies or candy, have dark chocolate. It has been found to be good for heart health, low in sugar, and since it is so bitter one or two squares is enough to satisfy a craving.

Even if you have the discipline to limit sugar in your diet by reading nutrition labels and cutting out sugary foods from your daily diet, there are still times when eating sugar will be tempting. The problem with limiting a food from your diet is finding a balance between enjoying life and being healthy. When you want some ice cream, make it a treat instead of eating it every day. You do not have to fully cut out sugar from your diet and deprive yourself, but in order to be healthy and avoid putting yourself at risk for health problems, you have to eat sugar in moderation.

By making these simple changes in your diet, you can limit the amount of sugar you eat every day, feel better, and be healthier overall. So when it’s your birthday have that cake and enjoy yourself, but don’t let sugar control you and be part of your daily diet.