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Hi there, Cleanish Squad!

​Listen to the audio version of this email here.​

We all know that sugar is "bad" for us and are probably aware that manufacturers put it in pretty much everything they can to make us buy more of their products.

But, just how bad is sugar, really? And, can it actually be something we "quit"?

Well, research shows that refined sugar is associated with all sorts of diseases, including:

• weight gain
• diabetes
• arthritis
• cancer
• heart disease
• osteoporosis
• Alzheimer's
• depression

None of those are good things. I discuss this more in my post on How I Quit Sugar.

Fortunately, it's really easy to spot sugar, right? Just avoid those candy bars and cookies...?

Unfortunately: this is wrong.

Even this can get confusing nowadays because those clever manufacturers have started getting fancy with their labels...

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The above food labels can readily be found on products with bad-for-you added sugars.

As I discuss in this blog post on the hidden sugars in our food, hidden sugars are a huge problem. That's why learning how to read nutrition labels is so important. It's the only way to see through the marketing and understand what you're actually consuming.

So, how should we look at nutrition labels?

The first thing to look for on the nutrition label is Added Sugar. Manufacturers must mention this on their nutrition labels, even if they are misleading on the front label.

Then, you take a look at the ingredients list, and see what the sugars are from.

But what happens when you read the label and are unsure which sweeteners to avoid and which are ok? It can all get confusing. Let me help…

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The goal here is simply awareness, not perfection. I want you to identify the hidden sugars in the foods you're already eating and then choose new options next time that are better for you and your family.

For some of us, making the change to cut out sugar can be very scary and difficult, especially when we consider the years and years we’ve likely been addicted to refined sugars. That's why it's helpful to start small, take baby steps, and keep moving toward removing refined sugars from your diet. Each teaspoon of sugar you remove a day, the better off you’ll be.

It’s time that everyone takes this seriously! We can’t continue allowing them to do this to our food. We have so much more control than we think.