Most people typically don't have a firm grasp of how much sugar we consume on a yearly basis unknowingly.  It's been said that the average person consumes more than 40 pounds of sugar in a calendar year - quite alarming when you think of it in pounds, right? 

When we think of sugar, sweet desserts such as cakes, donuts, candy, and cookies come to mind immediately.  But there are tremendous amounts of sugar hiding in everyday things we consume, and when we consume them regularly, they add up fast. 

Making a few mindful tweaks can make all the difference.  Here are a few of my favorite ways to keep added sugar at an absolute minimum in my life:

Choose real fruits.  It takes no extra time to grab an apple rather than a pre-packaged fruit cup or applesauce.  It's just as easy and doesn't contain any of the added sugar the pre-packaged items have.  So, choose something fresh from the produce stand instead. 

Focus on fiber and protein power.  Fiber-rich foods will fill you up and keep you that way for longer so you’ll be less likely to eat something when you’re not hungry. Protein-packed foods have the same benefit.  Combine both of these for delicious ways to stay satisfied throughout the day, and you’ll be less likely to seek out sugar.

Phase out added sugar bombs.  If you’ve put sugar in your coffee every morning for the last ten years, start decreasing the amount until you no longer use it. You can also try kicking the habit on the spot if you’re ready for it.

Study labels before you buy.  Is your pantry brimming with pre-packaged, processed foods? It's time to learn to live without these. And when you do, commit to reading all the labels of every packaged food item you buy from now on. Added sugar is in some of the most unsuspecting places so read every label before putting anything into your grocery cart.

Drown out cravings with water.  If you’re a soda drinker, you can cut out quite a bit of added sugar by ditching your soda habit.  Sometimes, we think we’re hungry when we’re actually thirsty -- and other times, a stressed day makes us reach for desserts. Whatever the case, a glass of water can solve the problem. Drink one down and then wait 15 to 20 minutes. The craving will usually be gone but if not, choose a piece of fruit to satisfy the urge.

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You've ditched the processed junk foods and started bringing healthy lunches to work. These are powerful first steps that sound simple but make a profound impact. You even saw some significant improvements in the beginning, but you've seemed to hit a plateau. So, what's going on?

While eating clean is of utmost importance when paving a healthier path, there could be some non-food related reasons why you’re not seeing or feeling any improvements lately.

Here are a few non-food related reasons you may be feeling stuck...

Being too focused on the scale

When you feel like you’re doing all the right things, it can be frustrating not to see or feel any improvements - try not to get discouraged, though. We tend to measure our success by the number staring back at us on our scale, which isn't an effective way to gauge our progress. With things like fluid fluctuations and building muscle, the scale can be deceptive. It is most practical and accurate to assess our growth by how we feel and how our clothes are fitting. Don't let the scale tell you how you're feeling; you are far more than that number.

Not exercising

If you're eating healthy and not prioritizing exercise of some sort, you will likely hit that plateau. While eating clean is a crucial piece of staying healthy, exercise is the other puzzle piece necessary to achieve the goals you've set for yourself. You don’t need to workout in the gym for an hour every day if you don’t want to but at the very least, walk briskly for 20 to 30 minutes each day. Find the exercise that fits into your schedule and that you enjoy the most.

Exercising too much

And yes, there’s a fine line to walk with exercise. If you don’t exercise enough, it's not ideal -- but if you exercise too much it causes stress and impairs your adrenal hormone production. So if you’re working out too much in hopes to reach your goals faster, take a couple of days off and reevaluate your workout strategy for better results, like with yoga and weights instead. Contrary to what you might think, weights are an important part of an exercise that will help you build a stronger body, even when your body is at rest.

You’re still drinking sugar

Sure, you eat salads and healthy meals all day long but your morning coffee is filled with cream and sugar, or you’re drinking fruit juices or diet soda. If this is a struggle, make it a goal this week to begin making some changes in this area. If your drink of choice is something other than water, begin trading water in for your beverage of choice until you crave water more than that sugary drink. It will happen, I assure you! Try flavored sparkling water like LaCroix to satisfy the bubbly craving, and infuse your water with fruit to add some flavor.

So when you feel like you're stuck in a rut, reevaluate the non-foodrelated daily habits that may be hindering your progress.  

The holidays are over and the new year is among us -- a special and exciting time where we make ambitious plans for our next twelve months and dream of the possibilities. The most popular resolution is improving health, and we usually are quite ready after the holidays. As tasty as the holiday tidings are, they leave us feeling a little less on track with our goals than we'd like.

Those new healthy resolutions don't have to be complicated, and they don't have to end before February even arrives. The key to looking and feeling your best is to keep it uncomplicated and simply focus on clean eating. In case you've heard the term "clean eating" but haven't quite understood what it means -- clean eating is all about consuming healthy, whole foods and cutting out the processed junk. Whether you’re ready to jumpstart your clean eating now or you’re wondering what it takes to get started, we’ve got super-simple steps for a no-fail progression into clean eating.

1. Focus on your inner motivation

Whether you’re determined to race in the Boston Marathon next year, or you have seen first-hand the damages done by not eating well through relatives or friends that have suffered as a result of their eating habits. Whatever it is that is motivating you to eat clean, bring it into your direct focus so you will be more successful in sticking to your clean eating plan.

2. Reevaluate what you’re currently eating

Before you begin your clean eating journey, it helps to journal about what you’re eating before beginning. This way, you can truly see what it is you’re eating and look for patterns. After the stressful end of week push at the office, you might notice you’re more prone to ordering pizza, and you can take steps to head that off at the pass rather than fall into the same pitfall time and time again.

3. Set realistic, measurable and specific goals

When people make changes to things in their lives such as a change to their eating habits, they can set themselves up for significant failures if they don’t take it step by step. That means that if you want to be successful in the long-term, you should tackle one or two new things every 1-2 weeks, so you have a better chance of sticking to it. Don’t just say you’ll stop eating desserts forever. Instead, set a goal of only eating one small dessert per week, and go from there to decrease it further. It’s realistic, measurable and very specific.

4. Clean out your pantry

Sadly, most American pantries are filled with processed foods. A good rule of thumb is to cut out anything that contains more than five ingredients on the label, and anything unnatural should go. If you have a lot of unopened items, donate them to a shelter.

5. Refocus your grocery shopping strategy

We’re creatures of habit, every one of us. When we go to the supermarket, we usually follow the same path every time. Shake things up and head straight for the produce section. You really should be avoiding almost all of the middle aisles of your supermarket anyway because that’s where those processed food pitfalls lurk!

6. Master meal prep

One of the easiest ways to dive right into clean eating is to prep your meals. You’ll find tons of healthy meal prep plans online that even give you shopping lists to use. If time is a factor, look for crockpot recipes that require you to dump in the whole foods in the morning and come home to a hot, delicious, clean and healthy meal every night!

As you can tell, it only takes small changes over time to create a sustainable, healthy lifestyle. I’m here to cheer you on every step of the way, hit reply and let me know how you are feeling, and what you’d like to accomplish as your first step. I’d love to hear your plans.