You know it. Way deep down, you really do. We all do.

We know when we’re doing things contrary to our best interest. Be it in the form of health, our diets or our relationships, I really do believe we’ve got that magic-mirror inside of us. Barring the folks who have something blocking their ability to reason like this, I think a lot of what we do has some anchor in our hearts – where we know if we’re really, truly working towards our best selves.

Enter, the JRE. On an episode this week, Joe had a guest on who specializes in diet and nutrition. In the first 15 minutes, I knew this would be an episode that I would listen to a few times over. Every once in a while, he cranks out a stunner like this, and I’m excited to share it with you. They basically cover the following topics; healthy eating, over-prescribed medications, our cultural values when it comes to health and the effects of sugar on your body.

The effects of sugar are well documented, but it seems to be one of those bits of information that is really conveniently forgotten by the public memory. Maybe because we’re positively saturated with it in just about everything short of raw foods, maybe because we’ve got these little demons in our bellies, driving us toward it, but the argument stands – we all know that sugar is ‘the white death’, but we eat the shit out of it.

So, I thought I’d put a quick post out there about some of the strategies I use to keep away from the stuff. If I’m being totally honest, I’ll preface these little tips with some cold, hard, truth.

It’s really fucking difficult to stay away from sugar. Figure out how it is processed by your brain and start viewing it through the lens of an actual drug addiction. It’s absolutely crazy, once you slow down enough to monitor the physiological responses that go along with it, to find out just how deep the rabbit hole goes. Even now, typing this out, I feel the saliva washing around in my mouth as my jaw tightens at the hinge.

1) Replace.

Figure out where you’re getting all of your added sugar. Juice in the morning? Lots of white, simple carbs? Late night snacking?

The biggest thing I can tell you is that the sooner you simply start replacing stuff in your diet, the better off you’ll be. Add protein and fat in the place of simple carbs to stay fuller, longer. It’s proven and it works wonders for me, when I’m tuned into my body and ‘on the wagon’ as a lot of us like to say.

2) Mindfulness.

Stop. Look around.

Yeah, I get it, you’re tired.

Guess what, so is everybody else.

Don’t just exist. Be present and mindful of everything you’re a part of. You are completely responsible for everything that enters your digestive system from the outside world. It’s time to take ownership of your existence and focus on making better choices. That’s all there is to it. The simplest principles are usually the toughest to follow – but they’re usually true.

3) Understand.

Research and understand the effects that sugar has on your body, your mood and your well-being. If you critically understand something, you’re not just moving forward with something that some guy on the internet. There’s a litany of resources on this topic, with new scientific study being done all the time on the effects that sugar has on our bodies. Don’t just keep going, because it’s what you’ve always done.

Learn. Adapt.