Sugar-free shopping tips

Q: I believe that refined sugar and flour are serious health hazards, but, to be honest, I can't imagine eliminating them entirely. They're everywhere! How do you manage to keep them out of your diet?

Dr. Wright: You're certainly right that it can be very difficult to avoid refined sugar and carbohydrates these days. But it is possible, and there are a few "tricks" you can use to make it a bit simpler.

First, reading labels-and knowing what to look for on them-is crucial. Look for ingredients like high fructose corn syrup, dextrose, and enriched flour. If the product contains any of these, don't buy it.

In fact, you'll be better off avoiding packaged foods altogether, which explains why this advice can be so difficult to follow: Supermarket shelves are stocked primarily with processed, packaged foods, and I'd be willing to bet that 90 percent of them contain some sort of refined sugar or carb.

Shopping along the outer edges of the grocery store-where fruits, vegetables, and meats are usually located-will make avoiding the packaged stuff a little easier. And you may also want to find a natural food store in your area. While not everything these stores carry is truly healthy, they often have more options in terms of products made without refined ingredients.

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