When you think of addiction, various illegal and harmful substances probably spring to mind … but not sugar.

Yes, you know that candy, cookies, soda, and your other favorite sweet treats aren’t the healthiest options – and sure, you may feel the urge to satisfy a craving once in a while – but there’s no way that sugar can totally hijack your life … right? Wrong. Believe it or not, sugar is highly addictive and acts on the pleasure center of the brain just like alcohol and heroin. In other words, the more you eat, the more you want. Combine sugar’s addictive nature with its omnipresence in our sweets-and-carbs- loving society and you have a recipe for a health disaster.

Today, the average American consumes more than 130 pounds of sugar each year, which your body isn’t designed to handle. As a result, our country is plagued with high rates of obesity, diabetes, chronic fatigue, high cholesterol, metabolic syndrome, and much more – a very high price to pay for the sake of habit, preference, and convenience. One of the first steps in decreasing your reliance on sugar is making smarter choices regarding the food you buy and eat. Also, remember that sugar doesn’t come only from sweet foods, but from anything containing corn syrup or refined carbohydrates.

NINE FOODS THAT AREN’T AS HEALTHY AS YOU MAY HAVE THOUGHT:

Diet soda. Diet sodas are sugar-free and calorie-free, so they must be a healthier alternative to sugared soft drinks, right? Wrong. Diet drinks are artificially sweetened with aspartame (NutraSweet), a chemical that causes brain damage and increases appetite. The type of caramel coloring used in many diet sodas is a carcinogen, and the phosphoric acid in sodas leeches calcium out of your bones, contributing to osteoporosis. Stay away from sodas of all types, both sugared and zero-calorie. If you like the fizz of soda, drink mineral water instead. You can flavor it with fresh lemon and lime. To gradually wean yourself off of sweetened drinks, try Stevia, a natural, plant-based sweetener that has virtually no calories and doesn’t carry the health risks that artificial sweeteners do.

Frozen entrées. Because today’s brands of health-conscious entrées are low in fat and calories, many dieters believe that they’re making a smart decision by eating these handy products – this isn’t the case. For example, a glazed chicken entrée from the most popular line of “healthy” frozen foods contains high-fructose corn syrup, several preservatives, salt, artificial caramel color, partially hydrogenated oil (trans fats), sugar, and maltodextrin (more sugar). None of those things are going to win a healthy ingredient contest anytime soon! Frozen dinners don’t really save much time – it doesn’t take long to chop up some vegetables and make a stir-fry with fresh ingredients. Taking a few minutes to throw together a homemade meal like this ensures that you eat healthy ingredients and avoid dangerous chemicals.

Canned soups. A piping hot bowl of soup or chili sounds like a healthy meal. Even though meat and vegetables are the primary ingredients, canned soup typically contains feedlot meat, too much salt, genetically modified ingredients, high-fructose corn syrup, MSG, and preservatives. If you don’t want to make your own soup, look for brands that are made from organic ingredients, without chemical additives, and that are canned in BPA-free containers.

Genetically modified foods. In the 1990s, food manufacturers began using plants that had gone through a process of genetic engineering – inserting genes from other plants, animals, or bacteria to alter the crop’s genome. Foods that have been genetically modified – often referred to as GM foods or GMOs (genetically modified organisms) – have caused concern among members of the scientific community for possible human and environmental health risks, such as infertility, organ damage, and immune system problems.

No one knows for certain the full harm these products will end up causing to people’s bodies and the environment as we move into the future. Only time will tell. In the meantime, I advise you to stay away from genetically engineered food products whenever possible. By law, food labeled “100 percent organic” cannot contain genetically modified ingredients, so look for that label when shopping. Better yet, find a local farmer who raises nonmodified crops.

Microwave popcorn. You may consider popcorn to be a low-calorie, high-fiber snack, but microwave popcorn isn’t a healthy choice. When microwaved, popcorn bags leak perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and other plastic residues into your food. PFOA has been linked to infertility, thyroid disease, and a host of other endocrine disorders. (Editors’s note: We never use a microwave for anything, ever).

Aside from the packaging, commercial microwave popcorn typically contains harmful trans fats, preservatives, artificial colors, sugar, chemical sweeteners, and other “flavor enhancers” like MSG. Read the ingredients once and you’ll never touch a bag again. To avoid dangerous chemicals, pop your own non-GMO corn at home with an air popper. If you like, add sea salt.

Fruit juice and juice drinks. Though fruit juice is loaded with vitamins and antioxidants, even 100 percent juice contains too much sugar to be a good choice for those who are trying to limit their sugar intake. Excess fructose (fruit sugar) causes body fat accumulation, increased appetite, liver disease, and elevated cholesterol and triglycerides. Be careful: juice cocktails and juice boxes for kids are often only 10 percent fruit juice, with the rest of the ingredients being highfructose corn syrup and other sweeteners, artificial colors, and preservatives. An 8-ounce glass of orange juice has approximately 25 grams of sugar.

Rice cakes. Any all-carbohydrate snack – especially if it’s made of processed, enriched grains – causes an insulin spike followed by a blood sugar crash several hours later. Rice cakes, granola bars, and other all-carb snacks are not good choices because the lack of protein keeps them on the blood sugar roller coaster and stimulates cravings. Half a rice cake (whole grain, not enriched) topped with almond butter adds fat and protein to mitigate the insulin response and keep your blood sugar levels more stable.

Protein bars. Most of the protein bars found on the shelves of grocery stores and health food stores are laden with sugars, syrups, preservatives, and fractional oils (oils that are processed to become more saturated than they are naturally). These products are basically candy bars with added protein. Fortunately, not all protein snack bars are loaded with chemicals.

Peanut butter. Though natural peanut butter is a good source of healthy fats and protein, industrial peanut butter (including commercial brands like Skippy and Jif) is made with hydrogenated oils (trans fats) to keep the oil from separating to the top of the jar. Industrial brands also add sugar and sometimes other additives like preservatives and flavorings. Stick with organic, natural peanut butter. Ideally, there should be one ingredient: peanuts. Refrigerate natural peanut butter after opening and stirring.

When you come across any of these items in the grocery store, keep walking! You can’t eat what you don’t have. Make small, sustainable changes instead of trying to overhaul your eating habits overnight. A basic knowledge of good nutrition can have a huge impact on your well-being and health, now and in the future.

The preceding article is based on Beating Sugar Addiction For Dummies® Wiley, June 2013. Available at bookstores nationwide, major online booksellers, or directly from the publisher (877) 762-2974. Visit www.wiley.com and Dummies.com.

Dan DeFigio is the author of Beating Sugar Addiction For Dummies®. His articles have appeared in numerous professional journals, and his workshops have been presented in many cities across the United States. He has appeared on the Dr. Phil show and was featured in SELF Magazine, MD News, Personal Fitness Professional, and a host of other publications.