​Sugar gives us an instant lift. That's why we turn to sugar during celebrations, when we need comfort and when we want to reward ourselves. But, there are many sugars in your diet that you may not even be aware of. Everything from cereal, bread, pasta sauce and soups contain sugar.One of the main problems for most of us is that many of the processed foods we eat have added sugar. This sugar gives you energy in the form of calories but no nutrition, so you consume more trying to get what your body needs. Long term that could mean less nutrients and therefore compromise our immune systems.

Healthcare travelers and travel RNs need to stay healthy and on top of their game. Relying on sugar to get you going is not a good habit to get into and it can lead to reduced performance and fatigue when your body crashes after the sugar high. A high sugar intake causes blood sugar levels to shoot up and gives you that feel good "high" but is always followed by the crash leaving you tired, irritable and of course craving more sugar. It can turn into a vicious cycle that will take a toll on your health and wellbeing today and long term.

The quickest way to cut down your sugar intake is to cut out the sodas. If you don't want to give them up completely, limit yourself to one a day. Hopefully once you do that you may eventually decide to cut them out completely. When you need a pick me up grab a piece of whole fruit or a handful of nuts instead of the sweet snack.

It's up to each of us to take care of ourselves. Listen to your body and reduce your sugar intake. It will help you in many ways, short and long term.

Mary Crawford, HealthCare Employment Network