Yeah, yeah, I know. Chocolates make ‘great’ gifts. But you could be feeding your friend’s addiction or setting her/him up for diabetes any day soon. It holds good for you too.

So, if you need your ‘sugar-fix’ daily, de-fix yourself asap. For, what’s five teaspoons today could be 10 tomorrow as the addiction grows to gargantuan proportions. And let’s face it, except that it tastes sweet, table sugar has zero nutrients and only causes the jitters, anxiety, mood-swings, loss of concentration and… weight-gain.

Here’s what you do:

*Become acutely sugar-conscious. Sugar is not just in cakes and cookies, it’s in fruit juices, fizzy drinks, refined white flour, rice, bread, pasta, ketchup… Read the fine print and decidedly place such items back on their shelves.

*Get fresh. Fresh fruits and berries are cool. Packed with system and skin clearing fibre, vitamins, minerals, they’re the energy-forever blokes. Bonus: Yes, they’re sweet too! Alert : One tiny tetrapak of fruit juice contains four teaspoons of sugar.

*Get fizzy. One eye-opening study concludes that it’s the fizz, not the specific cola or ade that draws us. So, this summer, get an ice-cold soda to quench that craving with low calories. Alert : One bottled fizzy drink contains 10 teaspoons of sugar.

*Hire secret sugar-slayers. Protein is your secret agent, a super-food that kicks out sugar-craves. Get on to egg-whites, low-fat curd, cold milk sips, low-fat paneer, sprouted moong raita or roasted channa sprinkled with fennel seeds.

*Share your sweets. Can’t say “No” when offered a tempting confectionery? No sweat. Accept it gracefully, pack it away carefully and share it with the first underprivileged kid with hungry eyes that you spot at the street corner. Bonus : Let the kid have your share too.

*Treat yourself to an activity. Get out and run. Join a dance class. Play badminton or jog with a friend. Pals who play together, stay together. If you’re a couch potato, do abdominal crunches, spot-jogging /stationary cycling while watching TV. Exercise increases feel-good endorphin levels in the brain. Ultimate gyaan : Smile. It takes the dazzle out of chocolates.

(The writer is co-author of the book Fitness for Life .)

> savurs@rediffmail.com

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