Sugar occurs naturally in some healthy foods such as fruits (as fructose), vegetables, milk (as lactose) and grains. But various forms of processed sugar are contained in the foods we eat. This is called added sugar and chances are, you are consuming too much of it.

While added sugar has no nutritional value, it boosts flavor, acts as a preservative and balances food's acidity. Added sugar is likely one of the factors in the rising obesity rates in the United States. Over-consumption can also contribute to tooth decay and poor nutrition.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) does not have specific recommendations on how much sugar you should consume, but their guidelines suggest that you should aim to spend only a certain number of discretionary calories on added sugar. If you eat a 2,000-calorie diet, which is recommended for women who weigh 150 pounds, only 267 calories of that should be used on sugary snacks or alcoholic drinks which contain added sugar.

The American Heart Association (AHA) goes one step further, recommending that you spend half of your discretionary-calorie allowance on sugar, suggesting that most American women should spend no more than 100 calories a day on added sugar, while men should aim for no more than 150 calories. That's about six teaspoons of added sugar or 24 grams a day for women. Americans currently consume about 22 teaspoons of sugar. To get an idea about where all that sugar is coming from, just remember: Regular sodas contain eight teaspoons of sugar.

To reduce your sugar intake, cut out non-diet sodas, cookies, cakes and candy.

Once you've altered your eating habits, try a fitness routine to lose weight.

This just in: Candy will still be available after Halloween! Here are tips to help you avoid being "tricked" by candy and to let you indulge in a treat that won't wreak havoc on your good habits.

1. Give the treat of healthier snacks.
The grocery shelves are crammed with 100-calorie snack packs that are healthier options than candy. Snacks like pretzels, roasted nuts and baked chips and crackers are better options than some candies, and if you indulge in a pack, too, you can do it guilt-free.

2. Recognize your intent.
"Sometimes it's not the candy we want at all; we are just craving a particular feeling, like comfort or excitement," said Pam Wood, a Weight Watchers meeting leader in Austin, Texas. "We need to ask ourselves, 'What is it that I really want to satisfy: the craving for the candy or the craving to feel fabulous?'" If it's the latter, she advises that you say "no" to the candy and determine the best way to satisfy your true desires. If it is candy, go ahead and have a small piece to satisfy the craving.

Halloween is right around the corner, and we all know the best part isn't really dressing up: It's the Halloween candy. Whether you go to town on anything and everything chocolate, or hold a special place in your heart for gummier fare, the hardest part about this goulish holiday is remembering that "fun size" doesn't necessarily mean "fun for the waistline."

While it's true that calorie and fat counts differ for each candy, nutrition labels are hard to find (or often don't even exist) on these Halloween-friendly miniatures. That's why AOL Health has created a handy Halloween Candy Quiz to help you take the guesswork out of picking through your plastic pumpkin and prevent a major diet disaster from happening.

That's Fit wants to know how much Halloween candy you'll allow yourself this year.

Some Halloween candy can be a calorie nightmare -- know the bad from the good before you shop.

Halloween is this weekend, and we all know what that means. A few pieces of chocolate before the doorbell starts ringing, a few more in between the ghosts and goblins and plenty of leftovers when the night is over. Halloween may be fun, but it can wreak havoc for even the most diligent dieter. That's Fit recently took a walk down the candy aisle to investigate, and while we can't say any particular candy is healthy, there are definitely some choices that are better than others.

Tricks:
5th Avenue (1 full-size bar) -- 280 calories, 14g fat
Snickers (1 full-size bar) -- 280 calories, 14g fat
Twix Caramel (2 bars) -- 280 calories, 14g fat
Baby Ruth (1 full-size bar) -- 280 calories, 13g fat
Butterfinger (1 full-size bar) -- 270 calories, 11g fat
Milky Way (1 full-size bar) -- 260 calories, 10g fat
Mr. Goodbar (1 full-size bar) -- 210 calories, 14g fat

Treats:
Trident Gum (1 stick) -- 5 calories, 0g fat
Smarties (1 roll) -- 25 calories, 0g fat
Tootsie Roll (1 piece) -- 50 calories, 1g fat
Pixy Stix (7 straws) -- 60 calories, 0g fat
Hershey Kisses (3) -- 75 calories, 1.5g fat
Jolly Rancher Gummies (10 pieces) -- 120 calories, 0g fat
York Peppermint Patty (1 piece) -- 140 calories, 2.5g fat

If you want the best treat of all, look no further than your jack-o-lantern. Pumpkin is loaded with nutrients, beta carotene, potassium and fiber. Plus, it's fat-free and low in calories. Mix some in with your oatmeal, mashed potatoes or soup. And don't forget the pumpkin seeds, too.

Day 7: Loophole! Peanut M&Ms and Snickers candy bars are both low GI. Now this is a diet I can get behind.

OK, I kid. I might not have the best willpower in the world, but I'm diet savvy enough to know that Peanut M&Ms (which I love, by the way) should only show up occasionally in any healthy diet plan.

But I'm wondering if there's something to the idea that if I'm going to indulge, I should choose a treat that's low-GI. Treats are loaded with fat and calories, no matter what they do to your blood sugar, but maybe they're at least a slightly better choice? I'm not sure -- anyone willing to chime in?

Are you one of those people who doesn't think a Valentine's Day gift counts unless it's chocolate? It can be tough to say no to your favorite indulgence, but if you're serious about watching your weight, a big box of chocolates is honestly the last thing you need to have around. (You know I'm right.)

However, Weight Watchers has a way for you to have your candy and eat it, too. They've joined forces with Whitman's to create a line of chocolate candies with point values assigned -- I had a chance to sample the Pecan Crowns, which were delicious, and just one point a piece!

Here's the catch -- the point value is per piece. So, if you know you're not going to be able to eat just one, they're still not "safe." I find it helpful that they're individually wrapped (so I can't eat a dozen a couple and trick myself into thinking I've only had one ... not that I've ever done that).

We've got sugar on the brain here at That's Fit. I don't eat it, Bethany banned it for seven days (even got a nod from Glamour magazine), Karla is doing it (and re-doing it), Bev is taking a stab at ditching the refined stuff and Martha would love scrap it too. How about you? Here's what 97 of you told us in a recent poll that asked: Sugar: How Long Can You Go Without?

• 18 of you (18.6 percent) can do anything for day.
• 21 of you (21.6 percent) say you'll give it a week.
• 21 of you (21.6 percent) report that a month would be tough, but you're willing to try.
• Nine of you (9.3 percent) say a year isn't a problem.
• One of you (1 percent): A year. You wish.
• 22 of you (22.7 percent) declare that you will never go without sugar.

Thanks for the great responses, everyone. We hope you make good on your sugar intentions. For those of you who think a sugar ban will never be in your future, humor us and give it a try. We predict you won't be sorry.

You may not realize it, but your desk could be making you fat.

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It's no surprise that candy isn't good for dental health. But as popularity of sour candies rises, so does the rate of tooth decay.

Most of these sour candies have extremely low pH levels -- as a comparison, battery acid has a pH level of 1 as do many of these candies. Some of the candies are so acidic they can cause permanent damage to tooth enamel -- particularly in young children whose protective enamel is immature. Gummy and sticky candies seem to cause the most damage because of the length of time kids suck on them before chewing and swallowing.

While it's best to avoid these treats altogether, if you're going to let your children indulge, make sure they don't suck or chew on them for a long time and have them rinse their mouths with water afterwards. A glass of milk can also help neutralize the acid from the candy. Don't have your ckids brush their teeth immediately after eating sour candy -- brushing the surface after an acid attack can actually increase the damage the acid causes.

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As a parent, it's your duty to make sure the candy your child picked up from the neighbours is safe for consumption. But all that candy can be mighty tempting, and I'm willing to bet that a few of you have a tendency to label some of the candy 'unsafe' -- and promptly stash it in your super-secret parental hiding spot so you can enjoy after the kiddies have gone to bed. Last week, I asked if you did this -- let's see what you had to say?

• 48% of you said yes, with 17% saying you only pinched a couple of pieces, while 12% say they can't help gorging.
• 6% of you don't pinch any candy. Wow -- that's willpower.
• 10% of you don't like candy.
• 33% of you don't have kids so you have no candy to pinch.
  

The best Halloween advice came from reader Tim. He says, "We dump everything into one large bowl and each person in the house can take one piece a day unless they exercise with me, then they can have two a day. I always have more company in November." Great suggestion!

Halloween is a frightening time of year -- and I'm not just talking ghouls, ghosts and goblins here. No, even more frightening is the thousands of potential empty calories lurking inside tiny, irresistible, snack-sized candy wrappers scattered throughout your house. Oh, the horrors!

For obvious reasons, Halloween is not the optimal time to be dieting but if you stick to your guns, you can have a healthy Halloween. So last week, I asked you if you were going to try to have a healthy Halloween, and here's what you had to say:

• 43% of you said no way -- it's only once a year, so why bother?
• 21% of you are avoiding all candy -- good for you!
• 16% of you are boycotting the whole thing. Fair enough.
  
• 7% of you are rationing candy to your kids.
  
• 5% of you planned on giving out healthy treats instead of the usual sugar-filled junk.
  
  

Thanks for sharing -- check back for more polls and results.

Halloween candy is hard to resist, so don't beat yourself up if you had a few ... or a few too many.

Chances are you have a few mini candy bars hanging around your house -- maybe from your little ghosts and goblins who raided the neighborhood Friday night or maybe they're just left over from the gobs of goods you distributed to those who came knocking on your front door. Regardless, you've got them. Might as well eat them, right? I mean, they're mini. How dangerous can they be?

They're tricky, those mini-packs, says RealAge, and you'd be wise to get rid of them -- and fast. You're far better off taking a handful of candy from a big bag instead. Why? Because it's easier to overindulge on those Halloween-sized packages. In one recent study, people concerned about their waistlines ate more high-calorie snacks when given small bags than when given big ones.

Seems weight-conscious people view smaller portions of candy as healthier, which leads to overeating. But big bags -- well, people watching their weight are less likely to even open them. This is interesting, though: Those not concerned about gaining weight don't necessarily go overboard with small sweets. It's only the weight-concerned folks who fall into this trap. But don't think the not-concerned ones are eating any healthier -- they're just grabbing from the big bags.

And you? Are you a small snack person? Or do you go for the big bag?

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Here at That's Fit, we're constantly telling you what we think about things, but sometimes it's nice to know what you think. So from time to time, we'll ask you a question. Don't be afraid to speak up -- we love feedback.

It's that time of year again -- when tempting little tasty bits of candy dance around in front of you like a red flag in front of a bull. Yes, it's Halloween, and I'm willing to guess that it won't just be your kids who are suffering from sugar hangovers on November 1. You say you're rationing the treats so they don't eat them all at once, but who's keeping you from bingeing on all that chocolatey goodness? Maybe you are your own diet police, or maybe you let your stomach guide you. That's the question this week ...

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