Cut out the Sugar!

TYLER- The American Heart Association has a strong warning for all Americans. They are calling for a drastic reduction in the amount of sugar in our diets.

Experts say Americans are swallowing more than 22 teaspoons of sugar a day, when realistically we should only be consuming a third of that.

But now, the American Heart Association says its time to cut way back.

Dieticians we spoke to say the biggest culprits for the glut of sugar is soda. Experts say with about eight teaspoons of added sugar, a regular soda will put someone over the recommended daily limit.

But just cutting these drinks out of your diet can make a huge difference.

"We'll they say if a person's drinking two sodas a day, that's about 250 calories," clinical dietician Tami Lawrence said. "That's about a half a pound a week."

When it comes to your kids, experts recommend getting items such as soda and cereal out of the house and substituting snacks like cookies with popcorn.