RR
I broke up with sugar (you should too) By April S. Kelley
My relationship with sugar began decades ago. It was a whirlwind romance, full of excitement and adventure - and temptation. It was incredible. The honeymoon phase never disappeared, and each new tantalizing treat made me become more and more engulfed in the instant pleasures of the only stable relationship I had ever been able to maintain. I knew what to expect, and for entirely too long, I genuinely thought it was healthy.
sweetener, crystal dextrose, glucose, liquid fructose, sugar cane juice and fruit nectar.
What About Cravings? Cravings for the foods which brought me great comfort in some of the most difficult times in my life were, no doubt, the hardest part of quitting sugar. I struggled with great difficulty during the first week or so, but the increased energy, decreased anxiety and how amazing I felt physically allotted me the willpower to push through. Here’s a cheat sheet of sorts as to what helped me when cravings felt overpowering: What I Craved
What I Consumed Instead
Soda
Sparkling Water or Unsweet Tea
Sugary snack
Fresh, dried, frozen or canned fruit in 100% juice
Salty snack
Nuts, seeds
Sweet & salty snack
Nut butters
Chocolate or ice cream
100% Cacao Baker’s Chocolate melted and poured over frozen fruit or one piece shredded into coffee grounds
Until I realized it wasn’t.
T
he COVID-19 pandemic and the stresses of our abruptly changed world saw me seeking out even more comfort from sugar. My usual anxiety increased tenfold, and the only things that allowed me brief reprieve were sugary snacks of the worst varieties. Chocolate and soda became an almost daily habit. As the weeks turned into months, I noticed that without the usual structure of an in-person job and social activities that gave me life, there was a terrible shift in my behavior. I felt lethargic, exhausted and unmotivated. Even my favorite activities had become unenjoyable. I just wasn’t happy. So I decided I needed to make a drastic change to my lifestyle to see if it would help, and I’m happy to report that it did. I changee my diet by cutting out all added sugars and processed foods, and it was significant.
Why You Should Do the Same Remember the old adage, “You are what you eat”? Turns out, is 100% true. By the third day, not only did I begin to feel and notice the effects of eating whole, unprocessed foods without added sugars, I learned that scientists have linked better mental health and well-being to a healthy diet .
Mental Health
A study in Frontiers of Psychology examined changes in diet, sleep and physical activity as they are associated with differences in negative moods during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study found “heightened life stress has been linked to unhealthy eating, and stressed people are more likely to crave food high in energy, fats and sugars.” Likewise, “changes in diet, sleep and physical activity had the clearest link to negative mood states.”
Physical Health If improved mental health isn’t enough to create a desire to make the change, there is good news: eliminating added sugars and processed foods will improve a person’s physical health, as well. Doctors in the 2015 documentary film Sugar Coated said most people do not know they are pre-diabetic. They also explained that the more processed foods a person consumes, the more likely they are to develop Type II diabetes. In the same vein, 2014’s Fed Up argued that the answer to America’s obesity epidemic is not excess exercise. While exercise or physical activity is an important part of overall health, the thick of the issue lies in the foods we consume. According to the film, 1 in 3 Americans will have diabetes by 2050. In its simplest form, the science points to the fact that when our bodies encounter added sugars or unnatural, processed ingredients, it does not know what to do with it. Often as a result, they get stored as fat.
What Should I Eat? Whole, unprocessed foods with no added sugars. If a nutrition label states there are added sugars or an ingredient one has never heard of (and likely cannot pronounce), it’s best to not eat or drink it.
Kinds of Sugar to Look Out For In today’s world added sugars have many names, including white granulated sugar, sugar, raw sugar, brown sugar, confectioner’s powdered sugar, corn syrup, corn syrup solids, honey, sucrose, dextrose, anhydrous dextrose, fructose, high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), invert sugar, lactose, malt syrup, maltose, maple syrup, molasses, nectars (e.g., peach or pear nectar) or pancake syrup, cane juice, evaporated corn
FITNESS
As I write this, I am nearing the end of 30 days without any added sugars or processed foods and I’m feeling better than I have in more than a decade. I am more productive, more at peace and overall much happier. Physically, I feel much younger than I did before I started this backed-by-science experiment on myself. Personally, I did not weigh or measure myself before I began or during the change of diet. I also have not counted calories or measured my food, mainly because if I use numbers, I obsess over them and try to be “perfect,” whatever that means.Doing it the way I have, I think, has helped to resolve some long-standing toxic relationships I have had with food.That aside, my clothes fit better, I no longer feel bloated (ever!) and my skin is glowing. The increased confidence from those results alone is worth every hard part of this process. If 30 days feels too daunting, Fed Up recommended trying it for 10 days. Check in with yourself after see how you feel. By the time I made it 10 days, my cravings for the unhealthy stuff were no longer intense. I even craved fruit and sparkling water. I’m certain I will consume sugar again, but never like I once did. Instead, it will be in a healthy, moderated way. And for the first time in my life, I’m okay with that. 17
