The Issue With Added Sugar

Quitting Added Sugar

It has been my goal, this year, to not consume added sugar. I have eaten honey a few times, and maple syrup on my sugar-free pancakes. Most breads contain added sugar too. But for the most part, I have avoided added sugar by cutting cakes, chocolates, ice cream, and all those other “amazing” sweets from my life. I’m often asked “How do you do it!?” “Why do you do it?” That’s what I’m going to shine light on today, because quitting added sugar is totally feasible, for you too.

There are two types of sugar; added and naturally occurring. Added sugars are added to food products during the manufacturing process. Naturally occurring sugars are those that “naturally occur” in fruits, vegetables and dairy. They’re chemically indifferent in the way our bodies process them, the difference is the form in which we consume them. When we eat natural sugars we consume them with other nutrients, fibres and proteins that are vital for our health, whereas added sugars are empty calories, providing no nutritional benefit. Processed foods with added sugar are less filling because they don’t contain proteins, which would normally release hormones to make us feel full. Without this sense of fullness we are likely to overeat and have a surplus of energy which, when it isn’t burned off, becomes body fat. Obesity, type two diabetes and cardiovascular diseases are just a few major health problems that result from this, as well as mood swings, headaches, fatigue, sleep disorders and a poor immune system, which you may not even think are linked to a sugary diet.

Sarah Wilson, an Australian health coach, journalist and entrepreneur, is one such person who was a victim of her own sugar laden diet. Since her teens, Sarah suffered from health issues including insomnia, mood disorders and an overactive thyroid. She knew her diet wasn’t healthy, she was eating too much sugar, and she guessed that her diet was linked to her health problems. She began to experiment with quitting sugar and eventually went all the way, removing all sugars, added and natural, from her diet. In her book ‘I Quit Sugar’ she discusses how this cleared up her autoimmune disorders and stabilised her mental health. Now, cutting both added and natural sugar from our diets is extreme, but the results of Sarah’s experimentation show that cutting out any sugar, has a positive health effect.

So, added sugar is bad for your health. When we consume it we overeat, lack nutrients, and are highly likely to develop health problems. It was a pretty easy decision for me, to give up added sugar. But it’s so hard! How will you survive?! How will you find joy in your life?! Yes, it was hard at first. Especially with people forgetting, asking “Would you like some cake?” Yes I want some cake! A great deal of willpower is required. It helps to ask, “Do I need that? Does the temporary joy outway the possible health detriments?” Because a lot of the time we just eat for the sake of it, or there are other sugar-free options available.

Cravings get easier too. Cravings are caused because when we eat, the hormone ‘dopamine’ is released in our brains, giving us a sense of pleasure. However, when we eat too much sugar it overwhelms our dopamine receptors, so our brains turn them down. This means that to get the same dopamine kick we have to eat more sugar, which is exactly what we do. If we stop eating sugar, our dopamine receptors return to normal, so less sugar is needed to get the same joy and we stop craving it. I can definitely attest to this, as foods that I previously never found sweet, now are, and I find them all the more delicious for it!

Now that you know all the facts, you can decide for yourself whether it’s worth eating added sugar. Even if you decide to just reduce sugar, or save it for special occasions, it will go a long way in terms of your health and happiness. And, let’s be honest, salad is delicious.

- Eva Wadsworth