How do I quit sugar?

*reminder! I strive to see food through a food-neutral lens, meaning I won’t vilify or elevate any food as good/bad/right/wrong. This doesn’t mean that I believe that all food has the same nutritional value. Simply that all of the food we eat is morally neutral.

Please read in a sing-song voice:

I remember when I quit sugar, about 11 years ago. I decided one day that I didn’t want to consume it anymore, so I told my people I was done, and I stopped eating it. My cravings for it magically went away, I didn’t miss it at all, and all of my health issues resolved themselves. Wow eee wow. Read on to learn how I did it!

I KID, obviously. But I wrote all of that because sometimes, that’s how it’s packaged for us, right? “Quit this terrible food that’s poisoning you and *poof* you will feel better”

I have much critique.

But I did try to stop eating sugar many years ago, that wasn’t made up. I remember going to a housewarming party and talking about how I wasn’t eating sugar, avoiding cookies and other desserts, and feeling so strong in my denial of sweet things. I also remember being called out because I was drinking vitamin c packets that were sweetened, which was valid. But my convictions could not be swayed and I kept on declining sugar, though I can’t remember for how long.

I’m not writing any of this to tell you not to quit sugar and I’m also not trying to convince you not to eat sugar.

I want to offer some reflections that I wish I’d had when I thought that eating less sugar would solve my problems. (spoiler: it’s never just one thing that will resolve anything in our body)

a: why are you eating the sugar you are?

I was eating sugar for many reasons, one being that I liked it. Sugar is tasty! Have you ever had cake and ice cream? All the evidence needed.

Other things that contributed to my sugar intake:

• I wasn’t eating enough, and my body was craving quick fuel

• I was vegetarian and I wasn’t getting the nutrients I needed (not the case for all people who don’t eat meat). Being undernourished can wreak havoc on our cravings and blood sugar regulation.

• I had the idea in my head that sugar was bad, so I restricted it, which made me want it more!

• I wasn’t great at managing my stress back then, or even recognizing my stressors, so my blood sugar was out of balance. Stress response = blood sugar response.

If you want to get curious about yourself: What’s contributing to your sugar intake?

2: How will you handle sugar cravings?

Cutting sugar out of your diet won’t make the cravings go away and those cravings can be hard! If you’ve decided for yourself that you’re wanting to consume less sugar, here are some tips:

• Eat more fat. Increasing your intake of dietary fats can make your meals more satiating and decrease your sugar craving. Adding an extra tablespoon of fat to your meals, as a starting point, can help! Butter, olives, full-fat salad dressing, full-fat dairy products, coconut, and nuts are some ideas.

• Manage stress. This one may throw you for a loop because this requires you to honestly look at your stress and that isn’t always easy, is it? Managing your stress could require: saying no to things, saying yes to help that you’re afraid to ask for or accept, making time to get more sleep, simplifying your meals, asking for your needs to be met, doing less, having hard conversations, and other tricky things. Start small, and be kind to yourself along the way.

• Eat enough food all around. Not eating enough is a surefire way to crave food, not be able to stop thinking about food, eat more than you want to in a sitting, and reach for highly palatable foods like…..sugar. You could be undereating if you: skip breakfast, eat the bare minimum at each meal, have low energy all day no matter how much sleep you get, find yourself grumpy all the time, have to run on adrenaline to get things done, have cut out several food groups, or are severely limiting your calories for weight loss.

d: How long will you go without sugar and what do you hope to gain from cutting it out?

These are important to know ahead of time, otherwise, how will you know when to add sugar back in? How will you know if not eating it is doing anything?

Always have a reason.

Always have a timeline.

Otherwise, when you do end up eating it, you run the risk of being hard on yourself for it, no matter if it’s been 2 days or 2 months.

____

I don’t remember how long I went without sugar that time and I don’t even remember my reason, though it was likely tied to anxiety or stomach issues, which I now know for me was evidence of other things, and cutting out sugar wouldn’t do much on its own.

I wrote this all because I’ve been hearing a lot of people casually mentioning that they’re not eating sugar, and I wanted to offer what I’ve learned both from personal experience and as a practitioner of nutritional therapy.

This type of inquiry is part of the work I do with my 1-1 clients. If you’re interested in working with me, please reply to this email, or click here.

Wishing you all the sweetness your heart desires, in as many forms as possible.