How to cut sugar from your diet

You’ve probably heard sugar isn’t dangerous in moderation.

After all, how much can a single cookie really affect your health?

But when we look at thousands of studies on sugar over the past 100 years, there’s a very clear and alarming trend—people are dying from sugar.

In reality, one cookie wouldn’t cause lasting health problems. The problem is that unless you’re being very intentional with what you eat, you’re almost certainly eating more sugar than you realize. Which means that you’re not having one cookie with a little sugar, you’re adding more sugar to your body.

The dangers of sugar in the Standard American Diet

The Standard American Diet is inundated with sugar.

Even if you’re buying ‘healthy’ foods, keep in mind it’s the label—not the packaging—that betrays the true composition of your food.

Research finds more than 68% of our food contains added sugar. Canned vegetables, peanut butter, and even spices and seasonings often include added sugar in the name of flavor. Even cigarette companies add sugar to their products to make smoking more addictive.

It’s no wonder the average American eats 17 teaspoons of sugar per day. Even if you don’t think you’re eating that much, food companies continue to sneak sweeteners into food that should be sugar-free.

This, unfortunately, leads to all sorts of problems.

• Sugar addiction: Sugar addictions are very real and very serious. Like any other addiction, they could also affect your quality of life. You may experience weight gain, chronic fatigue, and nagging hunger pangs. You may also struggle with binge-eating behaviors that feel outside of your control.
• Cognitive decline: Sugar and mental health are tied at the hip. The more you consume, the less effectively you think, and the more likely you are to experience brain fog. Sugar consumption is also connected to Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, both of which are incurable illnesses that reduce your potential lifespan.
• Chronic inflammation: Your body’s inflammation is essentially a cry for help. But you may not even notice anything until it’s taken a toll on your mind and body. Long-term inflammation may eventually lead to cancer or heart disease, the latter of which will put you on my operating table.
• Fatty liver: Sometimes referred to as Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, NAFLD is a serious condition associated with long-term sugar consumption. As excess fat builds up in your liver and harms your metabolic health, you increase your risks for serious issues like cirrhosis, cancer, or liver failure.
• Early death: Sugar remains one of the most deadly substances regularly eaten by humans. Studies cite more than 45 negative health effects resulting from excess consumption, with a higher likelihood of an early death even for ‘skinny’ people.

To summarize: there is not a single reputable study associating sugar consumption to positive health benefits. 

And the longer you wait to cut sugar from your diet, the longer you put your metabolic health on hold.

What does it mean to ‘cut’ sugar?

Before we get into the details of how to quit sugar, we need to define our terms.

For some people, quitting sugar means not eating anything sweet—including fruits with a high sugar content. 

For others, it means getting rid of processed sweets and using natural sweeteners to create heart-healthy desserts. 

Still others are earlier on in their journeys and just want to reduce their intake, not eliminate it completely.

I’m here to tell you that, no matter where you fall on the spectrum, there’s a way to successfully quit sugar.

What you can do to break up with sugar for good

It takes more than just willpower to cut sugar for good.

Sugar is addictive, and food companies are doing everything in their power to make you a profitable customer.

That’s why you need to start with:

• Small and manageable changes designed for long-term results. Don’t just cut sugar completely and risk a potential relapse. Instead, start with baby steps and small victories to ensure you reach your goals. You may want to start by getting rid of refined sugar at first, then transition to more natural sweeteners like stevia over time.
• Remove specific items in your pantry that could make your sugar-free journey even tougher. As hard as it may be to throw out your favorite packaged snacks, getting rid of temptation is a great way to boost your resolve.
• Getting inspiration and confidence from other people’s stories. Community is one of the best ways to break any kind of addiction, and sugar is no different. Apart from one-on-one metabolic health coaching, you may want to consider ongoing support with people who empathize with and share your goals.

If you’re ready to put your foot down for good and kick sugar out of your diet, you can still join my 21-day quit sugar challenge to break your habit ASAP. The challenge started a few days ago but join now and catch up with the participants that are already ditching sugar from their lives.   

Did you miss the challenge? No worries — you can start small with my seven principles of metabolic health course to break into the right mindset.