Title says it all. Also, what would be the biggest benefits?
I cut sugar out for a long stretch at one point. I’d say I was irritable and exhausted for probably two weeks. I felt very good afterwards.
It’s also a huge challenge to minimize sugar in our modern world. I eventually fell off the wagon just because shopping and cooking were too time consuming (and more expensive) with all the other stuff I have to do in life.
But if you can do it, definitely go for it.
Label watcher: 4g sugar is 1 level teaspoon.
I found this learn to be helpful when reading packages or snacks. When you see 12g of sugar, translate that into eating 3 teaspoons of sugar. It will blow your mind when you start noting serving portion/sugar grams per portion.
In a nutshell, would you eat 3 teaspoons of table sugar? Probably not. When we know better, we do better.
Wishing everyone boundless energy and good health. Happy 2022!
I think it’s important to clarify the difference between added sugar (as in sweets, soda, dressings and sauces, your coffee) vs naturally occurring sugar (like that in fruits and dairy). Added sugar is the one that it is beneficial to cut out. Our modern diet includes way too much of it. I can’t think of any negative effects other than crankiness and craving sugar. That shouldn’t last too long. One major benefit is that you reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes.
I felt no negative effects - after cutting sugar for a few weeks I had a burger - I had the worst sleep and the next morning I felt like I had a hangover.
Most people feel hangry. But that soon fades.
I’m shooting from the hip here, but as an avid cyclist (riding 10-15 hours/week with a mix of endurance riding and interval training), sugar is very important for performance. And when I say performance, I mean riding at target power without wanting to drop the bike, curl up on the side of the road, and cry.
When I get up in the morning to workout about 15 minutes after waking, I’ve have some issues with nutrition. I’m still in the “figuring it out” stage, but last week, I did a shot of maple syrup, warm water, and salt and BAM felt great throughout my sprint-y workout. As I’m trying to perfect my fueling strategy, I’ve started to eat more simple sugars during the workouts and stick to my usual complex sugars off the bike. I kicked a soda habit when I was 15, but I will grab a coke when I’m feeling awful on a long bike ride and it’s like a switch. Pros will eat gels in the last mile of a race for recovery- I’ve been told a can of coke is better for you than a can of tuna at the end of a workout.
All to say, that I think that sugar is essential for everyone but obviously in varying amounts depending on each person and their goals/activity level. I didn’t answer your question, but I just wanted to chime in because I think there’s a lot of misunderstanding on this topic which I think endurance sports, in particular, can shine a light on.
I have hyper reactive hypo glycemia. My body over produces insulin and i am super sensitive to it. It would be faster to eat some candy if my blood sugar crashes but I refuse. That and people giving me a hard time are the only things I can think of.
You will notice it in your mood first. You’ll go from jonesing for it right after you cut it off and then your body will feel reset. Hard to explain. Just feels cleaner and mood more balanced when sugar is no longer part of your nutritional intake (I’m talking deserts, pastry, candy, etc…. I haven’t gotten to the point of looking at tomato sauce for sugar content. lol).
No, but when I Cut sugars I was eating fruit to not get a withdrawal.
I was eating about 1 cup of fruit in every meal, but my real saver, 1/2 banana with sugar free peanut butter and dark non sugar chocolate chips
Good luck!You’ll see the benefits of cutting on sugar soon and that will keep you in the good road!
I don’t normally eat any processed sugar, but I eat fruit. Some of the good things are more energy because you don’t have any sugar rushes or crashes, and your body uses all the fruit so it apparently digests more slowly. Also sugar is bad for the flora in your gut; this flora is responsible for everything from digestion to your body’s immune response. Fibre from more fruit and vegetables also feed the good flora. So less sugar, more fruit and vegetables are really going to make you feel awesome in the long run.
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/gut-microbiome-and-health
Craving doesn’t last long using stevia or erythitrol, sucralose etc. Benefits huge don’t forget to limit carbohydrates since the body turns it into glucose. Dr Eric berg YouTube. Dr William Davis cardiologist author of Wheat belly cookbook
I dramatically reduced it and it took a few months to make a difference. I would at first maybe try one day a week having a sweet as a treat. Then it’s easier to drastically reduce and also tolerance for sugar and cravings go way down wo a struggle.
The negative could be worse athletic performance from lack of glycogen, and the anabolic effects of insulin for recovery. But you don’t specifically need sugar for this, just any carbohydrate with glucose.
After initial withdrawals, nope! Limiting all sugar (not just added) to less than about 15-20 grams a day in total is one of the best decisions I’ve made. Previously I had cut out all added sugars and limited total sugar to more like 45 grams a day. That helped, but my energy levels were still all over the place until recently once I took the next step in reducing it.
Beware of the downward spiral of reducing sugar ……Reducing sugar = lost weight = sexy body with six pack = increased amount of shirtless bathroom pictures = loads of women wanting to have sex with you = more sex with beautiful, fit women = increased chances of getting an STD
Sugar is vital and the cleanest source of energy for your cells. As long as its not processed then its okay. Get all your vitamins in before consuming a lot. One of the healthiest people I know eats about 1.5 lbs of sugar a day.
Sugar is a necessary nutrient for the body to produce energy so drastically reducing sugar isn’t the healthiest. Reducing processed sugars carefully is healthy for you though if you’re replacing the processed sugars with plant proteins. Your body converts proteins (ex. nuts and nut butters) into sugar which helps to maintain healthy blood glucose levels.
Is it okay to cut drastically back but leave in some? For example, no sweets/dessert except on occasion, but continuing to use my coffee creamer which has some sugar.
Or, does even a little bit of sugar in your diet lead to a lot of the negative effects?
Negative effects: withdrawals, crankiness, irritability, headaches (keep tylenol with you).
Positive: Weight loss. Stomach shrinks. You will get full faster. Any sweets you eat (especially candy, soda, muffins etc etc), will taste overly sweet and synthetic.
You go through withdrawals because you, like the rest of humanity who consumes sugar, are addicted to it. But that’s ok, it’s normal. The benefits are far too numerous to mention. You will live and feel the benefits within the first few weeks. Go well
I pretty much cut out added sugar without impact.I will confess that I put 1/4 tsp in my oatmeal still and I was on vacation for 3 weeks where I perfected my old fashion…The biggest source of added sugar was coffee and I went to black espresso and done
Extreme constipation in my case. I’ve tried quitting sugary junk food so many times and it always causes hard stools and constipation. I don’t get it. Yes, I drink plenty of water and always sipping on plain hot tea. I eat healthy and exercise but as soon as I cut out sugar, constipated.
When googling this issue, all articles state that eating sugar CAUSES constipation but it’s literally the opposite for me. When I go back to eating junk food, I’m no longer constipated.
This makes trying to lose weight impossible.