I QUIT SUGAR. THERE WERE DOWNSIDES—BUT ONE BIG POSITIVE
My wife and I decided to quit sugar for a month. Nowadays, you can't hurl a cronut without hitting a thought-provoking expose on how sugar is destroying humanity one disease at a time.
Before deciding to quit sugar for a month, we knew that having too much wasn't good for us. But too much of anything isn't good for you. I wanted to find out for myself the benefits of quitting sugar.
I want to live a long time, and a lot of people say that sugar causes all sorts of health problems, from heart disease to liver disease. I enjoy life and the people in it. I want to see my baby grow up. I want to live long enough so that there's the technology to download my consciousness into a computer and in that way be immortal.
I want to have more energy, which is apparently what happens to people who quit sugar. If I have more energy, I'm in a better mood. If I'm in a better mood, I can be more productive earn more money, and help raise my baby.
Sugar is hidden in everything, so before quitting, I had to do some research. What does it mean to quit added sugar?
Natural sugar is sugar that's found naturally in food without us doing anything to it, like apples, milk, and vegetables. Added sugar is sugar added to food when we process it.
This is found in things like... basically everything. Bread, ketchup, yogurt, dressings. It is shocking how much sugar is in popular yogurt brands that are supposed to be healthy.
Apparently, natural sugar and added sugar are more or less chemically the same thing. But when you have natural sugar in things like apples, it comes with vitamins and fiber and other good stuff that makes the body process it more slowly and in a healthier way.
It satiates you, and it fills you up more than added sugar. But when you take that fruit and make it into juice, even without messing with it in any other way, it's still technically natural sugar and will be labeled that way, but also loses many of the benefits.
Then there are things like honey and nectar, which technically have natural sugar. They probably have a little bit more beneficial stuff in them than straight-up sugar, but it's still a lot of sugar at once.
So, with all of that in mind, our rules were no added sugar, no fruit juice, no sugar alternatives like stevia and aspartame, and no honey and agave. This meant I had to give up my protein bar that I'd consume pretty much every day.
It also meant no sweet breakfasts like pancakes or waffles, no donuts, ice cream, salad dressing, ketchup, chips, salsa, and nearly every packaged thing in a grocery store.
The first three days weren't that bad, maybe because we weren't heavy users of sugar in the first place. We quit drinking soda and I reduced my ice cream and chocolate regimen over the years. But, on the third day, I felt grumpy and terrible.
On day seven, I felt amazing, but on day nine, I felt low again. I had some ups and downs. Looking back, I realized that on day four, we were going through withdrawal symptoms.
The lack of options was difficult for us to adjust to. If I wanted something to quickly eat, I couldn't just go to a fast food place.
On day nine, I realized that I lost three pounds, and two weeks in, I lost almost five pounds. It was really indicative of the sheer volume of sugar calories I was consuming before. Quitting sugar tends to make people lose weight.
During the diet, I went grocery shopping. I stopped and looked at the ice cream, and I didn't want it that bad. A month ago, we went to that same grocery store, and I looked at those same ice cream and impulsively bought one and then ate almost half of a pint.
When we got home that day, I realized that my cravings for sweets started to go away. Apparently, one of the biggest causes of a sweet tooth is a sweet tooth.
The cravings did come back a little, but we generally just felt better, even though I didn't notice myself feeling better at the time.
I noticed that I felt fuller most of the time, and this was probably the most significant change for me. When we were hungry, we ate eggs, meat, pasta with homemade sauce with no added sugar, and fruit and vegetables for snacks.
We had things like apples with natural peanut butter, which I love, and am completely addicted to. We ate cauliflower, caprese, and lasagna with a cauliflower base. I also made a ratatouille, and that was pretty good.
I saw a video on Facebook of sliced sweet potatoes with goat's cheese and blueberries and raspberries on it. I made it myself and it was so good.
On the last day, we planned a glorious celebration. I wanted to celebrate with a wonderful dessert; dark chocolate ice cream, strawberries, and peanuts with hot fudge on top.
As I was scooping the hot fudge, I licked it off the spoon and waited a little. My heart started racing and I got sick to my stomach. So, I just ate strawberries. I realized that after quitting sugar, everything tasted sweeter to us.
Several weeks after we finished the diet, I still didn't get cravings for ice cream, chocolate donuts, or anything with sugar. Fresh food tasted better and my sweet cravings went away. We also saved some money. Overall, my energy levels stayed more steady throughout the day, and I had fewer afternoon crashes.
One con of this diet was that we missed our delicious sugary foods like chocolate and ice cream. Denying yourself of stuff you love isn't necessarily fun, but with time, I think you can get over it.
Another con was the terrible withdrawal symptoms which didn't last forever. But the biggest con for me was the inconvenience. We had to be vigilant about making sure there was no sugar in our food. We couldn't go out and eat wherever, whenever.
I'm back on the sugar train, but I'm eating less than I was before, which is good. I think it was worth it.
Since this challenge, my eating habits have continued to improve. Quitting sugar was a great way to start. Now, I'm significantly more aware of what has a lot of sugar in it and more conscious of how much I'm eating.
This challenge was the best food education I've ever had and inspired me to participate in so many more challenges that continue to help improve my health.
Craig Benzine (WheezyWaiter) is a YouTube creator with over a decade of experience in the space. He has turned his asthmatic musings of a waiter into a cherished collection of quick-witted, educational experiments & challenges tackling everything from science to culture. Craig's wife, Chyna, often joins Craig in the challenges and provides even more insight, perspective, and quick wit.
All views expressed in this article are the author's own.
Do you have a unique experience or personal story to share? Email the My Turn team at [email protected].
Related Articles
- I Was a Nurse at Burning Man. The Rumors Were Wrong
- I Was Snorting Crystal Meth Before Going to the Office
- I Was Raised in a Cult. Like the Duggar Family, We Had Dark Secrets
- I Had Chronic Pain. Silent Walking Healed It
- I Paid Off $100K of Student Loan Debt With These 5 Tips
- I'm a Psychologist, I See Two Toxic Dating Strategies Online
- I'm a Mormon on OnlyFans
- I Had Crippling Back Pain Until a Life-Changing Diet Switch
