Walking the Walk - Making it Work for You

by Bethany Sanders (Subscribe to Bethany Sanders's posts)
Nov 21st 2008 7:00AM

Cutting out sweets is hard. Cutting out sugar completely? Now that's an accomplishment. That's because sugar can be found in so many everyday products that don't even seem sweet, like bread and crackers, for instance. So when you make the decision to give up sugar, you have to decide how far you really want to go.

Here are a few good places to start:

Stop drinking soda. If you have a regular soda habit, it's probably your biggest source of sugar consumption.
Drop the diet soda too. Some studies suggest just tasting that sweet flavor is enough to cause an insulin response.
Nix the sweets next. They're high in calories and have little nutritional value.

In my own personal long view, this is where I'll probably stop. It lets me have a treat during special occasions, but keeps them out of my every day life. But if you want to go hardcore and really attack your sugar habit, here are some tips for avoiding it altogether:

Become a label reader. There's no way to know if something is sugar-free unless you read the ingredient list.
Know the many forms of sugar, including: corn syrup, fructose, glucose, lactose, maltodextrin, rice syrup, sucrose, honey, and galactose.
Don't be afraid of fruit. Yes, fruit has naturally occurring sugar, but it's also rich in antioxidants and fiber. Your body needs sugar, it just doesn't need an entire box of Twinkies.
Pay attention to the rest of your diet. Upping your protein and healthy fats may help keep hunger at bay while you're learning to live without sugar.
Finally, have a plan for when weakness strikes. Because even if you don't go looking for sugar, it's going to eventually find you.

Have you ever tried to give up sugar? What kinds of tips and tricks can you share with our readers to make this healthy habit stick?

Got a Walking the Walk idea you'd like to see Bethany try for seven days? Share it with us in comments!

Comments (3)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Lucy 12-26-2008 @ 3:43PM

I gave up sugar in a very hard core way 25 years ago. I did not eat anything with sugar in it for several years. It was difficult to stop and I felt very anxious for the first three months. I had been medicating the nervousness I had while I was writing my thesis and was only two years clean and sober. Seems sugar was my first addiction.

Now, I still do not eat sweets with sugar but I do eat foods that have small amounts of sugar like when it is way down the ingredient list. It usually is not hard but on the rare occasions when it is, I eat a healthy meal and the craving goes away.

At age 52, I have joined weight watchers to drop the pounds that have slowly crept up over the years. I have some of the same feelings and cravings that I had when I stopped sugar but at a much less intense level. It helps to have gone through giving up sugar. I can use the same tools to help me eat healthier. I write everything I eat and evaluate what helps and what does not. Social support really helps too. Reading this blog about sugar takes me back and reminds me I have accomplished harder things. I know if I were eating sugar all these years I would have a lot more weight to lose today.

Bethany Sanders 12-26-2008 @ 3:47PM

Lucy,

It's so interesting to me that you mention anxiety, because that was a big part of my withdrawal from sugar too.

Thanks for commenting!

Donna 12-26-2008 @ 3:07PM

I gave up soda in 2005. That really made no impact on my life. It wasn't until I gave up sugar almost completely in 2005 that I recieved incrediable health benifits. I now believe that sugar is a posion to your body and needs to be avoided as much as possible. I don't eat white bread, white rice, or any type of articfical sweetner either. i was not really sick but had so many little things that were bugging me. They are completely gone now. I am 54 years old but feel like I am 30.

The fog in the brain is gone. I can remember things again.
I have energy all day long.
My breath was always rancid - gone ( If I am not careful, I forget to brush my teeth some times now)
No more neck pain.
Pain in my thumbs is gone. The beginning of arthritis I think.
I had fibromyalgia symptons - gone!!
I am much warmer. I am not cold all the time.
My skin is so much healthier.
I now sleep like a rock.

See nothing major but oh my, the combined effect has been wonderful!!! I will never ever go back.