Too Much Sugar
In Your Diet?

There are many reasons too much sugar is associated with poor health. You can view 25 Reasons to Avoid Sugar here.

I have had coaching clients tell me they didn't use much sugar. Once we got into the specifics of their diet, what came out was they didn't spoon sugar on their food. Many had no idea they were getting too much sugar from processed foods.

There are very few processed foods that don't use corn syrup in some form. Start checking food labels and you will see for yourself all the sugar that these products contain.

Other clients, when we are discussing sugar and health, will tell me they are cutting out fruit because of the sugars they contain.

I point out that sugar from nature's fruit does not have the same negative affect on the body as a man made and chemical laden product that is added to a processed food.

How do you view sugar consumption?

There are a number of different concepts that can come to mind when the phrase "Sugar Free Diet" comes up.

When you hear the phrase you may think of it as:

eating all the sweets you want using artificial sweeteners
depriving yourself of anything that's sweet or
you may think of dropping your intake of sweets to a healthy and still enjoyable level.

Artificial Sweeteners

A sugar free diet is often viewed as a diet where all the sweet tasting things you eat are not sweetened with a form of sugar. Instead, an artificial sweetener is used.

It is true that the consumption of diet pop, sugar free desserts and candies will result in your taking in less sugar. This will also keep your blood sugar from spiking as much, which is a good thing.

The question is, are they healthy? Absolutely not! Artificial Sweeteners are extremely detrimental to your body. The health effects of these products are such that you should never use them.

Depriving yourself of all Sugar!

Another view of a sugar free diet is when you eat nothing sweet. This sounds logical due to the problems associated with over indulging in your sugar intake. For most people though, it is not practical.

Obviously, this type diet is very restrictive and difficult to stay on for an extended period of time. If you have no choice due to your own personal circumstances, I wish you well.

However, I know from coaching people that trying to get yourself to do something difficult that you don't enjoy, almost never leads to making a change in your life.

The easier and more enjoyable your plan is, the more success you will have in getting away from too much sugar.

Looking at Sugar Consumption
From a Health Standpoint.

Much of the medicine practiced outside the US incorporates the theory that a balanced diet consists of 5-6 different tastes. A composite of the tastes involved in these theories would be:

spicy
sour
bitter
salty and
sweet!

Balance in all things, they say! So I don't believe that you need to cut out sugar altogether. Just don't go overboard. Letting your taste buds become so accustomed to sugary tastes that you turn off your thinker and shovel sugar in every time it's offered is unhealthy.

My Recommendation

Cutting processed sugars out of your diet is a great idea. You will find that weaning yourself away from a constant barrage of sweets will reduce your cravings for them.

Do it a step at a time and in the most enjoyable way for you.

Be aware, think for yourself, and take control of your own health!

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