I banned sugar from my diet for a week, and oh did I feel virtuous. But was I wise?
Suzanne Farrell, a registered dietitian in Cherry Creek and spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association, says sugar can be tough for people to reject, and that too much of it is a bad thing.
Q: Is it smart to eliminate sugar completely from your diet?
A: I’m not an extremist when it comes to foods, saying, ‘OK, I’m never going to have this again.’ I don’t recommend it because it’s not necessary. What you want to focus on most of the time is what you should be getting. People are lacking in fruits and vegetables.
Q: I did banish it from my life for a week, and I plan to keep it up for another four weeks. I’ve found it difficult. I crave sugar. Is that unusual?
A: If you eat sugar pretty regularly, your body gets addicted to it. It’s hard to cut cold turkey. It’s like caffeine and coffee.
Q: For those just trying to cut back, what are some of the pitfalls?
A: I always say that the 3 p.m. time period is so hard for so many people. As the sun goes down, so do all dietary intentions. It’s three hours after lunch, a good time to a snack. But we tend to go for sugar … So, identify the trouble times of the day and have a plan of action-what are substitutes we can have in place that are more nutritous?
You don’t want to go from chocolate in the afternoon to carrots. You want to come up with something practical that would also fill the other cravings you might have.
You could do graham crackers with peanut butter on them. Even doing like a hot chocolate. They have lower-sugar hot chocolates. A low-fat yogurt with some nuts in it.
Focus on more nutritious replacements that will also satisfy. And be patient. Give it a couple of days. You will not love the switch-over that first day. It will feel like an effort, and that’s OK.
Q: What are some of the benefits of cutting back on refined sugar?
A: People notice improved energy levels. Their blood sugars aren’t going through that quick spike and drop … With the sugar, it gives you that immediate boost, but later on you are feeling pretty tired again. Whereas having an apple or something more nutritious really would sustain you … Weight loss, too, because the types of foods high in sugar are also high in calories.
It’s also good that you’d be choosing more healthy foods than the chocolate in the office: It’s the junk foods and sweets that take up so much from the nutritious foods.
Staff writer Douglas Brown can be reached at 303-954-1395 or djbrown@denverpost.com.
