Warning: this article will ruin your desert—consume it after you have downed that pint of Ben and Jerry’s. Done? Good. Now burp and read:
Most people don’t realize it, but one of the most destructive substances consumed by humans can be found in every supermarket. This insidious and stealth substance is plentiful in fine health food stores, pharmacies, and fitness clubs and is most likely lurking right in your own home just waiting to pounce. Who am I kidding—it’s probably journeying through your arteries right this minute. What is the sinister stuff? None other than sugar. Refined or unrefined, naturally produced or high fructose corn syrup, common forms of sugar heighten your blood pressure, rob your body of essential nutrients and over-stimulate your synapses (ever wonder why you think so much?). For people dealing with addiction, the dangers of sugar are even greater. Studies have demonstrated that the brain of an alcoholic or drug addict processes sugar into a substance that is almost identical to heroine. Yikes!
Most people think that sugar has some nutritional value. Sadly, the opposite is true. Sugar is an anti-nutrient. I won’t get into the biochemistry of it, but suffice to say that if you never ate another thimble-full of sugar in your life you would only benefit. The sugars you do need for energy are supplied by fruits, vegetables and other foods—the concentrated stuff is an entirely different, and valueless creature.
Now, of course there is very little chance that sugar is going to be eliminated from the average American diet, but the nutritional properties (or lack of) of sugar is something we all should be aware of. Unfortunately, most people are not. Why are the effects of sugar such a secret? You guessed it: money. The sugar lobby has historically been very aggressive in combating sugar facts with sweetened spin. In 1998 sugar makers spent three million dollars lobbying the FDA to change just one word in their daily diet recommendations. They sought to persuade the government to change the word "limit" (as in ‘you should limit your daily sugar intake’) to "moderate". Needless to say, they were successful. And the soda fountain was saved.
But what would life be like without sugar? Here’s an educated guess: calmer, lighter, wealthier and much more energetic. OK, it’s more than a guess. Three years ago I began to eliminate refined sweeteners of any kind from my diet. Soda, ice cream and Double-Gulp Slurpies were replaced by apples, pears and strawberries—you know, the boring stuff your mother tried to feed you. The first thing I found was this: sugar is a very hard habit to shake. I crave with the best of them and the early days of my experiment were marked by various “slips.” But in the course of a few weeks I was able to wean myself off of the stuff and the results were quick and quite noticeable. I lost about ten pounds, gained tons of energy, slept like a baby night after night and, perhaps most importantly, stopped my brain from taking me on the ups and downs that are a hallmark of sugar. Over time my sugar cravings diminished and I began thirsting for naturally sweet foods.
To be honest, I still struggle with sugar and my diet is by no means pure. But I have developed a keen sense of what happens to my body when I eat sugar and can even tell if a sauce, cereal or other food has sugar added to it (and most foods do).
Now that I have ruined your evening and made you feel guilty about half the food in your fridge, I’d like to go a step further and ruin your week. I challenge you to take the no-sugar pledge and go without sugar for a week. Just one week. Merely one day at a time—but seven of those in a row. Do it and see how your body responds. If my experience is any indication, I’ll bet that by week’s end you’ll be feeling pretty sweet.
