Sugar is a common part of many people’s diets. The average American consumes over 22 teaspoons of added sugar per day, which amounts to around 88 pounds of sugar per year! While it’s enjoyable, consuming large amounts of added sugars can negatively impact your health in many ways. If you decide to cut out sugar completely, it can significantly affect your body and mind in both positive and negative ways initially. However, over time, eliminating sugar provides some powerful health benefits that make it worthwhile for many people.
What is sugar?
Sugar refers to simple carbohydrates like sucrose, fructose, and glucose that your body can quickly break down for energy. There are two main types of sugars:
Naturally occurring sugars – Found in whole foods like fruits, vegetables, dairy products. These come with vitamins, minerals, fiber, and more.
Added sugars – Added to processed foods and beverages like candy, soda, cereals, etc. These provide calories with minimal nutritional value. The WHO recommends limiting added sugars to less than 10% of total calories.
Common added sugars include high fructose corn syrup, white sugar, brown sugar, honey, and maple syrup. Reading nutrition labels can help identify sources of added sugars.
What happens to your body when you stop eating sugar?
Eliminating added sugars can produce both short-term and long-term changes in your physical and mental health:
Short Term Changes
Blood sugar changes – Your blood sugar levels will stabilize since you’re no longer consuming large amounts of simple sugars. This can alleviate energy spikes and crashes.
Cravings – Sugar is addictive, so cutting it out can lead to intense sugar cravings initially as your body adjusts. These tend to improve within 1-2 weeks for most people.
Energy changes – Some people report feeling more tired than usual during the sugar detox process. Your body needs time to adapt to using fats/protein for energy instead.
Mood changes – You may experience mood swings, irritability, and anxiety when removing a source of instant energy from your diet. This typically improves with time.
Headaches – Some people get headaches for the first week or so as the body adjusts to lower blood sugar levels. Make sure you’re getting enough nutrients.
Gut bacteria changes – The bacteria in your gut will shift as you change your diet, which can cause some GI discomfort initially. This regulates after a few weeks.
Long Term Changes
Over weeks to months of little to no added sugar, you can experience several beneficial health effects:
Stable energy – Steady energy without spikes and crashes from sugar highs.
Reduced inflammation – Lower blood sugar reduces systemic inflammation linked to disease.
Improved gut health – Your microbiome diversity improves, supporting the immune system.
Weight loss – Eliminating empty sugar calories leads to an easier time losing weight for most people.
Better heart health – Sugar increases heart disease risk, so avoiding it improves cardiovascular markers.
Lower diabetes risk – Cutting out sugary foods can help prevent and manage type 2 diabetes.
Improved brain function – Your thinking, memory, and mood can improve without brain fog from high blood sugar.
Healthier skin – Acne, wrinkles, and skin aging may be reduced by cutting sugar and the resulting inflammation.
Decreased cancer risk – Some research shows lower rates of certain cancers like breast and colorectal cancer with minimal sugar intake.
The longer you go without sugar, the more pronounced and sustainable these benefits become for most people.
How long does it take to see results from quitting sugar?
You’ll likely start noticing some effects immediately, while the full benefits take weeks or months without sugar. Here’s a general timeline:
1-3 days – Headaches, cravings, irritability from sugar withdrawal.
1 week – Improved blood sugar regulation, reduced inflammation, energy stabilization.
2+ weeks – Fewer cravings, improved mood and focus, better gut health.
1 month – Weight loss, skin improvements, decreased diabetes and heart disease risk markers.
6+ months – Sustainable fat loss, improved cholesterol, blood pressure, and cardiovascular health. Decreased cancer risk.
Again, it varies based on how much sugar you ate before and individual factors. But most people report significant improvements within a month or two of complete sugar elimination.
9 tips for cutting out sugar successfully
Cutting added sugars cold turkey can be challenging both mentally and physically. Here are some tips to make the process easier:
1. Go slow – Reduce your sugar intake gradually rather than all at once to minimize withdrawal effects.
2. Read labels – Get in the habit of reading nutrition labels to know where hidden sugars lurk.
3. Watch fruits/juices – Fruit contains natural sugars, so limit high-sugar fruits like mangos initially. Also limit fruit juice.
4. Meal plan – Plan meals and snacks to ensure you aren’t hungry and tempted by sugary options.
5. Avoid triggers – Don’t keep high-sugar foods at home during the initial adjustment period.
6. Find alternatives – Use stevia, monk fruit, erythritol, or other natural sweeteners sparingly if needed.
7. Eat regularly – Don’t go too long without eating or blood sugar dips can trigger cravings.
8. Support system – Enlist friends/family to support your efforts and avoid saboteurs.
9. Lifestyle changes – Increase exercise, sleep, and stress management techniques to help mitigate negative symptoms.
Making gradual and sustainable changes to your diet and lifestyle makes cutting out sugar much easier to stick to long-term.
What are some healthy, low-sugar foods to eat?
Focusing your diet on the following healthy, naturally low-sugar foods can help you avoid cravings and meet your nutritional needs:
Non-starchy veggies – Broccoli, peppers, spinach, carrots, cauliflower, etc.
Leafy greens – Kale, spinach, lettuce, swiss chard, arugula, etc.
Lean protein – Chicken, turkey, salmon, tuna, eggs, tofu etc.
Beans and legumes – Lentils, black beans, kidney beans, chickpeas, etc.
Fresh fruits – Berries, grapefruit, peaches, granny smith apples, lime, etc.
Healthy fats – Olive oil, avocados, nuts, seeds, coconut oil, etc.
Herbs and spices – Cinnamon, garlic, basil, cumin, turmeric, ginger, etc.
Beverages – Water, unsweetened coffee/tea, sparkling water, mineral water.
Whole grains – Brown rice, quinoa, oats, buckwheat, barley, etc.
Focus on getting calories from nutrient-dense sources that provide long-lasting energy. Read labels to avoid packaged snacks with hidden sugars.
Potential challenges of avoiding sugar completely
While minimal sugar intake provides health benefits, there are some potential downsides to consider:
– Social situations – Birthdays, holidays, and events typically revolve around sugary foods and drinks. Avoiding them completely can be socially isolating.
– Navigating cravings – Sugar cravings, especially initially, can be difficult to overcome for some. This requires mental willpower.
– No allowance for treats – The occasional sweet treat adds joy to life for most people – completely avoiding any is very restrictive.
– Time-consuming – Reading every label and meal prepping healthy foods takes a greater time investment.
– Potentially unsustainable – Extreme sugar restriction may lead to feelings of deprivation that cause people to eventually binge and abandon efforts.
– Missing out on nutrients – Some fruits are high in sugar but also provide valuable vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients. Avoiding them can mean missing out on nutrients.
The goal should be moderation and focusing on whole foods rather than demonizing all sugar completely long-term for balanced nutrition and enjoyment.
Conclusion
Eliminating added sugars can substantially improve many markers of health and reduce risk of chronic disease when maintained long-term. In the short-term, sugar withdrawal can cause headaches, cravings, irritability, and fatigue in some people as the body adjusts. But over time, the benefits typically outweigh the initial discomforts. To ease the transition, gradually reduce sugar, increase nourishing foods, and get support. Though complete abstinence from sweets may be unrealistic forever, being mindful of sugar sources and amounts as part of an overall healthy diet is an beneficial goal for most people. Moderation and balance is key for sustainable nutrition and lifestyle habits.