Should I quit sugar? How bad is it?

Is quitting sugar a good idea?

As a dietitian, a question I often hear is ‘Should I cut out sugar?’. I will take you through the pros and cons of reducing sugar intake, how to incorporate sugar without some of the nutritional pitfalls and discuss the challenges that come with trying to eliminate it from your diet.

Is sugar actually bad for you?

The answer depends on how much of it you eat and if your sweet tooth prevents you from eating foods that provide essential nutrients. If for example, you add sugar to your tea and have some chocolate squares after dinner and through the day you ate a couple of pieces of fruit and 5 serves of veg, a couple of serves of lean protein foods and a few serves of wholegrains for fibre, then no harm done.  You fed your body what it needed as well as got to enjoy something sweet. 

However, if you are finding yourself reaching for sweet snacks instead of the basics, then you will probably run into some trouble. High processed sweet foods (such as juice, biscuits, lollies etc) are extremely easy to eat in large amounts and can leave you wanting ‘just one more’.  They can also reduce the sensitivity of your tastebuds so that you can’t taste the natural sweetness in other foods such as milk, bread, veggies and fruit. These foods then start to look quite unappetising! And no wonder! Your body has got used to the high of sweetness and now that’s what it is going to crave!  

Some of the other pitfalls of overloading on highly processed sugary foods include:

• Spikes in blood sugar: What goes up, must come down. Sugar in processed foods, are super easy for the body to absorb into your blood stream. This gives you very sharp increase in energy and mood. The body then works extra hard to bring your blood sugar levels back down. So far down in fact that you can find yourself feeling more tired than when you started!
• Weight gain: Sugar is a fuel source for the body and if you are sitting on the couch instead of walking your dog, then like any good long-term investor, the body is going to save that energy for ‘a rainy day’. But that rainy day never comes.. and then over time the kilos creep up.
• More trips to the dentist: Every time you eat food that contains sugar, you are feeding bacteria in your mouth that produce acid which can lead to cavities.

The pros and cons of reducing your sugar intake

So having a small amount of sugar in your diet can be absolutely fine as part of a fairly balanced eating pattern with plenty of variety. So, if you have been hitting the sweet stuff a little too hard lately, these are some of the things to consider for when cutting back.

The Pros

• Stable energy through the day: Without the highs and lows of sugar snacking, you may experience a steadier energy. The dips in energy you feel are more likely to be natural tiredness which builds as you get closer to bedtime.
• Stable weight: Less sugar means fewer empty calories, which can make it easier to maintain your weight.
• Clearer skin: Research suggests that following a low-glycemic diet (which is also low in simple sugars) may reduce acne because this diet eliminates spikes in your blood sugar.
• Better Mood: In a recent large population study, higher intakes of sugar have been found to be associated with an almost 30% higher prevalence of depression.

The cons

• Drop in energy: Initially you may find you feel a bit more tired as you pull back on the sugar if it has been propping up your energy levels. This should improve as you adjust and add in more slow release and sustaining energy from other foods.
• Reduced satisfaction: Sweet foods are enjoyable to eat and provide an important balance in the flavours within a meal. If you completely cut out sugar, meals may taste bland and unsatisfying.
• Less variety: If you are too strict with cutting out sugar in all its forms, you may be cutting out important nutrients as well. Many nutritious foods contain natural sugars such as fructose and lactose which can be found in foods such as fruit, milk, yoghurt and even some vegetables.
• Low sugar substitutes: Some people may find it easier to switch to sweeteners to reduce the calories without losing the sweetness. But sweeteners can leave you with a chemical aftertaste or reduce the enjoyment of foods.

The challenge of quitting sugar

• Cravings and Withdrawal symptoms: Sugar can be addictive because it stimulates the reward and dopamine areas of the brain. Therefore, giving up that rush can leave you feeling a bit rough initially.

• Social adjustments: How many of your social situations revolve around food? Some of those my inevitably involve sugary foods which can make it hard to say no or possibly lead to you avoiding meeting up with friends altogether.

• FOMO: No one likes to miss out or be told what to do. So, when we intentionally try to restrict foods, this can make us desire them even more. This can lead to over-restriction and like a rubber band that has been pulled too tight.. snap! Leading to a mindless binge and feelings of guilt.

There are a lot of benefits to reducing your sugar intake if you have found yourself in a hamster wheel chasing a sugar rush that requires an ever-increasing dose to feel the rewards. But being too strict or trying to cut sugar completely out of your life can be detrimental to your mental health, popularity and overall nutrition intake. So, take it step by step and swap out the simple sugars in those ‘discretionary’ foods such as juices, soft drinks and lollies and leave all the nutrient dense sweet foods in, such as fruit, milk, dairy and vegetables.