Wait...what about a sugar detox?
One of the most common questions we're asked is some variation of, "How can I cut all sugar from my diet?" Or, taking one step back, "Should I cut all sugar from my diet?"
Of course, there isn’t a simple answer. There are all sorts of competing schools of thought on this. And everyone’s body is different in how it reacts to and processes different ingredients. That being said, there are a couple of guidelines that we try to follow:
When considering purchasing a food, check the ingredient list to see how many of them we've heard of/can pronounce. Generally speaking, the more words that sound like they were made up in a lab somewhere, the more skeptical we should be.
Limit added sugar (meaning, we're not worried so much about the natural sugar that’s in our apples, but rather the manufactured sugar that’s added to so many processed foods). And because the food industry is trying its best to trick us, it doesn’t always show up as “sugar” on the ingredient list. Most of us know to look for “high fructose corn syrup,” but it might also say, “agave nectar” or “brown rice syrup” or “dehydrated cane juice” or “sorghum” or a whole host of other things. Pretty much anything that says syrup or sweetener or ends in “-ose” is some kind of added sugar. And most of us can’t realistically avoid that entirely - but it’s definitely something to be aware of and look out for.
Be wary of food that’s marketed as healthy. That might sound crazy, but we’ve already established that the food industry is out to trick us. They’ll use earthy-looking brown and green packaging. Or buzzwords like gluten-free, vegan, organic, etc. Not that these things are things we can’t consume - but let's not assume that a certain kind of packaging means it’s good for you. Again: check the nutritional label/ingredient list.
This is not the concrete answer most people are looking for, but it’s how we choose to navigate the grocery store when it comes to processed/packaged, "sugary" foods. Rather than focusing on what we need to cut out, most of us could benefit from focusing on what foods we want to eat more of. One strategy for doing this is a food log: simply take a journal and write down every single thing that you eat. Even without aiming for certain targets or numbers, this added level of consciousness and accountability can help us make better choices and enjoy in moderation [i.e., one serving of ice cream instead of three].
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