Avoiding Sugar in My Daily Diet

Tagged with coffee, health, splenda, sugar on January 5, 2024

What is sugar? It’s another word for sucrose, which is a simple carbohydrate, easily absorbed and easily converted into energy. The problem is that we tend to consume too many carbohydrates, in any form. The excess gets converted into fat.

I’ve heard people say that high fructose corn syrup is in everything. I agree that I’ve seen it in many products. Sugar, however, seems to be in products that shouldn’t even have it in them. What is it doing in store-bought pasta and spaghetti sauces? I read labels more today than ever.

Consume Less and Lose Fat Naturally

You may not lose weight, but you’ll lose fat, and fat loss is really what you’re after. Muscles weigh more than fat and if you’re active, losing weight can be counterproductive.

I tried following a ketogenic diet for a couple of months in 2019, but it didn’t work out for me. I didn’t start losing fat until I eliminated as much sugar from my diet as I possibly could. Of course, I couldn’t eliminate all of it, because even fruit has sugar.

I drink black coffee in the morning, lightly sweetened. I use sucralose to sweeten it, with the brand name of Splenda. It’s an artificial sweetener, but it doesn’t have a nasty aftertaste like saccharine and aspartame. Some people who see me using it ask me if I’m diabetic. I’m not. The Food and Drug Administration says we can safely consume up to 23 packets of Splenda per day. Each one-gram packet contains only around one percent of sucralose. Anyway… I have never consumed more than eight packets in a single day.

Replacing table sugar with raw sugar doesn’t make much of a difference. It still has carbohydrates and it still has calories. If you want to replace it with something natural, use stevia or some other plant extract. They have zero calories, zero fat and zero carbohydrates. Some of those products are packaged with extra ingredients, so read the labels carefully.

Consume Less and Sleep Better

I avoid sugar and eat and drink things without any sweetener at all most of the time. Since I eat fruit and drink fruit juices, I still end up consuming some sugar, even without any being added.

I’m almost convinced it’s the sugar, not the caffeine in coffee, that causes people to have trouble sleeping. When I drink it the way I do now, I can go to sleep an hour later without any consequences. Have doctors, dietitians, and nutritionists been lying to us all along?

Sugar affects children as well. That treat you give your child, even if it’s a healthy treat, can cause your child to become hyperactive, especially if your child doesn’t get a lot of exercise. Fruit treats are just as bad as candy. Try not to give your child anything sweet in the late afternoon or in the evening if you want your child to sleep normally.

I’m Not Completely Against Sugar

And I’m not trying to demonize it. One of my nieces, in the United States, appeared in the first episode of “Sugar Rush” on Netflix. Her company name is Inspired Sugar. She and her partner know how to make cakes, and they’ve been doing it for years.

Other than special occasions, like birthdays and anniversaries, I can’t recommend consuming cakes, ice cream or anything else loaded with sugar. If you consume less sugar, especially when it isn’t naturally occurring, you’ll enjoy a much healthier life overall. Even your teeth will thank you.

Image by Julita from Pixabay