People tout going on a sugar-free diet or cleansing, but they rarely actually go without sugars. For one, that's an incredibly irresponsible and ill-advised thing to do.
Only a few foods are completely without naturally occurring sugars:
- seafood
- pure proteins
- fats
- spices
Eating butter-poached turmeric-encrusted tilapia with a side of black pepper-rubbed ribeye isn't going to sustain a human healthily for long, even if you lose weight temporarily.
So, really, for better health, people should go on a "no added sugar" kick and continue to eat a well-balanced diet.
What's the point of being leaner if you've also got scurvy?
The human body requires more than protein and fats and much of those other nutrients will come with natural sugars in the form of fructose, glucose, sucrose, lactose, and maltose found in fruits, vegetables, nuts, tree syrups, honey, dairy, and grains.
And those are only the simple sugars naturally occurring in foods. Other foods, like beans, contain complex sugars like oligosaccharides. Some foods also break down to create sugars during digestion.
So quitting sugar is unrealistic and unhealthy. But no added sugar is definitely doable.
Reddit user Professor1password23 asked:
"People who quit sugar, what changes did you notice ?"
Nature's Sugar
"When you cut out the sugar, suddenly you realize how sweet things like red peppers or skim milk are."
~ ashoka_akira
"Carrots are also quite sweet."
~ IgnisWriting
"I went back to another diet a week ago and my wife made vegetable soup for me."
"My wife didn’t understand why I was asking if she put sugar in it. The shift doesn’t take long."
~ nbeaster
Too Sweet
"Everything was ridiculously sweet if I cheated—like a can of Coke was impossible to finish."
~ LilMsMolly
"Same here. Things like Coke are horrid to drink now. I like unsweetened flavored soda water to get my bubbles fix."
~ melliott103
"The one that was unbearably sweet to me was ketchup. Never realized how much sugar is in there."
~ Horns9452
Crave No More
"I quit sugar and significantly scaled back on carbs."
"For me the biggest thing is not having cravings or energy crashes distracting me throughout the day."
"It’s very liberating. One less thing to worry about."
"Turns out eating healthy is pretty damn easy when you don’t have to constantly fight against your own body."
~ Ignoth
"Same! Not having cravings at all during the day meant I could make better eating choices and not be thinking about food at all points. My anxiety went down. It was sooo goood."
~ Locurilla
Weightloss Not Guaranteed
"I didn't quit sugar entirely, but I quit drinking soda. It was rough at first, but now if I drink one it just tastes like syrup."
"The aggravating part is that I didn't lose a single pound."
~ PersonMcNugget
"Same, not a pound lost but I bet we'd gain weight if we started drinking it again."
~ dit_dit_dit
It Got Easier
"I did a 30 day challenge a long time ago of no sugar, nothing sugary like soda, candy, etc..."
"It was very hard the first few days, but as I got to the end I could have kept going."
"Your body stops asking for it."
~ CautiontapeGirl
Tastes Change
"I gave up sugar for well over a year and I started to detect sweetness in things I wouldn't have before, and became more appreciative of subtle sweetness."
"I did not, on the other hand, find it made any change to my health, skin, or energy levels."
"I reverted back to using sugar after a bit, but it's still a reduced intake."
"I can no longer stand things that are very sweet...that includes fruit that isn't tart."
~ Shai7809
Made Cravings Worse
"I quit added sugar (still ate fruit and raw fruit bars) for 100 days."
"My digestion improved, but honestly, it was tough AF, and I felt pretty weird, having everyone say, 'Well, it's been X months now, you're probably not missing sugar anymore!' while in reality, I just wanted some goddamn sugar."
"When I quit this diet, it was really easy to just get a bit too addicted to sugar again..."
~ bubblerunka
"Seriously! Everyone loves to say 'after day x you don't even crave it anymore!'—that was not true for me."
"It was less like I was not craving it and more like I was scared to break my streak. But I always missed it just a little."
~ delveccio
That Healthy Glow
"The biggest change I noticed was in my skin. My complexion cleared up, and I don't get as many breakouts."
"It was a slow process, but about a month in, I could really see a difference."
~ HottieSparkle
"Similarly, my lifelong acne and eczema healed. I also cut out the refined carbs since that turns into sugar as well."
~ SandySockShoes
Weightloss
"I lost 10 pounds per month without exercising.
"I now eat a minimal amount of carbs (sugar) 90% of the time, and I’ve eliminated inflammation, brain fog, and sluggishness."
"I will eat this way the rest of my life."
~ bigworm237415799
Dodging Diabetes
"I pee less, I don't get as thirsty at night as I used to."
"In hindsight I think I might have accidentally saved myself from diabetes."
~ PalpitationNo4375
Breaking The Habit
"It really is an addiction. It took me a few weeks of effort and low-carb dieting to really break free."
"But it really changes your life. You just feel so much better; you don’t have the hunger pangs, the wildly fluctuating energy, you just feel better overall."
"Full disclosure: I did this as part of an intermittent fasting program, and after a few months, I was able to have some cookies once in a while. But be warned—it is so, so easy to fall back into old habits!"
~ CavediverNY
Tastebud Reset
"It took me two weeks to break free. Two.intense. weeks. I used to drink multiple cans of soda a day and now I know better in that just one can of soda has two full days worth of sugar."
"Biggest change that I noticed was that food tasted better, like my taste buds had reset. Foods that I initially thought tasted bland—like unsalted almonds—actually had flavor."
"Nowadays I can't stand even a sip of soda, it tastes way too sugary now. I still have ongoing issues with portion control, but I never went back to sugar."
~ birdconureKM
Nothing, Nada, Zilch
"None. I was hoping for some changes and looking for them, but none."
"I just have to believe that there are health changes that I can't see. I felt the same way when I quit smoking."
~ HoshiJones
"Yep, same here, nothing noticible changed after 3 months of no sugar."
"Went back to sugar and I don’t feel any worse and I love eating again."
"Oh well, no sugar is not a one-weird-trick fix for me."
~ doubledad222
Not Everyone Is Celebrating
"A complete lack of joy and will to live. I'm fine with dying early now if I have to."
~ anmalyshko
"Seriously. My physical health improved at the same rate as my mental health declined."
~ DeathByBamboo
Lots Of Changes
"I moved in with my now-husband two years ago and the dude didn't have any sweets in the house. The only sugar was a small Tupperware container that clearly hadn't been used in some time. He grew up in a house where he didn't have birthday cake for the first time until he was six at a classmate's party."
"It was really hard to me to quit cold turkey, so I paced myself; I grew up in a house that if you wanted a snack you reached for the Oreos. I swapped with healthier alternatives, like plain Greek yogurt with a small amount of honey and cinnamon or adding a small dollop of homemade whipped cream to strawberries, and then reduced/ removed it entirely. It was not easy.
"Once I quit, I noticed: -- Less headaches -- I wasn't thirsty all the time -- My hypermobility flare ups decreased in severity (aching joints, tendon pain, etc) -- I genuinely felt less like general crap all the time -- More energy throughout the day in general -- I stopped craving sugar entirely."
"Literally everything with sugar now tastes really crazy sweet and gross. Fruit is good, but I also don't reach for it much. But I LOVE oven and pan roasted broccoli, holy sh*t that's amazing stuff and now that's like a total treat."
"I now can't eat Oreos or certain processed chocolate brands. I learned that the hard way when I went to my parents' house for a few days. If I do, I feel seriously physically ill."
"I lost (and then gained) some weight, which I attribute to aging/finally giving my body the nutrients it clearly needed -- Smoother, clearer skin.
"Ironically? Sleeping better because I wasn't feeling like general crap all the time."
"I crave savory snacks now. We've swapped out for things like hummus and sun chips. Husband lives for mixed nuts and plain berry bowls."
"On the very rare occasion we do have sweets—special occasions like Thanksgiving or a birthday, they're homemade, like brownies, and even then they rarely get finished. They're just too sweet."
~ BobwasalsoX
Have you ever gone on a no sugar or no added sugar diet? What was it like for you?
