Glucose. Corn Syrup. Stalin. Voldemort. Sugar is the pleasurable poison that will surely lead to the demise of the human race.
I kid!!!
Sugar isn’t kale. It’s never going to be the next big superfood. But the media and society overall have a way of sucking the fun out of so many pleasurable foods. While sugar clearly isn’t inherently “healthy,” (what does that word even mean anymore?) it’s our relationship with sugar that causes the real problems to arise. Trust me, it’s far more unhealthy for your mind and body to have near panic attacks every time you’re around sugar than if you were to just eat the damn brownie.
We tend to restrict sugar or cut it out completely because we’ve been told to. Scrolling through Facebook will have you believing you might as well smoke a cigarette before eating anything with high fructose corn syrup. Or better yet…a brownie made with GLUTEN (insert mortified emoji here). The fear mongering has reached another level of ridiculousness. Eating pretty much anything has become such an anomaly that we can barely listen to our own bodies anymore.
The problem is that most of us eat based on the time of day and based on what we think we should eat rather than when and what our bodies actually want. In fact, many of us haven’t eaten intuitively since we were toddlers because guess what? Toddlers don’t have Facebook and Dr. Oz and Grain Brain. All they have is their little minds and bellies telling them when they’ve had enough to eat. They’re ok leaving food on their plate because they know they’ll eat again. Eating isn’t some humongous deal. Doesn’t that sound so blissfully wonderful?
As we grow up, we’re warped to base our eating decisions on everything except our own intuition. To fall back in love with food again, we have to basically relearn our basic instincts. There will always be people telling us to abstain from certain foods. At some point you have to throw your hands in the air and recognize no one will ever know your body like you do.
Restricting foods that your body craves will lead to over-eating. Deprivation 101. It’s proven by science. You restrict restrict restrict, then you go to a party where there’s birthday cake and you eat thirty-seven pieces because you’ve been denying yourself for so long. If you allow yourself to feed your body what it wants when it wants, you realize your body actually won’t want you to eat ice cream all day every day. You can actually have a serving and move on with your life. You know when your little brother only wanted to play with the toy car when you were playing with it or when he couldn’t have it? Or the friend who had super strict parents in high school and rebelled like crazy in college? Same exact phenomenon. Your brain is smart. It will always want to break the rules. You will always want what you can’t have. So stop giving yourself rules.
Healthy people eat sugar. They allow their bodies to fully enjoy the pleasurable sensation physically and mentally from eating a warm cookie or delish bowl of ice cream and then they move on. They don’t beat themselves up over it and they don’t buy zero-calorie cookies made with fake sugar thinking they’re going to fool their brain. When indulging here and there becomes less of a big deal, when you realize you can have sugar when you want it, it loses its celebrity status. It just becomes normal. (Reading the book Intuitive Eating has opened my eyes so, so much to everything I talked about above and more. I highly advise you read it!)
I eat sugar every day. It’s freaking delicious and my life would be so much less sweet without it. Oftentimes it’s natural sugar in nourishing foods I love like apples (fresh and especially these dried ones), dates, mango, etc. Other times it’s in baked treats like muffins or cookies or maple syrup on my pancakes. And sometimes it’s in the form of refined white sugar when we grab donuts on the weekends. Lookie here, I’ve lived to tell ya about it! It’s not because I’m young or because I have some weird fast metabolism (people love to go there with me). I fuel myself with nourishing and happy foods, I don’t deny my body what it wants, and I move my body healthfully and happily. It all boils down to the same thing—your relationship with food.
I’m totally on board with keeping an eye on added sugar. I look for about seven or less grams in items like cereal and pasta sauce. I’m conscious, but I’m not obsessed. I’m observant, but I’m not rigid. I don’t put an item back on the shelf when I see sugar in some form. I don’t deny myself dessert when I’m craving it out of fear of sugar. Do I eat dessert every time I go out to eat? No. But because I don’t romanticize sugar nor restrict it and because I’ve learned to listen to my hunger and fullness cues, getting dessert is kind of just like getting a certain kind of entrée. I get what sounds good and I move on.
The people who get into trouble with sugar are the ones that are in a negative relationship with it because of the diet mentality. They may turn to sugar to soothe sooth an emotional issue when they’re not in fact hungry. They may never allow themselves to eat donuts and then go to the store in the middle night and binge eat a dozen. They may eat “skinny” frozen yogurt their whole lives and then top off a gallon of ice cream in ten minutes. It’s not sugar that’s the culprit. It’s over-using it because of something deeper going on inside you.
The promise land is getting to the point where sugar is in balance through fully embodying an intuitive relationship with yourself and with sugar. Huge thanks to Jamie Mendell for her wisdom on this topic! You should totally watch her video.
Nowadays, people fear natural sugar like they fear the industrial fructose in a Snickers bars even though natural sugar is wrapped up in a beautiful package with fiber and protein and phytonutrients that all work synergistically to blunt the spike in blood sugar. We shall not fear the fruit! Apples were not made in a lab next to Pop Tarts. Nature knows what it’s doing.
I fell in love with Made in Nature snacks once my Costco obsession began about six months ago. What I love about this company is that they offer insanely delish and wholesome snacks perfect for on-the-go. While most of their snacks are naturally sweetened with organic fruit, they’ll also use pure maple syrup in products like Italian Espresso Coconut Chips (oh my god) and Pomegranate Ginger Nut Fusion (my favorite of all their snacks). While there’s plenty of occasions that warrant good old sugar, I do lean toward natural choices when I can.
Sweeteners like maple syrup, coconut sugar, and honey are less refined and therefore retain some of the original mineral content. When I cook and bake at home, I usually (not always) opt for those sweeteners. It’s companies like Made in Nature that make that possible in the snack world. Oh and promise me you’ll try Rosemary Truffle Kale Chips!! You’ll never be the same.
Want to hear about a cool study that I always tell my fruit-fearing clients about? So there are two groups of people. One group drinks a sugary beverage and the other drinks a sugary beverage with fruit blended in (AKA, the second group consumes more sugar). And guess what? The people who drank the sugary beverage with added fruit had a lower insulin spike compared to the sugary drink on its own. How about this study where consumption of freeze-dried mango by obese individuals did not negatively impact body weight but had a positive effect on fasting blood glucose? Or that dates, a low glycemic fruit, are considered a healthy addition to a type-2 diabetics diet? Or that eating six dates a day can help pregnant women have easier deliveries? Fruit does not equal sugar.
Be wary of the media. Please. Remember the times when women couldn’t vote? When everyone thought the world was flat? When people had slaves, for crying out loud? There will always be false truths floating around society and it’s your job to exercise a healthy skepticism. To think independently. A fact is not true because a bunch of people say it is. Crazier things have happened than the media telling us everything we put into our bodies except organic local watercress and grass-fed elk is toxic.
Now head on over to Instagram to enter to win a bunch of Made in Nature super snacks, a workout tank, and a Core Power gift card!
This post was made in partnership with Made in Nature.
Megan says
This is such a great post! I whole heartedly agree !! Thank you for sharing.
Alexis says
Thank so much for reading, Megan!
Kate says
Thanks!
I worked at a cupcake shop this summer which really helped de-sensitize me to sugar. I had a cupcake a few times a week and it was SO good, but eventually I got a little tired of it and didn’t crave one every time I worked. It’s so true that when we allow ourselves something unconditionally, it loses its power. It also reminds me that the word “healthy” is so arbitrary. Sometimes sugar is healthy!
Alexis says
Love it! My blogi assistant Kendall worked at a local ice cream shop in Cleveland and talks about going from eating it every shift to not even thinking about it after a couple weeks :) Have a beautiful Thursday!
Carrie this fit chick says
Totally agree! i love sugar and I’m smart not to go overboard because sugar comas for me SUCK, but balance is everything. Gotta do whatever makes you happy and works for you!
Alexis says
Love your comments. Thanks for reading, Carrie!
Jessica says
Brilliant! It’s so easy to be consumed with all of the outside chatter rather than listening to your own body and eating for joy, pleasure, taste and nourishment. This can be a difficult twisting journey for people but once they start to realize and develop this intuitive sense, it becomes so rewarding and freeing. Keep doing what you do, because you do it SO well. Your realness and enthusiasm is refreshing and inspirational. Xx, Jess
Alexis says
Thank you so much for following along with me on my journey :) Have a beautiful Thursday!
Anna B says
“It’s not sugar that’s the culprit. It’s over-using it because of something deeper going on inside you.” <— so well put!! I wish the media would start promoting a healthier mindset about food than the evils or benefits of food based on current research trends! Great read.
Alexis says
Thank you so much for reading! Happy Thursday :)
Allison says
I think my biggest wake up call about “feeling crazy” around food was taking care of a four year old who was on a very strict diet. She was totally consumed with sugar, carbs and when she could have her next snack because she was so limited. We’d go to a birthday party and all of the other kids would eat a little cake and move on while she’d scout their leftovers. I always wondered if food wasn’t forbidden in her house if this obsession would have never existed. Made me look closer at where I was manufacturing restrictions in my life that only made crazier about getting that food!
The worst part was her parents were “shamed” into the diet by their pediatrician and constantly worried about what the doctor was going to say.
Stacey says
This post is such a refreshing read! :) I agree – it’s all about the relationship with food. I recently read This Is Not A Diet Book by Bee Wilson, which offers a lot of cool, down to earth thoughts on the topic, it’s helped me a lot and I think you’d like it. x
Jennifer @ Fit Nana says
I needed to read this right now. I’m hanging on to the edge of that rabbit hole because I’ve had knee surgery and am on crutches and cannot do all the things I usually do. It’s so frustrating! And then I feel guilty if I want piece of chocolate or a glass of wine because of the sugar content. Ugh. Thank you for this reminder!!
Sam @ Hygge Wellness says
Love this! I ran a workshop a few weeks ago that I billed as a “ditching sugar” workshop. Everyone was surprised to learn when they got there that I actually encourage MINDFULLY eating sugar when & where you want it, not giving it up completely. They were so shocked to learn that by actually ‘allowing’ yourself to enjoy it, you’d want less of the added stuff in the long run. I employ the “Is It Worth It?” principle (that I made up) — which simply means I take a mindful moment to choose whether I want to have this cookie… the pre-baked, not-homemade cookie in a grocery store or at Panera… or a homemade, delicious cookie that I can go buy at the local bakery. I’ll take the bakery cookie! The other one isn’t worth it. But it has nothing to do with not eating the cookie AT ALL, it’s just about how I want to eat the ‘most worth it’ version that tastes good & is truly satisfying. There’s nothing to feel guilty about if you consciously decide you want something.
And then I just talked a little bit about where some added sugars are hiding, because sometimes people don’t know how much sugar is added to foods they wouldn’t otherwise suspect. But it’s all in the name of empowering yourself with information so YOU can decide when & where you want to have it — not so you can cut it out or avoid it completely.
Sarah @ Making Thyme for Health says
YES YES YES. You are my spirit animal. I’m so fed up with people demonizing so many foods, especially fruit. GAH! As long as you are eating healthy food that make you feel your best the majority of the time, it’s okay to have a little something unhealthy on occasion. I operate under the same premise and it’s not that I have a super fast metabolism either. It’s just that I’ve managed to find a balance that works for me. That’s what I think a lot of people are missing. Thank you so much for shining like a bright light in a sea of darkness and confusion. <3
dixya | food, pleasure, and health says
yuppp i think its relationship rather than the sugar itself. our body needs sugar but when how where is something need to be incharge of. thank you for this awesome post.
annie says
YES. When people are all like “gahhhhh Goody Proctor is refined sugar!!!!” I don’t really get it. It’s a fine choice for some people, those people are free to eat what they like. But it’s not my choice. When I eat sugar, it’s not like I’m spooning gobs of it from the sugar bowl. I’m aware of about how much sugar is in my food and plan the rest of the day accordingly. ht
Allegra MacGregor says
I LOVE this post, SO MUCH! I have to be honest, sometimes I felt bad about my eating choices when I would read your blog because it’s not strictly plant based and not always whole foods. I spent the last five years of my life being very restrictive in my eating and I’ve only just began to realize the negative effects of my ‘healthy’ lifestyle. For too long, I made so many foods ‘off limits’ and I would have this moral meltdown almost every time I ate sugar or gluten. My kids began asking me why I didn’t eat donuts with them and why I stopped eating the fresh bread I made for them every week. So not healthy!
FINALLY, after reading lots of blog posts from you, Alexis, Kylie from Immaeatthat and Robyn from The Real Life RD I realized that I had a problem and that I needed to change some things about how I was eating. I am still very new in my Intuitive Eating journey but I know it’s the best thing for me to do. But it is so very difficult to shut out all the diet/fitness/clean eating culture that surrounds us all. I’m really excited for the ‘new’ direction of the blog!
Oh, and I’m making your Easy Vegan Lasagana tonight and I was wondering if I could freeze the leftover portions. I don’t think I’ll get through the whole thing this week. Thanks for all that you create :-)
Catherine @ A Cup of Catherine says
Girl, I just want to hug you and shout this post from the rooftop! :-)
Seriously, though. Sugar is NOT the enemy. Is our relation with sugar toxic? Undoubtedly. But I wish more people in nutrition/wellness/etc would say what you just said.
Megan @ Skinny Fitalicious says
Girl I couldn’t love this more! It’s all about balance and when you restrict you’re out of balance. It’s crazy how confusing the health/wellness/nutrition space has become.
kelly fogt says
Amen! Do you ever listen to the Podcast “Food Psych” by Christy Harrison?
Alexis says
Yes, it’s great!
Sarah | Well and Full says
YES, THANK YOU!!!! I keep seeing all this stuff about how sugar and gluten are the devil and that you should cut them out of your life entirely. But I wonder how much of this narrative is fueled by clickbait news articles… *sigh*. Thank you for being a voice of reason amidst all the clutter!
Casey the College Celiac says
A FREAKIN’ MEN. You are reading my mind lately, and I’m loving your posts! I am definitely guilty of villain-izing sugar. I thought as soon as I actually touched something with refined sugar, my skin and belly would freak out. And, yeah, sometimes it does. But most of the time, it doesn’t – and the taste is 100% worth it.
Karlie says
OH my GOSH this post is so necessary <3 please share with all of the fruit free smoothie fanatics on instagram. just kidding, but the studies were super interesting and I love hearing about this from a dietitian's point of view, not just intuitive eating. Thanks Alexis!
Lindsay says
Was this and the last WIAW sponsored posts?
jamie lee says
You are killing it with your posts lately and I’m so in love with your honesty and realism. Thank you for being brave and for encouraging all your readers to do the same!
sassygirl says
your posts keep getting better and better! thanks for the links to read in this one and
thanks for sharing.
:)
Kara @ Byte Sized Nutrition says
Yes.. Yes.. SO MUCH YES. I’m so sick of hearing people demonizing certain foods (**cough** gluten and sugar) At some point we all need to accept some responsibility for our own actions and acknowledge that it’s not necessarily all about WHAT we eat, but also HOW we eat that matters. This post is SO spot on.
Shelby says
Amen. Thank you for this post! I think every single article I’ve seen lately with the topic of ‘sugar’ is about sugar being the devil… Nobody is perfect and neither is sugar – life is all about balance.
Kristin says
I guess my question is this: what is a good option for sweetening coffee? I only drink one cup a day. I have heard and read so many different things I really don’t know what I should be using. Since it’s only one cup a day, should I use regular sugar? Organic sugar? Artificial sweetener? Honey?
Alexis says
I like a splash of soy milk for sweetness but if I were adding sugar directly I’d use raw sugar, honey, maple, etc :)
Kaylee Gross says
I read this at I eat my chile pecan ice cream with dates ?
Seriously though, I am loving this post. Sugar is something I struggle with particular around processed and refined sugars. I know there’s a balance–everything in moderation–but it’s difficult for me to find.
And I’m all for your CostCo obsession! The Made in Nature dried figs are my faaave
Kelly @ Eat the Gains says
I love this! I haven’t been able to read your blog in awhile but man I miss how real you are. I know I used to be that person about sugar (and sometimes still am), but am def working on it. Fruit is freaking delicious and so are cookies. It’s about balance and moderation. Cutting it out just makes us crave it more and then you can’t stop once you start. I wish everyone would read this haha.
PattyAnn says
This post was so refreshing and so right on! I can easily get stressed out and feel guilty because i ate the “forbidden sugar”. Then there’s the fear of cancer, diabetes, auto-immune illnesses, etc. Ugh! ” All in moderation, people, and listen to your body!” So glad i came across your blog!
Heather McClees says
I think the purpose of this post is a great one – to stop food fear. However, I might add that some people like myself truly can not tolerate any added sugar. I had a seizure condition (form of epilepsy) that I suffered from for 10 years along with chronic acne and depression. The only thing that got rid of my epilepsy was a diet with NO added sugar (or refined flour) because of the way sugar affects my nervous system. I found out about living this way through John Hopkins and when I watched my condition disappear at age 19 with this one simple change, I was amazed. It’s what led me to living healthy and getting off a lifetime of medication. It caused me to dedicate my life to studying nutriton and helping others. It wasn’t extreme. It saved my life.
I don’t tell other people that sugar will have the same effect on them as it does me, but I wish some people would realize that many people simply do not tolerate it and we are not being “afraid” of sugar but actually looking out for our health. Quitting sugar allowed me to quit 10 years worth of medication naturally without one seizure the last 12 years of living this way. The therapeutic effects that living without sugar can have on some people (not all people) is truly real and not something to be demeaned or undermined.
On the very few times that I have had something with the smallest bit of coconut sugar or agave, I can feel my seizure symptoms start coming back within just an hour. I start being unable to think clearly, get physically sick, and get dizzy which is what used to happen before a seizure where I would slip into a mini-coma like state just before having a full outbreak seizure–all just from the effects that sugar has on my brain. I realize that this extreme intolerance isn’t what everyone experienceswhen they eat sugar, but I do wish that more people would realize sugar isn’t just another ingredient to many of us. To some of us, it’s the difference between being healthy and being sick. I’ve been without sugar and drugs for 12 years now all by living a whole food-based diet with no added sugar, and if you ask me, that’s not extreme–that’s amazing and I’m quite proud of it.
I really do love your blog and am not writing this to be upsetting or rude, I actually love how you approach eating to nourish your body and still keep it plant-based. I think that’s awesome! I just wish there was more understanding on all sides of the healthy eating coin, that’s all.
PS: I also love Made in Nature fruit, their figs are my fave!
Alexis says
Hey Heather, thanks for taking the time to write such a thoughtful comment! Posts like these are intended for the general public who largely don’t have medical issues with eating sugar. I did not intend to offend anyone who has an illness that precludes them from eating sugar. I will include some kind of note at the bottom making this known next time. I got a similar comment on a carbohydrate post from someone with celiac. Thanks!
Jenny says
I agree with the idea of having a healthy relationship with food and moderation, but sugar is very addictive and some people have a real problem with it. Just like you wouldn’t tell an alcoholic to have a beer every once in a while, there are some people who are better off avoiding sugar entirely. I spent my entire life battling a sugar addiction- any sugar i ate made me crave more and more, and i felt as if I had no control over how much I was eating. I finally stopped eating it completely two years ago, which was very hard at first, but now I don’t miss it, don’t crave it, and am healthier and happier than I’ve ever been. So, if you are able to enjoy sugar in moderation that’s great, but for some people (like me) abstinence is easier than moderation.
Ashley @ A Lady Goes West says
It’s so good hear this coming from and RD. I have sugar every day and totally agree that if you are conscious about how much and what kind you are having, you will be fine. Natural fruits, dark chocolate, ice cream, cheesecake — I don’t want a life without those things! Thanks for this one, Alexis! :)
DessertForTwo says
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for this post! It is so true! I think there’s an epidemic going on associated with overly obsessing over our food choices. Isn’t it a new type of eating disorder? I can’t think of the name of it, but I’ve heard of it and know a few friends who suffer from it. Eat the damn brownie, acknowledge it, move on, be happy. You’re so wise! thank you for sharing!
I’m guilty of denying myself sugar on occasion, because I wanted a mocha this weekend (because it’s the weekend!), but I forced myself to just have plain tea. You know what? I’ve been thinking about that mocha all damn day. I drove past a dozen coffee shops today and thought about that chocoalte-y coffee combo goodness. ENOUGH. I’m getting one tomorrow. Life is short :)
Thanks for your wisdom :)
Haley says
THANK YOU (like what everyone else is saying lol). This post is soooo needed. I’m totally guilty of falling for the myth that sugar should be completely out of my diet. Thankfully, I don’t have any dietary issues that tell me to do so, & I absolutely love sweets, so I refuse to deprive myself of the sweet stuff in moderation.
Again, thank you :)
Mary says
I vacillate between being a sugar addict to not eating it all and worrying about too much sugar in fruit or honey *shameful I know*. This rational perspective was really helpful – thank you.
Rationally I know, that as a person with ADD, limiting added sugars and dessert-y foods really does have a positive impact on my brain. That coupled with exercise has been more effective than medication. However, I LOVE dessert. I’ve been slowly revamping my relationship with sugar to create a healthy, reasonable one – a brownie once a week, or a super fruit-filled smoothie doesn’t have to mean I’m waking up and eating 5 cookies for breakfast.
Ugh – food. So complicated. I want to be a toddler again.
Alexis says
My good friend wrote this article that I think you’ll really enjoy! https://www.thereallife-rd.com/2018/03/sugar-addiction/