Most of us know that sugar isn’t healthy. We are being told to not consume sugar because it is bad for our dental health and can lead to inflammation in the body. Diabetes and obesity are always closely linked to refined sugar, reminding us constantly to be careful. But what are the daily effects of sugar on our well being? I completed a No Sugar Year in 2023 and am still staying away from sugar three months after the challenge. Here’s my insights from eliminating sugar.
Skin, Teeth, Sleep
My skin reacts to sugar immediately. If I consume sweets, the next day I will have a pimple for sure. Those breakouts are uncomfortable and annoying. Staying away from sugar, those regular breakouts have diminished. My skin isn’t perfect but it’s gotten much better.
I have fairly sensitive teeth. Not so much for hot and cold foods and liquids but for sugar. If I consume soda or sweets, my teeth get extremely sensitive, to the point of hurting when I brush them. Before I quit sugar, I thought that the older I get, the worse my teeth will look and feel and that it’s simply genetics. But after eliminating sugar from my diet, my teeth got whiter and the aches disappeared.
If I consumed lots of sugar before bed, I often would wake up the next morning feeling hungover. I was in denial for a while that it is the sugar, since these dramatic experiences weren’t happening to the people around me. But after having the same experience many times I had to accept the fact that sugar makes me feel like I drank the night before.
Mental Health
We all know the sugar hight, the instant boost of energy and mood when consuming a chocolate bar or ice cream for example. What comes after though is the big crash. To get back up, more sugar is needed and so your blood sugar spikes and plummets constantly. This isn’t very beneficial for a stable state of mind. It’s hard to feel calm and relaxed when your blood sugar is going crazy.
After having cut out sugar for more than a year now, I feel much more stable. I’m not as moody and my lows aren’t as low. There’s also less guilt for feeding my body poorly. I feel more in control of my health and therefore more prone to make smart decisions about what to eat. It doesn’t feel like I’m being tossed around in an angry ocean of cravings and crashes. I think the mental piece is well worth the loss of sweets.