Why Going Sugar Free Isn't Everything

After reading Suzanne Moore's article documenting her 14-days or sugar-free dieting over on the Guardian I'm frankly a bit worried. 

“A workable, affordable diet that is not downright antisocial is now the thing I crave most of all.”

Thank you Suzanne, this short sentence says it all! What kind of example are we setting our children when we rid the house of all fruit, most root vegetables and grains? There are benefits to going sugar-free for a short spell, the main one being that we fairly quickly become aware of just how much sugar we are consuming without knowing it and this hopefully enables us to make more informed choices in the future but let’s not kid ourselves that this diet (way of life being the true definition of the word) is sustainable in the long term. And, how healthy is it really? The body craves/needs balance - a balance of the three major micronutrients; carbohydrates, protein and fat and that can only be achieved when we have a varied and colourful diet full of largely-unprocessed foods. A little of what you fancy - as our great grannies were wont to say - is in my view, the sustainable route to improved all-round health and happiness and if that means the occasional sweet indulgence which may not tick all the healthy boxes but sure as hell ticks the happiness box, what possible damage can that do? And please, whatever you do, don’t ever regard fresh fruit as the enemy - it is packed with fibre, vitamins, minerals and health-protective plant chemicals and it’s natural sugars go a very long way toward satisfying our hard-wired need for a bit of sweetness in our lives!

Have you tried going sugar-free? Let me know your thoughts using the hashtag #DietNotDepravation