Let me count the ways. Reasons, actually. This post covers 4.

1. Food tastes better

Taste buds seem to come alive when they are not “deadened” by foods that are too sweet.

When I stopped eating sugar, I also stopped expecting sweet foods at every meal, for dessert, or throughout the meal. Only then was I able to appreciate the more subtle and nuanced flavors of Real Foods.

The sweetness that I could never perceive, let alone appreciate, became apparent.

When I ate sugar all the time, no one could have convinced me that sweet potatoes are sweet.

Compared to what? It doesn’t compare to chocolate or ice cream! So how could they be sweet?

Getting away from sugar opened up new worlds for me in terms of enjoying food.

2. Temptations are not tempting

It’s easy to avoid desserts and other sugary treats when I can think, “That’s not food.”

They are not food, of course. They’re just trouble for people like me. And I know there are a lot of people like me out there.

Once upon a time, in the bad old days, just looking at sugary foods put me in a state of real conflict: I wanted the sugar, but I knew I shouldn’t have it. I remember the fight. I can remember going back and forth, over and over again, for many minutes.

Sometimes he even had to destroy the food itself, for example by pouring dish detergent on it, to end the temptation.

Since my recovery, there is no conflict at all. It’s not food. Feeling is true freedom.

3. Sugar cravings stop completely

Yes really.

I had a lot of cravings when I first gave up sugar. As I stayed out of things, they decreased in number. And the cravings that appeared were less powerful and less tenacious.

But now they just don’t happen.

Interestingly, I read articles and listen to “experts” talk about sugar cravings. They say, “Sugar cravings never go away.” Oh!

Well, I don’t know what those people are doing, because the sugar cravings stop. Completely. So I suggest you avoid the advice to quit sugar from anyone who says they don’t quit.

Getting rid of sugar cravings, potentially permanently, is an exhilarating feeling of…focus. Going sugar free long term has given me the ability to do what I need to do without getting distracted by cravings.

4. My mood is better

Getting away from sugar has leveled my mood. No more mood swings. They would make me go up one minute, down the next, over and over again, throughout the day and week.

To say that the mood swings affected my behavior is an understatement. When I was depressed, I felt irritable and out of control of my temper.

The changes were due to the wild fluctuation of glucose. My diet was terrible when I had sugar.

More significant still was what happened with the depression.

Depression used to be with me all day. I never got rid of it; he just felt like a part of who I was.

After giving up sugar, I don’t feel depressed. That’s not to say I haven’t had reason to be sad in the 28 years since I gave up sugar. But that underlying feeling of depression or hopelessness just isn’t there.

Trust me, I don’t miss it.

And the change has to do with food and brain chemistry.

I have also helped clients eliminate anxiety by changing their diet and eliminating sugar.