Should You Give Up Sugar?

Cutting out soft drinks, lollies and biscuits is one thing, but a more controversial approach  involves eliminating all sugar from our diet. Larraine Sathucq investigates.

It’s become increasingly popular to quit sugar altogether, with some advocates even cutting out fruit to avoid the natural sugar it contains. But health experts are divided. We asked two qualified nutrition professionals for their opinion about whether you should give up all sugar, and why.

YES

DANIELLE TOSCAN is a dietitian at Nutrition For Life and has a Masters degree in dietetics. She promotes a lower carbohydrate, healthy natural fat approach to eating.

“There are no essential nutrients in sugar and there’s plenty of evidence that it contributes to serious diseases like diabetes, cancer and heart disease. Quitting sugar has many positive effects on your body, including weight loss, reduced inflammation, more stable blood sugar levels, less tooth decay and a healthier gut. It also increases your energy levels and helps you sleep better.

Sugar targets the pleasure centre of your brain, triggering a spike in feelgood chemicals like dopamine, making it just as addictive as tobacco or cocaine. The more sugar you have, the more you want, and cutting it out of your diet can produce powerful cravings, so it’s extremely difficult to give up.