Could you ever give up sugar completely?

Dairy, caffeine, sugar and the much-maligned carbohydrates are often characterized as dietary villains. The secret to weight loss (and eternal bliss) is giving up one or all of these items. Or so say the latest fad diets or über-svelte celebrities at least.

It's all easier said than done, though. I know I could drop dairy and carbs — not easily, of course, and only for a few months. Caffeine, however, is strictly off the table. I don’t just look forward to my morning coffee — I wake up early so as to enjoy it, slowly. Sometimes I have two cups.

Sugar is another staple that would be hard (read, impossible) to give up. I have a chocolate chip cookie every day and I love fruit like strawberries. Like my morning coffee, it’s something I anticipate happily. And contrary to sugar’s bad rep, I don’t find that I’m morbidly obese, or frantic as a result of my indulgence. I am not going to enter any bikini contests in the near future, but fortunately for me I’m happy with being a one-piece kind of gal.

Dropping the white, brown and light brown stuff from my daily diet — it even comes in liquid form! — may be easier than I imagined, however.

In an article for The Guardian, Zoe Williams offers 11 tongue-in-cheek pointers on how to break an addiction to sugar.

The most obvious tips she shares are also the most difficult: go cold turkey and stop eating what you want, (read: any and all refined sugars). What’s a refined sugar? Williams provides a handy mental trick for determining it.

“If you are unsure whether a carbohydrate is refined or unrefined, ask yourself — have I ever thought: "I could murder an X"? Sausage roll, yes. Pearl barley risotto, no. Buttered crumpet, yes. Kale spread with cashew butter, no. The intensity of your desire is an index of the glucose it will deliver.”

Zoe points out, however, that if sugar isn’t an addiction for you then there’s no need to lose it entirely from your diet. In fact, all that may be necessary is consuming less of it . . . and I think we can probably all do that.

For more on why you should seriously consider cutting back on sugar click here.

What's your favourite sugar indulgence? Tell us in the comment section below. It’s the new year, and you know what that means: no more excuses. It’s easier than ever to get back on track with our new Do Diet ebook. Our dietitian-approved meal plan, great weight-loss tips and easy-to-do-anywhere workouts will help you drop a dress size in just a few short weeks and get you swimsuit ready by spring.

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