Avoiding Sugar vs. Abstaining from Sugar
I was in a food line at a conference and chatting with a group of people. We were making small talk in the way that you do when you’re around folks you’ve just met for the first time. I mentioned that I don’t eat sugar.
“Oh yeah,” one guy said, “I don’t eat sugar either.”
About five sentences later he said, “I crashed yesterday after eating a bag of cookies.”
There’s a difference between avoiding sugar and abstaining from sugar.
Avoiding Sugar
Avoiding sugar means you’re aware that sugar isn’t so good for you but, since you don’t have a problem with it (or don’t think you do), you avoid it most of the time. That is, you know that you feel lousy after eating sweets and most likely have read reports claiming that sugar is bad for your health. Still, you like sweets and don’t want to give them up. You might not even be able to imagine life without ice cream, candy, cake, soda pop, and fast food. After all, you have to have some fun, right?
Abstaining from Sugar
Abstaining from sugar means you’re on a mission. It means you’ve created some form of parameter to which you adhere. If you’ve decided that you will only eat sugar on Sundays, then you will not touch it during the rest of the week. You are familiar with the usual temptations but also know how to find hidden added sugars in all kinds of foods. No birthday party, baby shower, hot fudge sundae, or homemade grandmother’s brownies will make you bend from your sugar abstinence plan.
‘Avoiding sugar’ is to ‘abstaining from sugar’ as eating a less red meat is to vegetarianism.
If you want to Stop Being Sweet, draw a hard line and do not cross it.
Comments · Avoiding Sugar vs. Abstaining from Sugar
Thank you for outlining the difference between avoiding and abstaining. I began abstinence from sugar 9 1/2 years ago, yet still many of my friends just don’t “get it.” In fact, I had one friend call me “rude” when I did not partake of some birthday cake. “Come on. It’s Steve’s birthday, you can eat some cake on his birthday.” I told her that was the same as telling an alcoholic, “Go ahead and drink, it’s New Year’s Eve!”
Anthea
May 27, 2011
It’s such a relief to find your blog - my husband and I just decided to do a test run of a month to see if cutting processed sugar out of our diets helps with general wellness and specific health issues, and this first week has been… interesting.
It’s really nice to be able to read your posts and know that we’re not alone. Thank you!
DavidVanadia
May 28, 2011
Hi Anthea, welcome!
Agreed Lynn, some people just don’t get it.
Digby
May 28, 2011
Excellent post! There’s almost a kind of food correctness that makes people say they either don’t eat or avoid eating sugar, but as you point out it’s probably rarely the case.
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About Me
I realized I had a sugar problem back in 2003 after a weekend-long binge on raw chocolate chip cookie dough and chocolate covered pretzels. As a result, I began trying to quit sugar but kept failing. Finally, I figured out a way to stay off sweet junk food for good.
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Don’t quit sugar. Stop Being Sweet instead! Questions? Please ask!
Lynn
May 23, 2011