Restrictions increase cravings; anybody with a failed New Year’s resolution can testify to that. In fact, many of those failed resolutions involve giving up sugar by way of eating fewer sweets and drinking less soda. Sugar has long played the villain when it comes to dietary health issues such as obesity and diabetes. So, is getting rid of sugar completely the answer to these health issues?

Refinery29 recently released an article about the personal experiences of a handful of people who gave up sugar as a New Years resolution. Every person had their definition of what it meant to give up sugar. Some went as far as to eliminate everything with sugar in it. According to the article, one person in particular stopped eating ‘Everything low glycemic index, no fruit. I recall carrots being considered high sugar with this mindset.’

All of them attest to having extreme cravings for sugar as soon as they eliminated it from their diets. It also took them a while to regulate their moods as they adjusted to the sugar free periods. There were, however, self-reported improvements to the overall appearance of their skin and some weight loss as well.

In the end, the cravings for sugar still persist and it’s unlikely that these people will go their entire lives without consuming sugar again. Yet, even just cutting back sugar was enough to improve some people’s quality of life. This begs the question: is it necessary to cut out all sugar or is it better to learn to consume it in moderation?

If you consider the moderation angle, it truly is the best of both worlds. If you’re reading this, likely you love candy like the rest of us. Sure it might come with some very important health benefits but what is a world without our favorite sweets? I think consumption in moderation is a rule that can cross many different domains and still hold true. Ultimately, it is up to you to decides what’s best.

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