There is and there continues to be a lot of talk about consuming added/ processed sugar and how much of a detrimental effect it can have on us humans considering almost all (esp processed) food that we eat contains added sugar of some sort. From the tomato sauce, to the yoghurt, the bread and many of our daily food is stacked with sugar. So, is sugar addictive?
I have done some extensive research on the same but I really just wanted to experience it on my own since I believe I have had my share of interaction with added sugar and have seen and experienced the effects it has had on my body.
I’m a typical Kenyan who loves the sweeter side of food meaning I do my cakes, sweets, cookies, ice cream, chocolate and typically, I love my morning tea added at least 3 teaspoons of sugar. This resonates with most adults and almost all age groups. From such a background, quitting sugar would be a huge ask but I was determined to do it.
I actually decided to quit instantly; meaning I would just stop taking the added sugar immediately. And as researched earlier, it was not easy at all.
Since I had decided to quit taking milk also, it meant that I had to take sugarless black tea in the morning! That was a major task; it almost tasted bitter! I really struggled with that but after like 5 days, my taste buds were used to that taste. A major challenge for anyone attempting to go sugar free is the choices that are available. Everything from bread to jam to tomato sauce contains sugar. Morning cereals are even worse! Sugar free bread or cake is almost impossible to find (that is if it’s there). I couldn’t go for fried stuff also for breakfast since the mandazis and chapatis also had some considerable amount of sugar. I decided to do sweet bananas and/or sweet potatoes which in spite of having sugar, it’s is a natural source and the body manages it well because of the fiber content in them. This, I could sustain
and I really felt better after such a breakfast. I felt more energetic and alert! I used to sleep a lot when travelling using public transport and mostly I used to wake up at the destination and this was because of the commotion caused as people were getting off the bus! I decided to focus on the effects of this kind of breakfast rather than the taste; though it became bearable by the day.
