I don’t* knowingly** eat refined or added sugar*** except on Saturdays.****

* I say “don’t” instead of “can’t” because it provides a different outlook. This is a lifestyle choice, not a restriction or ascetic self-denial. It’s more effective that way.

** it’s mostly easy to avoid sugars, but not entirely. After eating Chinese food, I realized that the sauce was probably half sugar. Same with baked beans. Luckily I can just laugh them off; it’s not an allergy or anything.

*** basically I just want to quit refined sugar. But I don’t mean I’m switching to honey or agave or something. Given a choice, I’d go with one of these over white sugar or HFCS, but generally, added sugars in all forms are out.

**** cheat days. Tim Ferriss’s book is big on them, and I’ve talked to a couple people who have followed his diet who say that they really help. In my case, I didn’t want to lose stuff like ice cream or biscotti for the rest of my life; this provides an easy outlet, while still cutting my sugar way down.

Why quit sugar? Because it’s a clear win. I want a lot of years in my life, and I want a lot of health in those years. And sugar is (maybe after tobacco) probably the worst thing that modern Americans routinely put in our bodies.

Will it work? I think so. I’ve been doing this for a week and a half now. It’s not really that hard. I’ve had to refuse a cookie once and ice cream twice.

Why now? Because I’m finally in a pretty stable form of life where I can relatively reliably control what food I eat. Because I’ll be this way for 5-6 years, so any changes I make now will work over a pretty long timespan.