When you’re parched, chugging water is the perfect thirst-quencher. It has no calories, and it hydrates you. The only problem? Plain old water can be boring when you’re craving some flavor and excitement, especially after a hard workout. Fortunately, sugar-loaded drinks aren’t your only alternative to standard-issue H2O.

Here are some sugar-free and no sugar drink options that are easy to find — even in your office’s soda machine or local Starbucks.

1. Sparkling Water

“It’s important to remember that you want to eat your calories, not drink them as a general rule,” explains Andrea N. Giancoli, MPH, RD. Sparkling water is like water’s more exciting, bubbly sister.

“Carbonated water (e.g., seltzer, sparkling water) is a fine alternative to the still stuff. Flavored seltzers for the most part are great,” says Michele Promaulayko, author of Sugar Free 3. “Just read the label to make sure there are no calories, no added sugars, or artificial sweeteners.” LaCroix is one option that is free of sugars, calories, sodium, and artificial ingredients.

2. Infused Water

There are tons of infused water products. The tricky part is choosing one without hidden sugar. Hint is flavor-infused water that offers all the benefits of agua without sugar or sweeteners.

3. Tea

“A cup of herbal tea is part of my nightly wind-down — I do ginger, lemon, licorice, or peppermint,” Promaulayko says. There are tons of options, so you can pick and choose your favorite flavor!

“You can drink unsweetened tea,” says Giancoli. “Or you can sweeten it with stevia, which has no calories.” Research has found natural, no-calorie sweeteners, such as stevia, to be safe and can be a healthy part of a balanced diet in moderation.

4. Matcha

Black, green, and herbal teas have antioxidants. Matcha has become a trendy green tea because it has a unique growing process to boost its health benefits. On its own, matcha green tea powder has very few calories and no sugar, but once you start turning it into lattes and other beverages, that changes. Lots of sugar and calories may be hiding out in those yummy matcha drinks.

“Many coffee and matcha tea drinks add sugar to reduce the bitterness,” Promaulayko says. So just make sure you pay attention to what’s actually in your drink!

5. Coffee

“Packed with natural antioxidants, black coffee is looking more and more like a health elixir in the eyes of modern science, and the natural caffeine gives your system a natural boost — mentally and physically,” Promaulayko says.

However, when it comes to hitting up your local coffee chain, three pumps of vanilla syrup in a latte can add a whopping amount of sugar, well over the 25-gram upper limit per day. A safer bet is sticking to coffee or cold brew without added sugar — and adding a minimal amount of dairy milk or whatever plant-based milk you use. “I take mine with a little milk and stevia,” Promaulayko says.

6. Sports Drinks

“Energy drinks and sports drinks are some of the emptiest braggarts about the energy and nutritional benefits of sugar,” Promaulayko says. “Don’t get me wrong. There are times when these drinks can be beneficial. But couch surfers and weekend gym warriors shouldn’t fool themselves. To your body, it’s essentially getting pretty colored sugar water.”

Sports drinks are designed to help replenish electrolytes and support hydration during intense exercise, but many of them contain lots of added sugar. A new generation of sports drinks have flipped the sugar-heavy formula by adding sweetness with stevia, or other no-calorie sweeteners.

Don’t Be Fooled by Juice

“With fruit juice, the fiber is gone, so the sugars hit your bloodstream unregulated,” Promaulayko says. Plus, green, fresh-squeezed, and organic juices have higher concentrations of natural sugars than you might expect.

What’s more, many juice drinks are loaded with extra sugar. “Whole fruits have naturally occurring sugar, but many ‘juice’ drinks add sugar or have very little real fruit in them,” says Giancoli.

What About Alcohol?

Don’t be fooled by hard seltzers that boast their low sugar content. When you consume these beverages, you’re just trading calories from sugar for those from alcohol. These drinks may be low in or contain no added sugar, but you’re still adding to your daily calorie intake.

“As far as your body is concerned, alcohol behaves similarly to a sugar or a refined carb — it’s just empty calories,” Promaulayko says. “And your body will use it as an energy source rather than burning fat.”

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What if you could take a pill that would slash your cravings for brownies, cookies, and ice cream? Yup, such a pill exists — and people are taking notice.

Read on to find out more about sugar craving pills, how they are said to work, and whether or not they’re safe and effective.

Why Do We Crave Sugar?

There are clear, biological reasons why we all crave sugar from time to time. “Our body relies on glucose as a source of energy to fuel our organs and nervous system. As such, we often crave sugar which is a reliable source of glucose for the body,” says Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford, obesity medicine physician scientist and assistant professor of medicine and pediatrics at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School.

Dr. Stanford explains that the brain, particularly the hypothalamus, influences why some of us crave sugar more than others.

Certain circumstances influence whether or not people crave something sweet, too. “They may be tired and stressed, or they may be consuming a diet lacking in calories or essential micronutrients,” says Summer Yule, M.S., R.D.N.

Other triggers for sugar cravings include low blood sugar, pregnancy, thirst, and certain prescription medications, Yule says.

How Do Sugar Craving Pills Work?

First, let’s talk about what these pills are made of. Several drugs and supplements, including neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor modulators (a long-winded name for a type of drug also known to reduce nicotine cravings) have been linked to reduced sugar cravings. But we’ll focus on pills made from the much hyped — and slightly more researched — Gymnema sylvestre.

The woody, climbing plant native to India, Africa, and Australia has been deemed a “sugar destroyer” and found to not only control cravings for the sweet stuff, but actually alter the way sugar-laden foods taste.

In fact, gymnemic acids found in the plants’ leaves eradicate sweet flavors so much that sugar is said to taste like sand, while fruit tastes like an “acid bomb.”

“Many of these pills work so that they bond to specific receptors on the taste buds to block sugar activation,” Dr. Stanford says. “This decreases one’s desires for sweet food.”

Can You Beat Sugar Cravings With a Pill?

Technically, yes. Research indicates that pills made of Gymnema sylvestre can reduce the sweetness and flavor of foods. Pills meant to curb sugar cravings can be a helpful tool for people with diabetes as well as for people who want to lose weight.

“There is some evidence that changing the perception of sweet foods may lead individuals to eat less, at least short-term,” Yule says. “This decrease in calorie intake could lead to weight loss — at least in theory — if it is sustained over time.”

But there are caveats.

First: “The effect may only last 30 to 60 minutes,” Yule says. So a holiday meal with a full dessert spread may prove challenging if you don’t time things right.

Secondly, research suggests pills made to reduce sugar cravings may have an opposite effect — in one study, participants craved more sugar when they lost their sensitivity to sweetness.

And thirdly, taking pills may not be the safest, most sustainable approach to reduce your sugar cravings.

Are Sugar Craving Pills Safe?

We’re not so sure yet. “There is not a lot of long term data on these pills, which is why I recommend caution,” Dr. Stanford says.

We do know that sugar craving pills made from Gymnema sylvestre should should not be taken with certain medications without the approval of a physician.

“Those who are pregnant or breastfeeding should also avoid [these pills] due to limited information on safety,” Yule says.

How to Manage Sugar Cravings Without Pills

Sugar can in fact be incorporated into a healthy lifestyle. “The term sugar includes the natural sugars in fruits and dairy products,” Yule says, “and these absolutely can be a part of a healthy diet.”

We should, however, limit the amount of added sugars we eat. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that no more than 10 percent of our daily calories come from added sugars. Rather than focus on altering the flavor of foods to reduce sugar cravings, Yule suggests sticking to foods with natural sugars when you have a hankering for something sweet.

It’s also a good idea to look at your diet as a whole. “One of the best ways to manage cravings of all types is to make sure you are consuming regular and balanced meals,” Yule says.

That means incorporating whole foods that contain three key components to keep you satisfied throughout the day. “Meals that are packed with protein, fiber, and water will help you stay full between meals so you may be less likely to reach for sugary snacks,” Yule says. Keep a water bottle on hand to stay well hydrated so you can prevent your body from misinterpreting thirst cues for hunger.

Whether your goal is to get healthier or lose weight, the most sustainable combo you can rely on is a healthy, balanced diet and regularly exercising — not a magic pill.

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Bananas are the most popular fresh fruit in the United States — and for good reason. They’re portable, tasty, and have many nutrients like potassium, vitamin B6, vitamin C, magnesium, copper, and fiber. But many people get hung up on the question of the fruit’s nutrition, especially how much sugar is in a banana.

Each medium banana provides 105 calories and 27 grams of carbs, including about 14 grams of fruit sugars. It’s that sugar — naturally found in bananas — that makes some people question whether they should swap out these beloved fruits. But before you sour on bananas, let’s look at their nutrition content in more detail.

How Many Grams of Sugar Are in One Banana?

The amount of sugar depends on the size of the fruit:

• There are 14.4 grams of sugar in one medium banana
• An extra-large banana has 18.6 grams of sugar
• An extra-small banana has 9.9 grams of sugar

All of this sugar is naturally occurring — so don’t lump it in with the processed sugars found in foods like regular sodas, cakes, and candies. Sugar from fruit is “better than any refined sugar, because it’s a whole food that comes with nutrients and fiber, which helps regulate blood sugar,” says Keri Glassman, MS, RD, CDN. That doesn’t mean you can eat fruit all day long — it’s still possible to overindulge, Glassman notes — but our bodies are well equipped to handle the  natural sugar in a banana and other types of fruit.

“We should not not have bananas because they have sugar in them,” adds Andrea N. Giancoli, MPH, RD, registered dietitian. “That’s how we’re intended to have sugar in food — versus as added sugars which are often ultra-processed foods. Don’t shun fruit because it has natural sugars. It should be a part of a healthful diet.”

Bananas also have “lots of different nutrients in the banana that our bodies are designed to digest and utilize,” Giancoli says. Bananas can be a good source of potassium, a “nutrient of concern” (a.k.a. a nutrient we don’t get enough of), according to the USDA 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

A large banana contains 487 mg of potassium. While there’s 905 mg of the essential mineral in a medium potato, “Americans eat a lot of bananas so they do lend a meaningful amount of potassium to our diets,” explains Giancoli.

Do Ripe Bananas Have More Sugar?

If you’ve ever eaten a slightly green banana or one that’s brown and mushy, you know there is a difference in how bananas taste based on their color. That is due to the natural ripening process.

“As a banana ripens, some of its starch turns to sugar,” says Giancoli. “The more ripe it is, the more sugar it’s going to have in it and the less resistant starch and more pectin you’re going to get.”

But, she reiterates that it’s imperative to remember those are naturally occurring sugars — and the sugar in fruit is not “bad” for you. If you prefer the taste and texture of bananas when they are less ripe, eat them when they are a little green. But if you like them sweeter and softer, there’s no reason to pass over a ripe banana as part of your healthy diet. You can even use ripe bananas in place of added sugars in foods like yogurt, oatmeal, and baked goods.

“When you need a sweet treat, snap off half, let it thaw a minute, blend it — and prepare for guiltless custardy goodness,” says Michele Promaulayko, author of Sugar Free 3. “I also like to smear fresh slices with nut butter.”

Are Bananas OK for People With Diabetes to Eat?

“Bananas definitely can be part of a healthful diet for someone who’s trying to manage their blood sugar,” says Giancoli. “They’re not that high on the glycemic index because of the resistant starch and pectin that dampen that blood sugar rise.”

First and foremost, if you have diabetes or you’re pre-diabetic, you need to follow your healthcare provider’s instructions when it comes to diet, but for the most part, those living with diabetes “should be eating a healthful diet that ought to include fruits” like bananas — if that’s a fruit they like to eat, says Giancoli.

Which Fruit Is Highest in Sugar?

Dates are among the sweetest fruits, says Giancoli. One medjool date contains 16 grams of sugar.

While a single date contains a similar amount of sugar as banana, “You get a lot more from a banana, including more to eat,” she adds. “A banana is more nutrient-dense than a date in comparison.”

Which Fruit Has the Least Sugar?

On the flip side, grapefruit scores lowest among fruits on the glycemic index, following closely by peaches. Technically, unripe (green) jackfruit contains less than 2 grams of sugar per 100-gram serving, but it’s usually not eaten as a fruit (but as a vegan meat swap). However, when a jackfruit ripens, it contains nearly 10 times as much sugar at 19 grams per 100-gram serving.

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• There are many different names for sugar, which can make it difficult to cut added sugar from your diet.
• Reducing your added-sugar intake can be beneficial for your health, and may even help with weight loss.
• Here are 71 names for sugar that you should look for on nutrition labels.

We eat a lot of sugar — more than most of us realize. And while we know to limit sweet treats like candy and ice cream, sugar is also hidden in some surprising foods — like bread, almond milk, and even salad dressing.

That’s because there are so many names for sugar — some you might not even recognize as sugar.

“Yes, sugar hides in plain view,” says Dr. Whitney Bowe, in Sugar Free 3.

“And it may be called something other than ‘sugar,’” she says. “Cane sugar, sucrose, fructose, agave nectar, high fructose corn syrup — but sugar is sugar, no matter how you spell it. There are more than sixty different names for sugar!”

How can you cut back on sugar if you don’t even recognize it on a nutrition label? Here’s what you need to know about these other names for sugar so you can make more informed eating choices.

Think you already know your sugar handles? Before you read on, test your knowledge and see how many sneaky sugars you can identify!

Take the quiz!

What Is Added Sugar?

Before we get into the other names for sugar, we first have to differentiate between the two major ways we get it in our diet — a.k.a. natural sugar and added sugar.

“Fruits and grains have a naturally occurring sugar which comes with fiber, vitamins, and minerals,” says Emily Tills, MS, RDN, CDN, a registered dietitian nutritionist in Syracuse, New York. “Added sugar is sugar that is not naturally occurring in the food — it is usually added to increase the sweetness or taste of foods.”

Added sugars are empty calories, Till explains.

They don’t provide the fiber, vitamins, and minerals — from eating a piece of fresh fruit, for example — that help your body process sugar more healthily.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend we consume no more than 10 percent of our daily calories from added sugar.

And the American Heart Association recommends limiting added sugar intake to less than 6 teaspoons (25 grams) per day for women, and less than 9 teaspoons (36 grams) per day for men.

71 Other Names for Sugar

By some accounts, there are more than 250 other names for sugar. “It can be hard to avoid sugar if you don’t make a conscious effort and know what to look for,” Dr. Bowe says.

These are some of the names of sugar you’re most likely to find on ingredient lists. When you’re trying to cut back on your sugar consumption, watch out for sugar hiding under these aliases.

1. Agave juice
2. Agave nectar
3. Agave syrup, all varieties
4. Beet sugar
5. Blackstrap molasses
6. Brown rice syrup
7. Brown sugar
8. Buttered syrup
9. Cane juice
10. Cane juice crystals
11. Cane sugar
12. Cane syrup
13. Caramel
14. Carob syrup
15. Castor sugar
16. Coconut sugar
17. Confectioners’ sugar
18. Corn glucose syrup
19. Corn syrup
20. Corn syrup solids
21. Date sugar/syrup
22. Demerara sugar
23. Dextrose
24. Drimol
25. Ethyl maltol
26. Evaporated cane juice
27. Flo malt
28. Florida crystals
29. Fructose
30. Fructose sweetener
31. Fruit juice
32. Fruit juice concentrate
33. Glucose
34. Glucose solids
35. Golden sugar
36. Golden syrup
37. Granular sweetener
38. Granulated sugar
39. Grape sugar
40. High fructose corn syrup (an added sugar derived from corn starch and commonly found in processed foods)
41. Honey
42. Honibake
43. Icing sugar
44. Inverted sugar (a.k.a. invert sugar)
45. Isoglucose
46. Isomaltulose
47. Kona-ame
48. Malt syrup
49. Maltodextrin
50. Maltose
51. Maple
52. Maple sugar
53. Maple syrup
54. Mizu-ame
55. Molasses
56. Muscovado sugar
57. Nulomoline
58. Panela sugar
59. Powdered sugar
60. Raw sugar
61. Refiner’s syrup
62. Rice syrup
63. Sorghum syrup
64. Starch sweetener
65. Sucanat
66. Sucrovert
67. Sugar beet
68. Treacle or treacle sugar
69. Turbinado sugar
70. Unrefined sugar
71. Yellow sugar

Is There A Difference Between Glucose and Fructose?

Glucose and fructose are two different types of sugar. Both can be found naturally in food, and they contain the same amount of calories.

But glucose and fructose have different chemical structures, and they’re digested and metabolized differently once consumed.

Glucose

Glucose is a monosaccharide, meaning it’s a simple unit of sugar that is one molecule.

“Glucose is what our bodies use for energy and is stored as glycogen in our muscles and liver,” says Tills.

Fructose

Fructose, also a monosaccharide, is a naturally occurring sugar in fruit. When converted to glucose in the liver, our bodies use it for energy, Tills explains.

Fructose from fruit is allowed in moderation on certain sugar free plans, but added fructose — such as from high-fructose corn syrup or agave syrup — in excess has been linked to negative health effects.

Which Sweeteners are Allowed on a Sugar-Free Diet?

It depends on the diet, but generally speaking, naturally occurring sugars (like the sugar in fruit and milk) can be part of a healthy diet. Here are a few types of sweeteners you may be allowed to consume on a sugar free diet.

1. Foods with naturally occurring sugars

On some sugar-free plans, Tills says, “Naturally occurring sugar can still be included, so you can still have your fruits, vegetables, and grains.”

This includes the fructose in fresh fruits and the lactose in milk.

2. Sugar alcohols

Some sugar free diets also allow foods infused with sugar alcohols, while others don’t.

These compounds — which may be naturally occurring or chemically produced — taste sweet, but they aren’t absorbed like sugar and don’t have the same impact on blood sugar but still have calories.

Some sugar alcohols you might find on an ingredient label include:

• Erythritol
• Hydrogenated starch hydrolysates
• Isomalt
• Lactitol
• Maltitol
• Mannitol
• Sorbitol
• Xylitol

Pro tip: If you see an “itol” at the end of it, that means it’s a sugar alcohol, says Michele Promaulayko, author of Sugar Free 3.

“This isn’t a great name for them since they’re neither sugar nor alcohol,” she says. “They are, however, chemically processed artificial sweeteners, so they’re a no-go on our program.”

Because they’re absorbed through the digestive tract slowly and incompletely, sugar alcohols may cause stomach discomfort, bloating, and gas in people.

3. Monkfruit

Monk fruit sweetener — an extract that’s 25 to 100 times sweeter than sugar — is a non-nutritive sweetener that doesn’t add calories.

4. Stevia

This natural sweetener is 50 to 350 times sweeter than table sugar. Because stevia is a plant extract and doesn’t add calories, 100 percent stevia extract may be allowed on some sugar-free diets.

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You probably know by now that if you want to get healthy and fit, Shakeology can play a key role in helping you hit that goal.

This superfood supplement shake works by filling some of the nutritional gaps in your diet with ingredients that can benefit your overall health, help support healthy energy,† and support your digestive healthǂ.

When you drink a daily Shakeology, it can help you build the strong nutritional foundation you need to take on bigger challenges like a fitness program or a healthier diet.

Shakeology includes a variety of nutrients, including protein, carbs, fiber, phytonutrients, antioxidants, digestive enzymes, pre- and probiotics, adaptogens, vitamins, and minerals.

But you’re probably thinking to yourself, “OK, that all sounds great, but what about sugar?”

That’s an excellent question because there’s ample evidence that sugar doesn’t do sweet things to your health. So, yes, it’s a good thing to keep an eye on how much sugar you’re consuming on a daily basis.

Here’s the 411 on sugar and Shakeology.

Note: This article is intended for the U.K. audience. Click here for the U.S. version.

Shakeology Sugar Content

Shakeology contains seven grams of sugar per serving from a combination of organic cane sugar and various superfood fruit powders. (Plant-Based Vegan Chocolate contains six grams per serving.)

To put this into perspective, there are 14 grams of sugar in a medium banana and 19 grams of sugar in a medium apple.

We formulated Shakeology using a carefully selected sweetener system containing organic cane sugar and a plant-based, no-calorie sweetener — stevia, an extract from the leaves of the stevia plant that’s 150 times sweeter than sugar.

That’s it.

Sugar vs. Sweeteners

Sweetness can be achieved a variety of ways: First, there’s sugar, which can be found listed as “Sugars” under the Total Carbohydrate section on the label – which includes both sugar-based ingredients and sugars inherent in other botanical ingredients in the product.

Sugar-based ingredients come in many forms including cane sugar, honey, molasses, and more controversial ingredients such as high fructose corn syrup (HFCS).

Sugar can also be found within other ingredients in a product, such as skimmed milk powder, which contains lactose (milk sugar) and fruit powders, which contain fruit sugar (fructose).

Sugar is nutritive, meaning it contains calories, versus non-nutritive sweeteners, meaning ingredients that add flavor but little-or-no calories.

Non-nutritive sweeteners include artificial sweeteners like aspartame and sucralose, as well as plant-based sweeteners like stevia.

The easiest way to sweeten something is to just add sugar, but that drives the calories up, which isn’t always the best way to go.

While non-nutritive sweeteners solve the calorie issue, they tend to have their own unique properties and challenges.

Therefore, to find a balance of flavor, sweetness, and smart nutrition, it often makes sense to use a combination of sugar and sweeteners.

Sugar Content Information

To see the sugar content in a product, check out the Nutrition Declaration box on the back of the label, which is required to list the sugars in a product.

Some products will claim “no sugar added” on the front of their packaging. But that doesn’t mean these products are entirely free of sugar. It just means the sugars in the product aren’t “added sugars.” Rather, the sugars are inherent in other ingredients.

Sugar can go by many names, so it’s important to recognize other ways sugar can be hidden in the ingredient list:

• fruit juice concentrate
• cane juice
• turbinado
• malt syrup
• corn syrup solids
• dextrin
• words that end in –ose, like maltose, dextrose, and fructose

In the “Ingredients” section on a typical food label, they are listed in order of greatest to least amount.

The Bottom Line

Following a healthy, balanced diet doesn’t mean cutting sugar out completely. By making smart food choices, you can still enjoy the sweetness in life!

†Vitamins C, B6, and B12 contribute to normal energy-yielding metabolism.

ǂ Calcium contributes to the normal function of digestive enzymes.

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This post is deliciously sponsored by Whole Earth Sweetener, but all opinions are my own.

Non caloric (or non-nutritive) sweeteners have been around for a while now, but there’s some new names in this game that you don’t want to miss out on. These products are all natural and contain few to no calories, but still provide the sweet taste you love from sugar.

Why use an alternative sweetener?

The AHA recommends that women limit their added sugar consumption to no more than 100 calories per day, which is about 6 teaspoons of sugar. For men, it’s 150 calories per day, or about 9 teaspoons. For reference, (1) 20 oz soda contains ~12 teaspoons sugar. So it’s VERY easy to exceed this AHA recommendation.

Why should you care? 

Excess consumption of added sugars is associated with poor health outcomes such as type 2 diabetes, weight gain and fatty liver.  Specifically, sugar sweetened beverage consumption has been shown to increase risk for Type 2 Diabetes. Additionally, consuming added sugar easily adds calories without offering other nutritional benefits which may lead to weight gain. Too much simple sugar in the body also speeds up the process of your liver turning food to stored fat.

So, with these potential health risks, it may make sense to switch to other forms of alternative sweeteners.

Here are 3 of my favorite new, low-to-no calorie sweeteners to add into your diet: 

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“Sugar is addictive”

“Cut out all sugar!!”

“Sugar feeds cancer”

Whoa, those are some strong statements. Are any of them true or is cutting out sugar necessary?

The short answer is not really.

Metabolically, all of the carbs in the foods you eat – grains, fruit, and starchy vegetables included – break down into sugar molecules called glucose in your gut. This is because your body’s most efficient source of energy is glucose. While large amounts of added sugar in your diet can cause diabetes and displace more nutrient dense whole foods, a little sugar in your life keeps things sweet.

“Sugar is addictive”

Humans are evolutionarily wired to like high-energy foods; that desire has kept us alive. Some studies show that eating sugar lights up the pleasure centers in your brain, similarly to how a drug might. This makes sense – finding pleasure in a high calorie substance will help us prioritize what to eat to survive. Now, we aren’t cavemen anymore, so sometimes this can get out of hand. But guess what also gives us a dopamine response? Music. Hugs. Laughter. Real addiction is serious, and involves dangerous withdrawal symptoms and behavioral changes. The current science does not support the idea that sugar is actually addictive.

“Cut out all sugar!!”

What might make sugar feel addictive is actually its’ restriction. Cutting out dessert can lead to increased sweet food cravings, which might lead you to binge on more cookies or ice cream than you ever would have eaten in the first place. Allowing yourself to mindfully enjoy dessert will help your brain realize that this food is not “forbidden” and therefore there’s no need to seek out as much sugar as possible all in one sitting. Balance is possible!

“Sugar feeds cancer”

Cancer metabolism is highly complex; you should seek the support of an oncology dietitian during your treatment, but the truth is that any food will “feed” cancer. Metabolic changes occur that increase the supply of glucose to the cancer regardless of what type of food you eat. More importantly, any food will feed YOU. Clinical outcomes are much better when a cancer patient is well-fed before and during treatment. Food that tastes good is really important with metabolic shifts, nausea, and taste changes during cancer. There are ways to alter your diet to prevent or treat cancer that include sugar in a balanced way.

Find the sweet spot

In my practice, I use Intuitive Eating to help my clients work towards balance with their food cravings and being able to enjoy ALL their food, even if they do have pre-diabetes or diabetes.

Do you need help finding this balance? Do you have more specific questions about sugar?

Schedule a FREE 15 minute call with me to see how we can work together towards helping you build some healthy habits that still give you room to enjoy your food.

Looking for my take on artificial sweeteners? Stay tuned for another blog post all about sugar substitutes!

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