Sugar - good or bad?

I have memories of my father going off sugar when I was in school, because his blood sugar level had gone up. Once he cut off sugar, he was fine. When my mother was diagnosed with diabetes, she also had to give it up. She was then okay.

There has been a lot of talk about how much sugary or sweet stuff we should eat, ever since medical professionals began attributing problems related to heart, kidney, eyes etc. to over-consumption of sugar. We are all having too much sugar, and we don't need that much, was the general refrain.

Some countries are planning a "sugar tax", in order to force people to reduce their intake of sugar.

Here are some of the stuff that I have been reading and hearing:

• The taste of sugar is an acquired taste. Go without sugar for a week, and you get used to that new taste.
• Sugar gives you energy, but it has no fibre, vitamins or minerals. So, it is referred to as "empty calories" . It is better to look for energy elsewhere.
• A number of food items that we eat have sugar in some form anyway, and that takes care of our body's requirement. So, there is no need to take sugar separately, by adding it to tea and coffee.
• Cut down on sweet bakery items, because you are pushing more sugar into your body than is normally required.
• Sugar will only make you obese, increasing chances of diseases like diabetes and heart problems.

So, stop eating sugar?

Some more stuff that I have been reading and hearing:

• All people need not go completely sugar-free. But it is a good idea to minimise sweet items to the maximum extent possible.
• No harm in switching to sugar-free tea, coffee, milk etc., because you are more than compensated by the carbohydrate in other food you anyway have.
• If you need sugar still, jaggery is a better alternative.

What I have done:

• I like sugar and sweets. I am not diabetic, nor am I obese. But I have decided to cut down sugar.
• I am definitely not paranoid. But if I have a choice, I have decided not to add sugar to tea or coffee. I have discovered a new taste, and I am fast getting used to it.
• I am minimising sweet, sugary and carbohydrate-rich food items as much as I can.  If possible, I will avoid them. If I can't, I will take as small an amount as possible.

I am trying to do a balancing act, because that's what so many people are telling me. But the problem is that I am not always able to decide where and when to draw the line.

Let me see how it goes.

(This post is a part of the "Blogging from A to Z Challenge April 2018.")