If you want to have a low-fat and slim, healthy body, too much added sugar in food is the biggest adversary of all. In the book “Zero Sugar Diet,” author David Zinczenko reminds us that added sugar can cause tooth decay, obesity, cardiovascular disease, etc. Too much sugar can also cause skin aging and may lead to excessive insulin secretion, harming the pancreas.

But why is it so difficult for us to give up sugar, even when we know it’s not good for us? The book “Zero Sugar Diet” has touched upon this point. It says consuming sugar, like all other addictive behaviors, can make people entirely dependent on it. The book also provides a self-assessment chart to judge the level of one’s “sugar addiction.” It also explains how a 14-day sugar avoidance plan followed by a lifelong healthy eating regimen makes it possible to break the sugar habit.

How Does TCM Use Sugar as a Medicine?

From the TCM perspective, sugar is a kind of medicine. For example, red dates and licorice are sweet treats, but they also regulate the gastrointestinal tract and soothe emotions. The well-known TCM Licorice Jujube Decoction is a prescription for stabilizing one’s mood. Chen Junru, director of Taiwan’s Jinghe Traditional Chinese Medicine Clinic, said that workers involved in mentally demanding assignments need sugar to provide the extra energy required for the brain’s operation.

Ms. Chen said that one way to control blood sugar is to choose the right kind of food and eat it in the proper order. She suggested eating high-protein and high-fat food first, which will prolong the feeling of satiety. Then, increase the proportion of vegetable fiber intake, followed by natural whole grains for sugar and starch. Eating this way can reduce sugar intake and blood sugar fluctuations, lessening the need for snacks.

Chinese Herbs and Teas

Certain Chinese medicinal herbs, such as bitter gourd, mulberry leaves, chrysanthemums, and Anredera cordifolia, also have the function of controlling blood sugar fluctuations. Ms. Chen recommends a hypoglycemic tea that can be used as daily drinking water.

Ingredients: 10 grams (0.4 ounce) of Astragalus, 6 grams (0.2 ounce) of mulberry leaves, 6 grams (0.2 ounce) of chrysanthemums, and 20 grams (0.7 ounce) of brown rice.

Preparation: Brew the ingredients with 500 cubic centimeters (17 fluid ounces) of water and let it cool before drinking.

A study published in Food Science and Biotechnology in 2018 found that chrysanthemum has the effect of controlling high blood sugar. The researchers gave a Type 1 diabetes rat model and a high-fat diet-induced Type 2 diabetes mouse model oral administration of chrysanthemum extract daily for five and six weeks, respectively. It was found that the fasting blood sugar levels ​​of the two groups of diabetic rats were significantly lower than those of their respective control groups.

As for fruits, Ms. Chen believes they are not completely necessary, especially fruits high in sugar content. She suggested eating less sugary fruits like guava, apples, and tomatoes in the morning to allow the calories of the fruits to be distributed throughout the day instead of sugary fruits that will spike your blood sugar rapidly.

Personal Experience of the 14-Day ‘Sugar Fasting’ Program

Although TCM believes that if you have the proper meal, a suitable portion, and reduced blood sugar fluctuations, you can control over-snacking, for me, meals and snacks each seem to go to different stomachs. Even if I have a full meal, I always want dessert. To overcome that and to meet the challenge of implementing the 14-day “Sugar No More” plan, I invited five of my friends to do it with me.

There are six guidelines in this 14-day “Sugar No More” plan:

1. No added sugar: Unless the food itself contains sugar, no other sugar should be added.
2. Eat at home: Try to prepare your food at home as much as possible to reduce the chance of unwanted sugar intake.
3. Increase fiber intake: Eat more vegetables and fruits (juice excluded). Increasing fiber intake can also reduce sugar absorption by the body.
4. Reduce carbohydrates: Fiber content within the carbohydrates consumed should be more than the amount of sugar content.
5. Increase protein intake: Increasing protein intake can increase satiety and prolong duration until the next meal.
6. Less processed food: Processed foods are the opposite of whole foods. Many sugars and chemical additives are added during processing, which is bad for your health.

After two weeks on this plan, I lost 2 kilograms (4.4 pounds), which is not too shocking—just about the standard yet healthy weight-loss range. However, my five teammates showed quite a mixed outcome, and several issues arose during the program, which I would like to share with you.

• The plan is not suitable for everyone: Teammate N took the program most seriously and followed every bit of the six guidelines to the finest detail, but she lost just 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds). We later learned that she was never a “sugar addict” by any standard. So she didn’t cut many calories, and without exercise, she observed no apparent effects.
• Hard to eat the right foods: On the first day of the program, almost everyone came to me and asked, “What should I eat for breakfast?” This reflects how our society has been “hijacked” and how difficult it is to buy healthy food without added sugar.
• Not enough knowledge about nutrients: Other most frequently asked questions were, “Can I eat rice? Can I eat cereal? How about noodles?” It is easy for people to confuse “sugar” with “carbohydrates.” In fact, sugar is a carbohydrate, and the body needs carbohydrates to provide the energy it requires.
• Difficult to implement due to social issues: Teammate P confessed from the start that it was difficult for her to strictly adhere to the “Sugar No More” plan because there were too many parties or events she had to host or attend. This returns to the understanding of nutrients and self-discipline. If you know how to choose food and eat in moderation, you can still enjoy delicious food wisely, even during special events.
• Stress diminishes willpower: Teammate C was the only male in the group. Once he is busy with work, he tends to forget entirely about giving up sugar. Moreover, stress or fatigue can make it easier to give up on making the right food choices.

To be honest, for me, it was tough to lose my desire for sugar during the first week. But after that, my brain seemed to lose interest in the wonderful taste of eating sugary foods, and quitting sugar became easier.