I used to buy several 5lb jars of honey every few months, and get quart containers of maple syrup a few times a year. I also bought lots of organic evaporated cane juice aka sugar for all the baking we did. We bought organic fruit juices, raisins and dried sweetened cranberries.

But organic or not, I fooled myself a bit. Organic or not, it was still all sugary. The calories wasted on sugar were being diverted from much more nutritious options like vegetables (lots of those!), nuts and good quality fats. In addition, sugars (and starches because they break down into sugar quickly) acidify the body and can lead to diabetes, heart problems, various inflammatory afflictions, as well as cancer, especially in combination with starches (white flour and pasta, bread and starchy veggies), too much meat and processed foods.

My husband naturally lost about 15lbs when we began to cut sugar and starch out of our diet a few months ago, and I am able to close pants whose top button I used to have to leave open. Our taste buds readjusted quite quickly and I find mildly sweet foods sweet enough and overly sweet foods cloying. I have taken to making all kinds of different vegetable pastes as snacks to eat on raw veggies like red peppers, carrots, zucchini or celery. Nuts are a great nutritious snack as well.

Every body and digestive system has different tolerances and weaknesses. However, a lot of people report not only natural weight loss but also an energy gain when they cut out sugars and starches.