I exorcised my last dietary sin a few months ago: sugar. I really wasn't eating a lot, just some candy at night to satisfy the sweet tooth. But I think even that small, regular amount was enough to have an effect on my metabolism.
What really motivated me to make the change was all the recent research showing the ill effects of sugar. First and foremost, there is a number of connections between cancer and sugar. You could even say that cancer feeds on sugar. Sugar can of course cause dental problems, blood sugar problems, and many other things. Really, I couldn't find any benefits to sugar, other than a few suspicious-looking studies done by the sugar industry.
One thing I did notice is that when I cut out this last bit of sugar, my weight started to slowly drop. So I think my initial thought that the sugar had an effect on my metabolism was true.
When I moved cross-country in late September, I made a conscious decision to use some sugar to keep alert during the long days of driving. It was strange that even after a few days of sugar, my body began to "expect" the sugar. I had to slowly detox the next week to get things back to normal.
After this experience, I'm much more inclined to think that sugar is an addictive substance.
