I suppose the simple answer to that question would be to, well – simply not eat it.

But that’s easier said than done, I know.

While I’ve personally been avoiding refined sugars for more than a year now – it doesn’t mean that I refuse to eat anything sweet.

Quite the contrary!

Nor does it mean that I will never, ever eat anything made from refined sugar – sometimes it’s just too hard to avoid. (Chocolate chips come to mind, as an example).

However, there are plenty of sweet alternatives to refined sugar – things like honey, and agave nectar, or coconut sugar.

True, agave has gotten a bad rap of late – you can read more about it here.

And yes, it might seem like an odd thing to even mention on the heels of Valentine’s Day, when sweet temptations are beckoning to you from all directions.

However, it’s not all that uncommon for someone to be diagnosed as either allergic, or sensitive, to sugar.

The next time you’re planning to bake, why not experiment with some of these alternative sweeteners like coconut sugar, or succanat?

I’ve given you plenty of suggestions in last week’s post Can It Be Valentine’s Day Without Chocolate? (The short answer was “no” – at least for me).

Then again, it isn’t just white sugar in its traditional form that’s the villain, here.

According to Dr Mark Hyman, “If you have two slices of whole wheat bread, you’re going to raise your blood sugar more than two tablespoons of sugar.” 

In other words, too many carbohydrates in general – especially the “white stuff” like potatoes, rice and flour – are empty calories that offer little nutritional value.

Unfortunately, gluten-free baked goods are no better – due to the presence of various starches such as tapioca flour, arrowroot or potato starch – all of which converts to sugars once consumed).

What can you do?

At meals, help yourself to an extra serving of vegetables, instead of a mountain of brown rice.

Tread light, and see how you feel.

A funny thing happens, though, when you cut back on sugar.

All of a sudden, many of your favorite foods might seem a little too sweet!

I guess that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.