A complete meal to me is one that involves something salty, followed by something sweet. Sometimes I manage to work in a dessert three times a day. I have toast every morning, and even with that I'll divy it up like, this one piece will be savory, this other piece is getting maple butter—need to keep it even. I'm not sure where it comes from, but I realize it's not healthy. I like to think I'm careful though. I don't drink soda, no fruit juice, no granola, no yogurt—nothing that has hidden sugar. I also try to remind myself to work more good fats (avocado, cheese, fish, nuts) into my diet if I'm eating something sweet, or even eat them alongside each other. I like my sugar out in the open, like a slice of banana bread, carrot cake, a smoothie, ice cream. It drives me crazy to think that a homemade oatmeal cookie might have the same amount of sugar as a granola bar—why would anyone ever choose the latter?

This isn't a great way of living though, so I’m thinking about kicking sweets entirely. I'm sure it'd be great for me. And I'm saying sweets, not sugar, as sugar is in fruits and in carbs and I'm not giving those up. It's not about weight loss or being good to my skin, it's more about self control. I don't like that I crave it, and I’m looking for some tools to help.

Although, counterpoint—let's consider, maybe sugar just tastes good and we are hard-wired to crave it? Not that I’m looking for reasons to stay on the sugar... No, I want to be good. So, here’s my plea: Can you help me cut down on my sugar cravings? How should I even begin?

—Tom Newton

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