This was something I got asked on my I Quit Sugar forums a lot. I promised to get to the bottom of the conflicting information…Et voila!

coconut water green smoothie, via The Alkaline Sisters. Recipe below

In a coconut shell.

1. yes, there is in fact sugar in coconut water

All coconuts contain sugar. The levels depend on the type of coconut, and it’s age. Something to note though, even the coconuts with the higher levels of sugar still only contain around 2.95ml of sugar per 100ml, which is not a lot. As I’ve shared in my I Quit Sugar ebook, best to stay under 4.7ml of sugar per 100ml. Of course, a bottle of coconut water – which is how most of us get our coconut water – is generally about 300ml. So. In one bottle there can be up to 9g of sugar, which is 2.5-ish teaspoons.

 2. yeah, but how much of that is fructose?

Well. Not so much. And this is what counts. A Brazilian study found the sugar content of an average baby coconut to be made up of:

glucose 50%, sucrose 35%, and fructose 15%

So fructose makes up a maximum of 32 per cent of the total sugars (remember: sucrose is 50/50 fructose and glucose), and often a lot less (depending on the age of the coconut).

All of which means when you look at that total sugar value on the label, it’s a little misleading. Unlike coke or fruit juice, where we know half (or more) of the sugar content is fructose, coconut water’s sugar content is mostly glucose (which is fine, metabolically speaking).

4. can we still drink it?

You might have followed all the chatter yesterday – sugar as toxic as alcohol…should be banned…oh, hang on, no, it’s harmless. Etc. Etc. Wendy Harmer buzzed and asked me to provide this comment for TheHoopla. I’d spent the day chatting about it today on radio (and I think I shocked a few jocks into putting down their Boost).

Thought you might like to read my thoughts…

It’s a year to the week that I quit sugar.

And because I’m about to bang on about the need for more transparency in this world, some disclosure: I wrote an ebook about it. So it could be said I have a vested interest in this topic.

Anyone who’s quit sugar would know what I mean when I say that the most challenging-slash-intriguing part of quitting is The Resistance. People get affronted. Angry.

It’s funny. If I told people I no longer ate frozen peas, no-one would care. I wouldn’t get the outrage. The anger.

But sugar? Well…

Earlier today it was revealed a team of scientists from the University of California has called for sugar to be treated as a poison, in much the same ways as alcohol and nicotine. They’ve suggested sugar, too, be taxed heavily and come with warnings, better labelling and education campaigns.

In an article published in science journal Nature they argued sugar isn’t just a bunch of naughty, empty calories. It’s making us fat and killing us. Sugary food, they say, is responsible for 35 million annual deaths worldwide.

They point out that, at the levels consumed in the West, sugar alters metabolism, raises blood pressure, disrupts hormone signalling and causes significant damage to the liver that is still not fully understood, leading to heart disease, diabetes and cancer.

And boy has it brought on The Resistance. Today I’ve watched online as nutrition experts around the world railed against the idea.

But why? I mean. Why?!

Surely none of them think sugar is good for us? Or would disagree with the claim that we’re consuming too much of it? Why not push for better labelling?

As one of the article’s authors said, “We’re not talking prohibition. We’re not advocating a major imposition of the Government into people’s lives. We’re talking about gentle ways to make sugar consumption slightly less convenient, thereby moving people away from the concentrated dose.”

Some of these experts are arguing sugar is entirely avoidable. No it’s not!

Have you been to a supermarket or food court lately? Sugar’s in everything, and insidiously so. It’s so well hidden it shocks when I tell people that barbecue sauce is 50 percent sugar, that pasta sauces can contain more sugar than chocolate topping.

It’s week three. The time is now. No more run ups…

 we’re going cold turkey…no more sugar!

Image by Takaya Hanayuishi

First up, though, some housekeeping:

* On Friday I invited you all to join FebFast (quit booze for February and raise $ for charity). It’s a good time to drop the booze if you’ve just quit sugar. It will help with the cravings and the detox process.

* A reminder to those of you with blogs. You may want to join the IQS affiliate program, and make $6 for yourself off every ebook you sell through your site. Stupidly simply and I’ve sent out hundreds of dollars to some of you who’ve got on board. You can read more and sign up here.

* Ten great sugar quitters won a copy of Lee Holmes’ Supercharged Food from last Friday’s giveaway: Carlie C,  Emma, Rachel G, Sue S, Mademoselle Slimalicious, Jess J, Tara S, Kathie R, Sarah R, Kris B. Hoorah to you and big thanks for your tips!

But now. In my IQS book I outline what foods to cut out… and why. But today we might do a little reality check session of how much sugar you’ve actually been eating.

Hopefully you’re boldly replacing sugar with fat and protein from today. It takes some getting used to and you might notice different hunger levels. Find them interesting and move with them. For example. I often get a sugar craving after lunch. As many of you know, I eat a tablespoon or two of coconut oil to quash this…which then leaves me STUFFED until dinner. At first I found this disconcerting…now I find it a godsend. No afternoon snacking is freedom.

Something that helped me when I was quitting was to get real about how much sugar I’d really been eating.

EVERYONE I meet tells me they “don’t really eat much sugar”. Which I find kinda FUNNY. Somebody’s got to be eating all that sugar!

When I chat with people about what they mean by not much they describe a breakfast of muesli and low-fat yoghurt, juice, some honey in their tea…”you know, just natural sugar”. And so on.

Yep, by now you know: sugar is sugar, whether it comes in a Coke or an apple; arsenic is “natural”, doesn’t mean we eat it; etc, etc, etc.

But how much sugar – natural or otherwise – have you been eating? Have you been kidding yourself you don’t eat much?

I had. So I sat down with pen and paper and added up the exact number of teaspoons of the stuff I was eating. It was shocking.

This week, try it. It’s a good reminder as to why you’re doing this. Being real helps.

To do this:

* look on the food label at “serving size”. Then divide the number of grams by 4 to get the number of teaspoons.

* remember to subtract the first 4.7g of sugar in dairy products (this is lactose, which contains no fructose)

If you’re currently quitting sugar* – or if you’re not, but would like to do SOMETHING to get your health back on flowing tracks – you’ll like this poke up the bum I’m about to give you:

join me in ditching alcohol in February

Yes, just one month. Actually, 29 days this year. Which is exactly enough time for your liver to regrouprefocus, that bloating to go, your skin to clear and your focus to get sharp.

image via 'break out'

For the past few years I’ve done FebFast. I’m now the patron of the national charity, which challenges people to send their grog on a holiday to raise money to help young Australians overcome alcohol, drug and mental health problems.  Find out more here.

My job as patron is to get you on board to abstain from drinking for the month. For your health. For your esteem. For your wallet. For the good of our community. For making a difference.

If you’re keen to join my team, and quit booze, click the button below.

Type in “sarahw” as the password.

Then you’ll need to contact all your mates to sponsor you. For the past three years Team Sarah Wilson has topped the fundraising ladder (and already we’re perched up there!).

Or you can choose to just sponsor me, here.

Just kick in what you can afford.

If you’re currently on the see-saw of ‘should I/shouldn’t I’, let’s see if this helps:

• Eliminating alcohol from your diet is a quick way to lose weight. One beer is the caloric equivalent of a meat pie. Two glasses of champagne is one fifth of your recommended energy intake for a day. Ouch!

All things cruising well, most of you are probably a good few days, if not a little longer, into this sugar quitting caper. I’ve loved following how you’re all going.

First up, some little house keeping:

* I have a new Facebook I Quit Sugar page: I’ll be updating it mostly daily with new helpful information and tips and offers… feel free to wade into the community and hang out there.

* If you’re on twitter, use the #IQS hashtag. See what everyone else is saying, support each other, post photos of the food you’re making. It’s a growing thang!

* And I invite you to join the IQS mailing list here. To be really honest, I haven’t thought of how I’ll be using it yet, but I PROMISE it will be only for special offers and information. NEVER spam.

So, how’ve you been going?

I think the general vibe is that most of you have skipped the easing off process and gone straight to NO SUGAR. All good.

But equally, no stress if you’re taking a slowly, slowly approach. I did and I found it was the best attack.

This week we’re introducing some more fat and still cutting back on the sugar, gearing our bodies up to the change.

Also no stress if you’ve QUIT. Then lapsed already. Seriously. No stress. This might happen from time to time.

And no stress if you’re just getting on board now.

Let me share three things:

1. We’re doing this gently. When we’re gentle, things feel good. When things feel good, we continue. Studies show we’re more likely to stick to a resolution if we’re compassionate with ourselves as we go.

Phew! Yes. Indeed. I’ve been working on this ebook for months now. And now it’s ready and I’m a little bit scared, but ultimately really happy to be able to share something that has truly changed my life. I hope you enjoy it….

I quit sugar: a simple 8-week program

by Sarah Wilson

If you’ve thought about quitting sugar, tried different ways, but can’t quite cut the ties… this ebook is your sweet, effective solution.

in eight weeks get clean + vibrant + yes, lose weight

Inspired by my own personal experience, my work as a health coach, and from some of the best experts from around the world, I Quit Sugar is practical week-by-week guide full of tips, recipes, advice and inspiration to quit the sweet stuff – for good.

Curious?

If you want to know a little more before you buy, go here and I give a little more info.

Love the design?

Well, thank you. Actually, I have some very special women to thank for that. Siri, Emily and Anna fromRed Handed Studio are responsible for the feel, the vibe, the super clever info-graphics (you’ll need to read the book to know what I mean…but they’ve GONE TO TOWN with some really kooky culinary treatments). Designing an ebook full of different grabs of info and making it readable IS A SKILL. And involves love and passion. These ladies have oodles of both. Ask for their portfolio – a blend of illustration and design prettiness – to see more of their work. You’ll certainly be seeing more of it here on my blog!