“Oh, sorry. I actually can’t eat that.”

Well you actually can. You are just choosing not to.

In this day and age, it seems people are willing to try anything to lead a “healthier” lifestyle. Many people find going vegetarian, vegan, paleo, or even sugar free is becoming effective not only for weight loss but boosting their health. But are these diets effective in achieving their goals, or are they just trendy?

I know plenty of people who actually get infuriated when they hear of someone who has decided to go vegetarian or vegan or any diet that is not based solely on Taco Bell and Chipotle. All jokes aside however, there are many people who cannot imagine a life without meat or sugar, and a lot of us could not go without the processed foods that we consume daily. I too used to think this way, but upon closer research and a long look at my diet, I am starting to succumb to a healthy lifestyle.

Vegans, those who exclude all animal products from their diets and lifestyles, account for over 3.7 million people in the United States according to Time. The magazine also explains that while many vegans choose the diet for ethical reasons, a vegan diet is the most successful for people in terms of weight loss. I personally do not think I could ever go truly vegan, at least not now; it is just too hard when I do not buy my own groceries or cook my own meals. Not to mention I love meat, and cheese, and ice cream, etc. While veganism seems like far too restrictive of a diet, however, I will admit that all the vegans I know are extremely happy and healthy, so who knows?

Jumping onto the healthy bandwagon, I have also dabbled in alternative diets. I went through a process of what I like to call No-Sugar April. Over the course of the month of April, I did not eat any added sugar. I had heard of people trying this or living this way before, so I guess I just wanted to challenge myself. This is far easier said than done I assure you, and while I was mostly successful in refraining from the bad stuff, I may or may not have eaten a slice of delicious carrot cake (Ahem, Danielle.), and the Indians’ Home Opener just set me up for failure. Despite these two slip-ups, however, I ended going strong and finished out the month sugar free. (Easter got a little tricky.)

My main source for this on-a-whim diet change was Sarah Wilson from “I Quit Sugar.” She explains that we are all addicted to fructose and sucrose and processed foods. She also claims that sugar breaks down collagen causing wrinkles and joint degeneration as well as promotes fat storage. This makes a lot of sense, especially the addiction theory because when is the last time you ate the serving size of your favorite sugary cereal or the recommended half a cup of ice cream? I mean seriously, who does that?

Hopefully, No-Sugar April will open my eyes to a life without sugar, and over time I will not even want it anymore. I so envy those people who just dislike all the delicious but incredibly unhealthy food. Part of me on the other hand, does not really want to change my entire diet because like it or not, in today’s society food and eating are incredibly social activities. “Let’s get food” may be the most uttered phrase of our generation, so there is no point in isolating oneself from society. People should focus on finding the right balance to maintain a healthy lifestyle that does not result in a break down nine days in where next thing you know, you are sitting with an empty tub of ice cream and a spoon in your hand with know idea how you got there — we have all been there.