Just because one can experience a placebo effect does not suggest that any change in behavior may be ineffective (but appear effective a la placebo). When I fi

Just because one can experience a placebo effect does not suggest that any change in behavior may be ineffective (but appear effective a la placebo). When I finally start exercising (for a month solid) after being sedentary for 6+ months, I feel greatly energized - physically and mentally. I feel stronger too. Based on my performance in many aspects of life, I'm pretty sure that the benefits aren't imagined. The same applies to alcohol. After about three weeks of no alcohol, a kind of mental clarity, sharpness, and aggressiveness (as in _wanting_ to be mentally challenged instead of avoiding mental effort) becomes very present. This I do not believe is a placebo - although if it is, I'm still much happier with the real or perceived benefit. So with sugar, why not the same? Plenty of people have written their stories about cutting sugar and how they felt for weeks or months, so I'm likely to believe that they really experienced the benefits. Finally, placebo or not, there's little question that "empty calories" are at minimal non-beneficial, and at worst harmful.