Eliminating Sugar From Your Diet

[*Isobel*]

has anyone tried stevia/stevya?

 

[elfenkind]

Just wanted to post something Sophie Dahl recently said as little bit of a reminder:
"On my raw food diet, my skin shone bright like a gilded deity and my eyes glowed in a somewhat unearthly manner. My hips and bottom swelled at an alarming rate and I began to resemble a pear.‘I just don’t understand it.’ The good doctor and I sat in his grubby office on low chairs. ‘Just how much exactly have you been eating?’ he asked, pen delicately poised.
I decided to seek absolution with confession. I told him of the deliciousness contained within the creamy folds of raw mock-cheesecake, velvet slabs of raw mock-chocolate and voluptuous blancmange, pure and raw.

I wanted to share the joy I took in great silken smoothies made from nut milk, cups of raw honey and a plethora of exotic Amazonian berries coloured like the rainbow.

Under a blanket of virtue I had consumed raw food in spades, wantonly pretending that epic amounts of nuts and avocados doused in honey with dates on top were good for me just as long as it was all raw.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/you...-Dahl-How-food-shaped-life.html#ixzz0oBKsiArK"

 

[fivehundred]

i always avoid sugar if possible by customizing drinks and foods that are made in front of me (i always say no sugar/unsweetened/non fat/no whipped cream for my starbucks frapps, bubbleteas, frozen yogurt...etc.) and i don't eat milk chocolate either...but as soon as i eat a kit kat chunky bar, aero, reese's pieces or any other generic processed type sugary product, my body loses control and starts craving it so bad i end up binging on like 100 candy bars in a week! does anyone know why this is? is it because the sugar is like a host and your body starts feeding off it? otherwise i'm pretty good when it comes to controling sweet cravings or not even having them at all but as soon as i get a taste of the bad stuff, it's over!

I am EXACTLY the same. Once I start I can't stop. And for the past few months I've been eating heaps of sugar... so the cravings are just non stop. I'll forgo lunch for chocolate half the time.

I have a problem.

Apparently sugar is similar to drug addiction though, which is pretty scary.

 

[Virginielle]

Apparently sugar is similar to drug addiction though, which is pretty scary.

Yes - supposedly sugar has an effect on the brain similar to that of cocaine.

 

[tullepen]

I noticed that there is sugar in Silk soy milk,so now I even rinse my mouth after that.

 

[Belowen]

I am trying to cut sugar out a little bit at a time. I find anything done dramatically and all in the one go will never work for me. So bit by bit I am cutting it out. I no longer have sugar in my coffee, have switched up my afternoon coffee (with two sugars) for a cup of green tea with jasmine. I opt for high cocoa content dark chocolate when I do eat chocolate, and have cut out other forms of chocolate and sweets in general. (for the most part) I am only starting up on this, so will be checking in on this thread from time to time.

One question: what are your thoughts on artificial sugar? I try to stay away from sweet things that contain the words "no added sugar" because more often than not they are packed full of nasty chemical sweetners.

 

[moirla]

^I say stay away from those artificial sweeteners! Although there is so much information arguing for both sides (that they are harmless or that they are terrible), it just doesn't make sense to me that they would be a beneficial addition to anyone's diet. I do believe that they are toxic.

 

[jada]

This is one thing I really need to change about my diet.
I have a baaad case of sugar addiction. I'm pretty thin, so it's not for weight loss reasons that I consider challenging this, but I really think my high sugar intake is making me super-hyper, along with caffeine and, well...my personality

I am finding it really hard to cut down on sugar. I really cannot imagine at ALL, that fruit could ever be a substitute when I'm craving chocolate. The 'eat a banana' advice has never worked for me.
But, as much of a trouble the obviously sweet foods are, meaning candy, chocolate, ice cream, I find it even harder to find "regular" foods with no added sugar. I mean, sugar is in everything. I just don't think I could study the nutrition labels of everything I'm going to buy to make sure there is absolutely no sugar in it.

I truly admire everyone who has made this step, I'll sure be back in this thread for motivation and info.

 

[adorefaith]

I've started a candida diet plan/detox because i've been eating far too many sugars and refined carbs... I have a very persistent sweet tooth so this is going to be a big challenge but I'm up for it.. I have been feeling really low energy and getting lots of headaches, flu like symptoms etc so now is the time to do this..

I think the hardest thing for me is accepting that i need to cut back on fruit.. i'm so used to thinking of it as good sugar (which it is..) but when it comes to yeast in your body, i guess it doesn't discriminate between 'good' and 'bad' sugar. So i'm going to try and limit myself to a few pieces of fruit a week....pear, apple or berries only.. Ah i'm going to miss bananas and pineapples..

Hopefully this thread will give me some moral support when i'm about to do something naughty....i am a peanut M&M addict.. not any more!

I admire all of you doing this not to extremes but in moderation, as part of an ongoing healthy diet and lifestyle....i think that's the hardest part - incorporating it into your life so that it doesn't become a fad or an obsession but just another aspect of a healthy lifestyle. I still want to enjoy myself and be able to indulge.. i love food way too much to cut things out forever..

 

[turnofflights]

once you get over the most difficult part which is eliminating sugar for about a week. that is when you begin to notice the positive effects being sugar free is to your body. more energy, less fatigue, better skin etc,. at that point i didn't want to turn back after a whole week (which felt like a lifetime) and feel like crap again.

 

[pitumpah]

I have a (probably silly) question...

so, actually the only sugar i eat is the one naturally contained in fruits and vegetables;

but i don't know if i could still eat sushi or not, cause they put few sugar in the rice when they cook it
(plus i eat whole stuff only so maybe i shouldn't eat sushi anyway...)

idk i'm a bit confused...

 

[Virginielle]

I'd say that refraining from eating sushi because of the sugar they use to cook the rice is a bit extreme. I don't think it's enough to do any damage whatsoever, and sushi is so healthy in every other way that it's probably worth the "risk" anyway.

 

[Vevi]

I found, that eating chocolate with more than 75% of cocoa helps a lot if you are a sugar addict. At least it worked for me. I did no feel like I want to eat it all, because it gives me that heavy feeling, even though I ate only 1 piece of whole chocolate.

I used to eat tons of sweets last year and gained 7 kilos (it was a weird year) but now I am down to only 1 thing per day, which is a huge change. I am progressing slowly, but today I try to go completely without any piece of chocolate etc .

I am also changing my lifestyle diet. And I have to say, eating more times a day but small amounts works!

I do some excercising every day, though not longer than 20 minutes (it is so HOT, and I can not go swimming).

 

[ShoestringTravel]

Wow, I admire all the hard work you guys are all doing. Maybe I'll get inspired to try cutting sugar out of my diet for a week or two.....if I do, I'll post here to share.

 

[wekilledcouture]

woo!
Im over a year and a half with no sugar AT ALL.

 

[ShoestringTravel]

woo!
Im over a year and a half with no sugar AT ALL.

wekilledcouture, do you mind if I ask how strict you are vis-a-vis sugar? For instance, if on the bread label you see "sugar" as an ingredient, would you avoid it? Or is it just adding sugar to food, anything like candy, sugary drinks, etc.?

I'm curious about what works best for various people.

 

[wekilledcouture]

i dont eat bread at all actually!

i keep my diet extremely clean, fruit and vegies with no added salt, a small piece of salmon a day (i was vegan but my body cant process nuts/grain/beans etc. so i wasnt getting enough protein)

 

[Wincer]

I'm going to try to eliminate excess sugar from my life. I just got to college and I have been eating cookies and sweets all week. I have come down with a cold and I feel awful. I want to see if it will have a possitive affect on my health Fake sugars hurt my throat and taste bad so I tend to stay away from them. :/

 

[Fabulyss]

Is it true that there are withdrawl effects? I've heard fatigue, diarrhea, moodiness, etc.

 

[papa_levante]

I have decided to cut out high fructose corn syrup. Of course, in small amounts it is alright (or so the commercials tell me so). But I have decided to do without it. I was kind of disappointed when I found that all my fruit spreads have hfcs in 'em.

But, I don't know if hfcs is a type of sugar or not. I think the only sugars I consume are naturally in fruits.