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happymama
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| Posted: Nov 26 2009 at 6:50pm | IP Logged
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I've read, here & there, that some of you try to virtually eliminate sugar from your diets, and I'm wondering why.
I know I need to reduce further the sugar in our home, too. I just want to understand better why you do it, what benefits you find. Because it's not going to be easy!
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juststartn
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Hm, well, while I am *not* one of those people (we would undoubtedly benefit from it, at least a little bit), some people cut the sugar out for reasons ranging from behavioral reactions, to candida (yeast) overgrowth. Depending on the reason, would depend on how severely you cut back/out, etc.
Rachel
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Jamberry77
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Sugar turns me into a mean, snarling mother who snaps at the tiniest infraction (I have hypoglycemia). For me, it was a matter of what memories do I want my children to have of me. Life was bad for my poor kids. People with hypoglycemia seem to differ in what foods they can eat and what they can't have, and they differ in symptoms. Some sugars make me light-headed and a dangerous driver. Some make me mean. Some put me to sleep within an hour. I won't bore you with what I can and can't eat, but suffice to say that giving up sugar is hard, but after a few days the body adjusts, then it's hard when seeing other people enjoying goodies.
If someone were to decide to give up sugar, I would advise giving up one category at a time: example, first month, no sodas. Second month, no candies. Third, no baked goods(etc.) Second factor to success: make a list of the foods that you can have as a treat- for me this includes whole milk plain yogurt, Gouda cheese, and toast with butter, among other things.
My children do get a decent amount of sugar but not as much as in some families. Most of the desserts I make for them are whole wheat, include fruit, and just some sugar. They do get candy several times a week, just a little bit at snack time to go with plain yogurt that I make.
My husband follows his own eating plan and is not included in the above.
I've read several places that sugar decreases the action of the immune system. I haven't seen any definate effect in my family - we do get colds, but it does seem that we get far fewer vomitting things, or if we do get them, the vomitting is once or twice and that's it. I think the yogurt is critical there (or it could just be that my sons are getting older).
So that's my take on it! Hope it helps you some.
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MaryMary
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| Posted: Nov 27 2009 at 12:22pm | IP Logged
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Plain and simple reason: I was addicted to it. And a bigger reason yet...I was seeing that same craving, needing, begging in my children. I needed sugar daily, I craved sugar daily...and it made me cranky and tired and only left me wanting more. A family physician who is a close friend of the family advised me to cut out most of the sugar in my family's diets. He likened it to great tasting poison. This really motivated me to change. I started with myself...for the better part of this year I have tried to eliminate most of the sugar from my diet and I can finally say that it doesn't have the grip on me that it did before. After months of going without (well, mostly...I would indulge in a dessert on rare occasions) I finally feel as if I don't absolutely need to have sugar, and I feel better (more energy, less sluggish) I still try daily to stay away from bad sugars, but I will eat fruit and yogurt. It's harder to make the change to the children's diets, but we're slowly working on it! For myself I eat desserts and baked goods only on the biggest feasts/birthdays...it's very, very difficult at times, as our culture is so saturated in goodies! But I keep telling myself that I have to stop feeling so entitled to it...
HTH!
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organiclilac
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We are trying to reduce sugar because both dh and I have some insulin resistance. I have polycystic ovarian syndrome - PCOS - and dh has some symptoms of being pre-diabetic and just feels much better when he does a low-carb diet. Plus, we both need to lose a few pounds.  We are trying to be attentive to the glycemic index of foods, not just carbs and sugar, because we are concerned about the insulin response. For example, ice cream has a lower glycemic index than whole wheat bread! When we do have carbs and sugar, we try to make sure it's never on an empty stomach and that we have protein and especially fat with it.
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happymama
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| Posted: Nov 27 2009 at 10:07pm | IP Logged
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Thanks for the responses, here's some thinking out loud:
The approach I've taken so far is to try to reduce the obvious bad-guys first: high fructose corn syrup & white sugar... Okay, I can do that. But which sweetener would go next? Brown sugar? Isn't there a hierarchy of value in sweeteners? Honey & Rapadura are expensive... Splenda kinda scares me. What would you suggest?
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hsmom
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Kathleen DesMaisons has written books (program) on how to reduce/eliminate sugar. There is a food plan for adults and a separate one for kids. She takes a very gradual approach to doing it since it can cause withdrawal for some.
You can read more about it here and see her books too. Our library had all the books, if yours doesn't there are definitely available through interlibrary loan.
http://www.radiantrecovery.com/
HTH
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JennyM
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I recently cut out sugars from my diet as an experiment-- I wanted to see if I actually would feel better without and if I would have more energy, etc. It was HARD the first couple of weeks. Hard to not eat it, that is! A certain time of day I often reached for something sweet and when that time of day rolled around it was painful at first!
Well, with Thanksgiving this week we had the normal huge amount of holiday sweets around and I was so pleased with how my body naturally just told me it had enough sugar. So, what I've found is that when I do have a sweet every now and then, I'm satisfied after a very small amount and I don't crave it again or want it frequently after that. I've only had some of our Thanksgiving desserts once and I just don't want any of it now-- the desire to have it is not so strong anymore, it's no longer calling my name all the time!!!
That's my experience with cutting back on sugars lately! My motivation is just to be healthier overall, to go for whole foods rather than sugar to satisfy a craving during the day, and to feel better. So far I've been pleased with how it's helped.
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Nique
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| Posted: Nov 29 2009 at 11:58pm | IP Logged
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This is right up my alley! Thank you for everyone who posted so honestly. I think I need to pray for help to let go of the sweets. I can see there being MAJOR withdrawal!
I liked what Jamberry77 suggested with "giving up one catagory at a time".. and MaryMary I hear you about the children .. JennyM, I find it so interesting about your body letting you know it was satisfied with a certain amount of sugar!
I admire everyone who's written!!
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teachingmyown
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I am starting with eliminating the HFCS. Boy, that is hard! It is in the bagels and bread we buy, the peanut butter, and of course, the jellies and anything sweet. That just means I need to do more baking of our breads and such, and buy organic of the things we don't want to give up.
I am a monster on sugar, too. I did figure this out a while ago and have cut back drastically on the straight-sugary stuff that I used to devour, like candy corn and jelly beans. Dh buys me chocolate these days, but I am trying to cut back there, too.
We are eating raw, organic sugar these days instead of white sugar. I am not sure that is better as far as glycemic reaction, but at least it is a healthier alternative.
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Tami
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| Posted: Nov 30 2009 at 11:41am | IP Logged
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Jumping in....
I've been interested in this, too.
Because of Molly's comment, I did a quick Google on raw, organic sugar and found this article. It's by Dr. Sears, whom many on this board like. 
I haven't the time right now to read in full, but thought it could help the discussion.
Jumping out.... 
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CatholicMommy
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teachingmyown wrote:
I am starting with eliminating the HFCS. Boy, that is hard! It is in the bagels and bread we buy, the peanut butter, and of course, the jellies and anything sweet. That just means I need to do more baking of our breads and such, and buy organic of the things we don't want to give up.
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There are a couple of bread brands that do not use HFCS, but they are pricier - we usually stock up when they are on sale and freeze it, but mostly we end up making our own bread anyway.
For peanut butter, we purchase either straight all-natural (has to be stirred) or one of the brands now has a version with palm oil that does not require stirring.
It was so difficult to cut that out, though - and we've not entirely cut it out because we really enjoy our canned jellied cranberry sauce :) Outside of that though, any corn syrup is tiny and far between. Finally :)
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MicheleQ
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Sugar is an inflammatory. Not just "table" sugar mind you but anything that your body turns into sugar can have this effect (in other words carbs). Inflammatory responses in the body can accelerate aging and promote dangerous degenerative conditions and diseases. Blood sugar is a big issue at my house obviously but it needs more attention from all of us, especially if we eat sugar or foods readily converted to sugar.
The more sugar and carbs we eat the more our bodies pump out insulin and over time this can cause a host of problems from, type 2 diabetes to thyroid problems to you name it because carbohydrates wreak havoc on hormonal function.
A few years ago I could not have imagined giving up sugar or lowering my carbohydrate intake but it does become a normal thing and the benefits to how I feel can't be stressed enough. I have had severe plantar factitious pain for years but I have NO pain when I don't eat sugar and keep my carb grams below 65 daily.
When I say carbs by the way I mean anything that raises blood sugar. Green vegetables don't so they don't count --basically anything my type 1 diabetic children can eat without having to count it or get insulin.
In terms of what to "replace" sugar with, we don't. Lowering your sugar intake changes your palette and sweet things become very sweet. If I want a sweet treat I eat fruit in small amounts. We don't use artificial sweeteners here because we are not convinced of their safety and because in the end for a diabetic they still do raise blood sugar, just at a slower and unpredictable rate.
The glycemic index can be helpful but there are flaws to it too. I have found what raises blood sugar can vary from person to person and of course certain foods eaten together will slow down absorption as well.
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Gloria JMJ
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Stevia is a safe, natural sweetener made from the leaves of a plant, supposed to be many times sweeter than sugar but low/no carb. Expensive, but good if used sparingly.
Sugar also lowers white blood cell count. Good to avoid durring illness.
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Nina Murphy
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Does anyone else have experience with Stevia? I've wondered about it....taste, and effectiveness in baking/heat.
One HUGE benefit to me of limiting sweets is in my skin. It is literally painful for me to develop cysts/acne/break out. Despite what they "say" about foods/diet connected to acne being a myth, it has been a simple fact throughout my life that eating sugary treats (not fats) results in the infection/inflammation that is acne. I am always trying to encourage my teens and young adults to avoid it....but: ALAS. They will either get to that point, or not. It really helped me to reach that point where I could commit to breaking the sugar habit for good.
This is just *one* reason. There are oh so many more, as listed above. I wouldn't discount the effect on teeth and tooth decay, canker sores, gum disease, etc., as well...especially all of the sodas and candies and easy-to-grab baked goods (Costco, anyone?) that seem to have wormed their way into everyday life (at least WE find this a constant struggle----argh).
It's hard to be a busy mom with kids who are constantly needing to eat, and not rely on what is "easy" and accessible (and most of it seems to be the sugary stuff they gravitate towards), isn't it?
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Taffy
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Quote:
| Sugar is an inflammatory. Not just "table" sugar mind you but anything that your body turns into sugar can have this effect (in other words carbs). Inflammatory responses in the body can accelerate aging and promote dangerous degenerative conditions and diseases. |
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Thank you so much for this thread as it's giving me that extra push to get started on the changes I need to make for our family. I've been struggling with beginning a new diet regimen for my two autism spectrum children since it will require major changes for all of us to help them deal with their diet. Not least of which is the need to eliminate sugar and drastically reduce the carbs we are all currently eating.
I'm starting small and introducing new some items to our diet. Advent/Christmas season seems like such a painful time to consider eliminating sugar. But, as my dh pointed out to me last night, there is never a really good time to do it. There are always obstacles to making dietary changes.
I think I'll be bookmarking this thread to read during my weaker moments. Especially the info about sugar's damaging effects on the body. Thanks again.
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MicheleQ
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Nina Murphy wrote:
| Does anyone else have experience with Stevia? I've wondered about it....taste, and effectiveness in baking/heat. |
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We don't like it. I've tried many different brands over the years and just don't like it. You can bake with it.
Nina Murphy wrote:
| One HUGE benefit to me of limiting sweets is in my skin. It is literally painful for me to develop cysts/acne/break out. Despite what they "say" about foods/diet connected to acne being a myth, it has been a simple fact throughout my life that eating sugary treats (not fats) results in the infection/inflammation that is acne. |
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Oh there is definitely a skin connection. Here's a quote from Dr. Perricone "As a dermatologist, I am against sugary and starchy foods because the inflammation they induce (which takes place on a cellular level) shows up on the skin as a loss of radiance, dark circles under the eyes, the loss of tone, puffiness, an increase in fine lines and wrinkles, the loss of facial contours and increased pore size. These foods can also exacerbate acne, which is a systemic, inflammatory disease. I am not exaggerating when I say that sugar can rob you of your youth, health, and beauty."
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| It's hard to be a busy mom with kids who are constantly needing to eat, and not rely on what is "easy" and accessible (and most of it seems to be the sugary stuff they gravitate towards), isn't it? |
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It is, but when you have no choice (as my diabetics don't) you do what you have to do and really, it gets easier with time. I would love to brainstorm quick and easy low/no carb snack and meal ideas.
We keep bell peppers and celery sticks cut up for snacks. String cheese (Aldi has an inexpensive brand that's very good), cheese chunks, deviled eggs, hardboiled eggs, meat strips sliced thin and sauteed in coconut oil. Almonds, walnuts. . .that's all I can think of off the top of my head this late in the day.  Anyone?
Taffy wrote:
| I'm starting small and introducing new some items to our diet. Advent/Christmas season seems like such a painful time to consider eliminating sugar. But, as my dh pointed out to me last night, there is never a really good time to do it. There are always obstacles to making dietary changes. |
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Susan this sounds like a good plan --and really if you can do it over the holidays you can do it anytime!
We we're thrown into it full force when my children got sick but we have slowly introduced this way of eating to our other children as well. My dh actually read parts of the book Life Without Bread to them as it explains things very well and made it make sense, especially to the older kids. Still, it can be hard not to give in at times and keep in mind we DO allow some carbs, just not a lot.
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Bookswithtea
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Dh and I went low carb/no sugar over a year ago. I cannot believe how much better I feel (and how awful I feel after a big holiday when I've overindulged  ). It does help tremendously with losing weight, but the big surprise to me is that my thyroid started working better, necessitating a change in my medication (I'm low thyroid). During my 6th pg, my progesterone was scarey-low. I had it checked with my last pregnancy (before I miscarried) and it was fine. I asked my OB about both of these and he said both of these fixes are probably related to diet. I am amazed.
I do use Stevia to sweeten pitchers of iced tea and homemade hot cocoa and I've used it in homemade yogurt as well. I've never baked with it though.
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Topic: Why eliminate sugar?
