No More Sugar.

[Darksidesam]

Bananas are Super-Serotonin increasing foods ColtDan

 

[CHiLD-0F-THE-BEAT]

I find it incredible that people *add* sugar to their cereal! Like ColtDan, I am sure most varieties contain a lot even before adding more.
Is it a child-hood, habitual thing darksidedsam?

 

[Samadhi]

Whilst i fell off the wagon over Xmas/New Year, i have successfully cut out all sugar from my diet since early November. I've never felt better My skin is clear, my digestive issues have all but cleared up (no heartburn medication anymore, and no GORD symptoms). Even fruit tastes ridiculously sweet to me now. I had a grape the other day and couldn't believe how sweet it was; forget about honey! I was advised by my naturopath to cut out sugar to rebalance my gut flora, and i've been pleasantly surprised with the other health benefits.

 

[ColtDan]

glad to hear you feel so good inspirational. so true what they say about "you are what you eat" and things. quite a few people i know always moan about being tired, even when they've had loads of sleep, etc. yet they have a fairly poor diet, high in fat and sugar with no real health benefits, and aren't interested in eating healthy food, or supplements. yet they carry on moaning. and they dont exercise enough. doesnt take a genius to work out whats wrong. some people are so f-ing stupid. after binge eating for days on end over christmas on cake etc i literally felt like i had some sort of a messed up weird hangover. disgusting. its like pumping a car full of dirty grotty fuel or something, makes it run like a pile of shit

 

[malakaix]

Well so far i've gone two days with very minimal sugar intake.. the only thing i had was perhaps some milk.

Im honestly blown away at the difference; i'm not irritable and my emotions arn't all over the place, i can think clearer, im not waking up tired and lethargic, and i feel really light/clean physically. I'm still working on a proper diet but i think this is motivation enough for me to make a complete overhaul to my dietary intake. It also seems easier to address other issues in your life because your not overwhelmed by this craving for sugar which seems to distort everything else.

I find it incredible that people *add* sugar to their cereal! Like ColtDan, I am sure most varieties contain a lot even before adding more.
Is it a child-hood, habitual thing darksidedsam?

I think it is a childhood habitual practice, at least for me.. i would always do it with weetbix; and i think that's because my parents would. Granted weetbix is one of the healthier cereals on the market, adding sugar to it seemed to negate that.. lol

 

[trance in fraance]

well this thread has encouraged me to at least try and cut down on my sugar
im confused though, are fruits okay?

and is this supposed to help with depression? i know sugar gives you a high n you crash but i mean does sugar actually have that much of an impact on your brain? i've been miserabley depressed as of late so im doing anything i can to help make me feel better

one more
if i absoluteley need something sweet, do i use alternative sweeteners? i stay away from Splenda and artificals but what about Stevia?

 

[RhythmSpring]

^
Abstaining from sugar has nixed my depression/anxiety. I'm naturally prone to depression; I wouldn't say I have it by default, but I am a generally anxious person. Being off sugar has simply eliminated my anxiety.

Count sweet fruits as sugar. Bananas, figs, dates, raisins, (really any dried fruit), grapes, peaches, apricots, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, most apples, pears, I would avoid. Sure, have an apple (preferably granny smith, as they have the least fructose) for breakfast. But absolutely no bananas, for example.

I don't know much about stevia, but at a glance it looks safe.

 

[RhythmSpring]

And to the poster who posted about how you NEED carbohydrates...

We don't need nearly enough as the food pyramid/plate prescribes. For the past 2 years or so I've gone virtually without wheat, bread, pasta, potatoes, rice, and other forms of simple carbohydrates, and focused mainly on protein and vegetables, with no adverse effects (only positive ones). I do get carbs from legumes, however, and these days sweet potatoes, but I rarely, if ever, eat grains.

 

[twentysix]

i'm not sure about the others, but i think it does impact your brain. it runs on sugar, but if you don't eat the right kinds of food to get that sugar and it gets it from different sources, when your body can't effectively send sugar that way it can screw with your head. the key to the brain is definitely in the gut (and in ways definitely, vice versa).


ColtDan's scenario happens with me when I eat too much sugar/fructose. That hangover effect is a result of your gut flora not being able to properly process those sugars (fructose/fruit sugar). Brown rice does it to me if I have too much of it. I've had some headaches from higher fructose foods (including brown rice) that lasted a week... that felt like hangovers. Human body in one sitting can only handle ~25 gs of fructose, and many people because of the over-use of it have already worn out many of their fructose receptors, in their intestines, leading to this abnormal fermenting which can cause a problems ranging from mild to severe. People with extreme cases, like myself, can't handle hardly any if it's not balanced with glucose, which basically "holds the hand" of fructose allowing it to pass safely into the body... otherwise many problems ensue. For months I was experiencing what seemed like low blood sugar, when I was eating plenty of carbs and apparently "good food"-- but because of my condition, I had a form of reactive hypoglycemia, which actually causes a drop in blood sugar in response to too much sugar entering the body (mainly fructose). One day I ate a bag of crystalized ginger (yea way much) and went into a stupor of sorts, slurring my words, extremely weak, muscles twitching. I even started treating myself for diabetes, taking chromium and RLA+biotin, trying various things. Stopping use of Ginkgo for me helped, as it can cause insulin resistance to occur in some. I only "got better" in this regard- in regard to having energy, stable energy, when I dropped most carbs out of my diet.

Your guts really need to be healthy or not loaded down to keep the brain going right. Load them up with sugar and it makes it "unrealistic" for you to maintain stability, as they provide quick energy. The brain, not learning to deal with quick changes like this over it's evolution, comes to depend on this stream.. your metabolism gives up some of it's perhaps more optimal modes functioning to instead supply this quick fix, and when it's suddenly not available, you just drop off, and the byproducts are left.. nasty.. in your guts.. as well. Complex carbs break down slowly... but even over time, with the use of everything else, the body's ability to make use of those in the first place is compromised, making you take a different approach, such as letting your body adapt to burn fat for energy, and let it convert protein to the sugars that the body needs.

Most people won't have it to the level that I have, because a lot of things happened to me in perfect timing to screw me, but somewhere around 80% of people have "fructose malabsorption" to varying degrees, so sugar will more than likely not serve them well, in any amount of excess. Stick to berries- as they have the most balanced fructose/glucose if you have a sweet tooth. Instead of honey/sugar in your cereal, put fresh fruit, like strawberries. There's nothing wrong with a little sugar if you know the difference between "sugars" and how they effect you. Keeping fructose levels down might be a key (try to keep glucose+/fructose- as an aim, and not too excessive). Most persons illnesses are just under the radar.. not enough to warrant much worry for them, as they are unaware-- "oh, I've just got gas". But if you take a proactive approach or want to, this may be something to consider.

just my two cents.


(Being honest about my experience, I was never diagnosed as having low blood sugar.. it just seemed like it, and is associated with inability to handle fructose which I know I have, so it's basically an attempt to put a perceived 2 and 2 together.)

http://www.healthhype.com/nutrition-guide-for-fructose-malabsorption.html

^a link to a site that might benefit some people struggling with these things. you may not necessarily have to go bare bones to help yourself, although you might find yourself there, depending. the list is compiled for people who have the condition to an extreme enough level for it to make them really notice, and although it might not be the same as just "sugar is not good for us", I believe there's some over-lap, definitely- at least... but of course with this, people handle things differently. there are also many more of these lists out there, but they have a lot of common findings.

 

[trance in fraance]

^
Abstaining from sugar has nixed my depression/anxiety. I'm naturally prone to depression; I wouldn't say I have it by default, but I am a generally anxious person. Being off sugar has simply eliminated my anxiety.

Count sweet fruits as sugar. Bananas, figs, dates, raisins, (really any dried fruit), grapes, peaches, apricots, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, most apples, pears, I would avoid. Sure, have an apple (preferably granny smith, as they have the least fructose) for breakfast. But absolutely no bananas, for example.

I don't know much about stevia, but at a glance it looks safe.

well well well...
i dont think it's going to be possible for me to cut out all sugar then but i'll deffinitley make an effort to cut down as much as possible. has it done anything for your skin? i did some research and it seems like sugar has a major impact on your skin appearance.

 

[RhythmSpring]

It has a major impact on *everything.*

The sound of my voice
My posture
Skin
Hair
Relationships
Focus/presence of mind
Facial beauty (seriously)
Testosterone levels (i believe sugar decreases testosterone levels, but don't quote me on that)
Mood
Energy levels
Gas
Sense of wellbeing
Oral health

Anyone else want to add to the list?

Twentysix, thank you for your in-depth post. I agree that a sound gut = a sound mind. The nutrition guide link is aiight... probably doesn't pertain to everyone sensitive to sugar, however. It wants me to avoid kale and cucumbers. Not sure I understand the whole concept, but thanks for sharing.

 

[Shimmer.Fade]

And to the poster who posted about how you NEED carbohydrates...

We don't need nearly enough as the food pyramid/plate prescribes. For the past 2 years or so I've gone virtually without wheat, bread, pasta, potatoes, rice, and other forms of simple carbohydrates, and focused mainly on protein and vegetables, with no adverse effects (only positive ones). I do get carbs from legumes, however, and these days sweet potatoes, but I rarely, if ever, eat grains.

We DO need carbohydrates, we DO NOT need synthesized sugars. Please make the difference. I would not recommend that anyone cut out carbs completely from their diet for longer than a few days personally. I would also not pursue such a radical diet without first consulting with experts in the field.

I do agree the food pyramid perhaps overdoes it, but the fact of the matter is you NEED, depending on the person, a certain amount of carbs. It is true some need less than others, but ALL HUMANS need carbs to live.

Do you know what ketoacidosis is? It is a ketogenic state that your body goes into during hunger periods in order to cover the depleted carb reserves in your body. Naturally your body's largest stores of energy come from fat, so in the case of not eating carbs you burn through your carb reserves quite quickly (I think about 48-72hrs if fasting, longer in this case because you have some kcal coming in). The keton bodies are not only acidic, but also have their own little negative side effects. You also start losing lots of water weight at the beginning because the kidneys try to adjust and compensate for the metabolic acidosis.

Moreover, ask yourself why do humans have multiple specific carbohydrate receptors in our duodenum, why do we have insulin, why do we have glucagon, how does this system actually work? Does a healthy person's blood sugar actually raise that much after ingesting carbs? Why do we do glycogenesis to have energy stores of a substance called glycogen, how does it function, and what is its purpose. Why does glycogenolyse and then gluconeogensis occur. Which organs absolutely, 100% NEED glucose in order to function. Why during resorption in the proximal tubulus system of the kidneys do we resorb nearly 100% of the glucose that gets past the glomerular filtration (except when it raises above 10mmol/L..but that is another topic).

This is stuff I am listing just off the top of my head, and when any of these systems gets out of balance it then taxes other systems which are striving to get back to the physiological balance. This isn't meant to be condescending, and hopefully can serve as a platform for you to learn more about carbohydrate metabolism.

Maybe your experiences are positive, but you yourself in your first post, "I'm sure you've heard the idea before, but I'm like, totally serious this time. ", indicates to me that you have been eating more carbs in the past 2 years than you let on. I feel like encouraging such an extreme diet without being an expert, or having a deeper understanding of the human body is irresponsible and dangerous.

 

[twentysix]

While I look at your words and see wisdom (even if I don't understand all of it), what can you say about the Eskimos, who through most months have little to no access to plants, yet seem to do alright?

I also wanted to correct myself. I'm actually eating 25-30 grams of carbs a day.

 

[Darksidesam]

I find it incredible that people *add* sugar to their cereal! Like ColtDan, I am sure most varieties contain a lot even before adding more.
Is it a child-hood, habitual thing darksidedsam?

Its my dads fault for putting sugar on my cereal when i was younger..

I can actually enjoy a bowl of rice crispies with no sugar whatsoever,
nowadays though i eat weetabix or shredded wheat, And i must say honey is rather nice on it lol

 

[Shimmer.Fade]

While I look at your words and see wisdom (even if I don't understand all of it), what can you say about the Eskimos, who through most months have little to no access to plants, yet seem to do alright?

I also wanted to correct myself. I'm actually eating 25-30 grams of carbs a day.

Haha interesting question. It seems the Inuit have undergone fairly extensive physiological changes that allow them to prosper in their region more than other peoples. Kind of similar to what happens to indigenous people who live at high altitudes (or non-indigenous who spend extended periods up high, but they never show quite the same adaptations) which I am more familiar with. These people still have high instances of certain ailments (in high altitude blood clots/strokes, higher instances of skin cancer).

Wikipedia as always serves as a good launching platform for further investigation. It indicates that while the Inuit do eat few carbohydrates (though they do get some in the form of various preserved plants) they have abnormally enlarged livers (this is where gluconeogenesis occurs) in order to compensate. They also had very high urine volumes in order to excrete all the excess urea that builds up in their systems. To avoid scurvy they seem to get their VitC through their eating of raw flesh. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inuit_diet#Nutrition

It should be noted that the Inuit are an extreme case, and have had many generations in which natural selection favored those able to survive under these circumstances. There is ton of genetic variability within the human population, and that is why it is important to keep in mind diet is highly individualized, and what works for some will not work for others. This is why it is important to go experts who know how gather your personal metabolic information in order to tailor a specific diet to your needs (if you are wanting to try some diet that strongly differs from what is 'normal'). I imagine it would be fairly expensive though if you really, really wanted to get as near as possible to a perfectly optimized diet for you. This is why most people are simply encouraged to eat a healthy diet, and the daily recommended values which have been gathered from vast amounts of study are what they are...standard values that are the best solution for the most people (these also differ slightly from place to place, Germany and US do not always have the same values for instance). They are by no means the perfect diet for every person.

 

[malakaix]

Hmm i didn't realize the glycemic level for potatoes was so high, i just had some for dinner.. and well after having no sugar/low carb foods for the last three days it really hit me like a ton of bricks. But regardless i've been motivated to make changes to my dietry intake and thats major for me, thanks for the informative thread! Really enjoying reading through everyone's posts

 

[max_]

^ Not really a huge difference, actually. While processed/added sugars are indeed worse than natural sugars, natural sugar still gives you that "spike" of blood sugar. Stay away from all dried fruits, bananas, even berries. People switch over from cookies to fig newmans and bananas and think they're doing themselves a favor, when in reality they've just changed the source of their sugar injection. The fewer processed foods the better, too. Like I said, for my no-sugar experiment, the only fruit allowed is no more than one granny smith apple a day, and preferably zero.

I've been drinking a big glass of water when I wake up too now for about a year--it makes a difference. It also reduces cravings for cold cereal. Part of why we like cereal in the morning is that we feel the milk quenching our morning thirst (in addition to the sugar spike).

Another good habit to get into is to not eat at night after 9pm, to let the digestive system rest and do its thing well while you sleep. 12 hours between the evening meal and morning meal is optional to let the body do its proper repairs. But I digress.

I'm sorry but this is plain wrong. I like your ideas about food and diet (well, my ED likes your ideas about food and diet...). 12 hours between meals will slow down your methabolism waaaaay too much. When you eat again you will not only be super hungry but your body will also store every last piece of calorie in the food you eat for breakfast. 12 hours between meals is not healthy and not smart at all.
Still I love the idea of not eating simple carbs anymore. That's probably healthy indeed.

 

[RhythmSpring]

We DO need carbohydrates, we DO NOT need synthesized sugars. Please make the difference. I would not recommend that anyone cut out carbs completely from their diet for longer than a few days personally. I would also not pursue such a radical diet without first consulting with experts in the field.

I do make the distinction. I have noticed however that eating grains and eating sugar have similar side-effects with me.

I do agree the food pyramid perhaps overdoes it, but the fact of the matter is you NEED, depending on the person, a certain amount of carbs. It is true some need less than others, but ALL HUMANS need carbs to live.

I have gotten carbs through non-grains, such as legumes, sweet potatoes, and what about complex carbohydrates? I've lived well thus far... have I been defying nature? I would at least challenge that "all humans need [grains] to live."

Maybe your experiences are positive, but you yourself in your first post, "I'm sure you've heard the idea before, but I'm like, totally serious this time. ", indicates to me that you have been eating more carbs in the past 2 years than you let on. I feel like encouraging such an extreme diet without being an expert, or having a deeper understanding of the human body is irresponsible and dangerous.

By "I'm like, totally serious this time." was in reference to sugar, not grains. My daily diet has been without grains for about 2 years now, with occasional allowances for rice. These allowances have made me feel worse, not better.

 

[RhythmSpring]

I'm sorry but this is plain wrong. I like your ideas about food and diet (well, my ED likes your ideas about food and diet...). 12 hours between meals will slow down your methabolism waaaaay too much. When you eat again you will not only be super hungry but your body will also store every last piece of calorie in the food you eat for breakfast. 12 hours between meals is not healthy and not smart at all.
Still I love the idea of not eating simple carbs anymore. That's probably healthy indeed.

Thank you for correcting me. I should point out that I am someone who is always trying to gain weight, and this practice of leaving 12 hrs between the two meals has actually helped me gain weight (hooray!). And no, Shimmer.Fade, eating lots of carbs/grains like I used to didn't help me gain weight one bit. I admit that I have that body type, and I should have made that clear from the beginning, because, as you pointed out, everybody's body chemistry/metabolism differs greatly.

 

[ColtDan]

not sure its wise to completely cut out sugar, only the processed stuff, the awesome health benefits from bananas and kiwi fruit etc must be worth the sugar intake. but fuck processed sugar