No More Sugar.

[RhythmSpring]

Damn my mom for buying so much damn food. Lol. Addi, help me think of a rule so that my mom's food isn't so tempting.

I know, right??? Tell her what your dietary thoughts are, and hopefully she'll listen. I had to tell my mom to stop buying me sweet things and granola (health food cereal my ASS) like 5 times before she actually stopped.

 

[SinisterMuffin]

Thanks for the advice, guys. Unfortunately I just went grocery shopping not long ago, so I won't be able to put these into immediate practice, but I'll try to make what I have now as healthy as I can, and will certainly try to research the local goods a bit more to find the best options before just trying to rush through the shopping like I usually do and looking only at price. ^^;;

 

[addictivepersona]

I know, right??? Tell her what your dietary thoughts are, and hopefully she'll listen. I had to tell my mom to stop buying me sweet things and granola (health food cereal my ASS) like 5 times before she actually stopped.

S_L's situation is a bit different as she has a kid brother and her family doesn't eat a lot of healthy things. Don't get me wrong, they don't eat trash, but they do eat a lot of processed food.

S_L, when I see you tomorrow, I'll tell you what I think you should do.

 

[modern buddha]

What advice would you have for someone with an extremely low income? Unfortunately all the healthier things cost so much more; I don't know if I can afford to cut out the bad foods. And that saddens me. I want so much to be healthier and have access only to healthy foods, but it is so difficult when living on such a low budget. Please, any advice is greatly appreciated.

Rice, oriental noodles (the REAL stuff, not that fake Ramen crap) and beans are your best friend.

Do you have any space for a small garden?

If you can't find some things in the bulk section, then get uncooked, un-processed versions of the same thing.
For example, get bagged beans if you can't find them in bulk. They are a lot cheaper in the long run than canned beans and last a lot longer.
Get indian rice if at all possible. Do NOT get store brand rice. I can't imagine the types of crap that stuff's grown with.
Get organic frozen veggies and peas if you are not in growing season. And next growing season, try to find a local farmer and strike a deal with him. Whatever you don't use, blanch and freeze.

You'll be surprised how much your bill decreases per week / month. Eating garbage food costs more money in the long run and damages your health.

Eat rice. consume in season local produce.

The bulk section is your friend. Protein can come from bulk beans, nuts and seeds, and canned sardines (a lot less mercury than tuna, more omega-3s, cheaper too. It's good stuff!). Buy cheap produce too. I don't think healthier necessarily equals more expensive. There's a lot of processed stuff out there that claims to be healthy, but it's really just a loss. Eat whole foods.

 

[euphoria]

DING DING DING DING DING! We have a winner!

I'm shocked that no one mentioned this before--Unless they did and it got lost among the jibber jabber. Seriously though, it goes for any food addiction (or even any addiction!): If you don't keep it in the house, you can't readily access it!\

exactly why I can't buy ice cream, cereal, or sweet things like that anymore I eat it all in one sitting. I'm a carb/sugar fiend, so its easier to have NONE than try to have just a little bit.

 

[ColtDan]

same, as soon as i have some sugary food i end up craving more shortly after, very annoying

 

[malakaix]

Well after 9 days of very minimal sugar intake.. i can honestly say this has had a very positive impact not only on stabilizing my mood but i'm also less tired, sleep better and far less anxious then in the past. I went out for a friends birthday on the weekend.. and i had a couple of drinks but what really surprised me was i was acutely aware at how the alcohol was impairing my ability to think and form sentences, i actually felt more sociable after drinking a few glass's of water then buzzed from the alcohol as i could convey exactly what i was thinking. In the past i would use alcohol in social scenario's to reduce the amount of anxiety i was feeling so i could be sociable, but since there was very little anxiety to begin with.. there was little need for excessive alcohol. This was somewhat of an unexpected surprise but a delight at the same time.

I had a yogurt today after little to no sugar for almost ten days and i couldn't believe how sweet it was, i actually felt high from eating it.. and then the eventual crash and restlessness, the picture is definitely a lot clearer now.

 

[B1tO'RoughJack]

I'm sure you've heard the idea before, but I'm like, totally serious this time.

Try going 10 days without:

Sugar, (that includes beet sugar, brown rice syrup, corn syrup, stuff that has, um, sugar)
Sugary fruits, even berries (try only one green apple a day or less)
Sugary veggies, mainly beets
Honey
Bee Pollen
Maple Syrup
Stevia
Artificial Sweeteners
Simple Carbohydrates, even brown rice, oats

NSFW:

...not even a quarter teaspoon. Unsweetened tea, here I come!

I've cut down on sugar in the past, and it's been helpful, but recently I decided to see what it would be like with absolutely NO sugar, save for some granny smith apple (no more than one a day) and the natural sugar in carrots. Here is what I've found after 7 days:

My emotions are stable, simply put.
My mind is clear, ditto ditto.
I am far more grounded, strong and sturdy in mind, body and spirit.
Along with the feelings of rootedness, I find myself high on life. Music is better, relationships are vastly improved.
My voice has dropped to a stronger, more resonant tone.
My inflammation (rheumatoid) is down.
My fatigue (rheumatoid-related) is dissipating.

In the beginning, and still now to a certain extent, I had to deal with sugar cravings/low blood sugar of course. This is NOT to be remedied with carbohydrates, or even food. Sit with your feelings and thoughts: you feel irritable, uneasy, ungrounded, like something is missing. Perhaps you are anxious, even panicky. Negative thoughts pour into your mind, interfering with your flow.

When we are hungry with low blood sugar, we get these negative feelings, but they usually aren't justified; they're just from craving sugar. If you allow them to be, without subverting them once more by satisfying your cravings, you will find out what REALLY bothers you. What you really need to change or do to be happier, more well. I find that low blood sugary hunger is a great spiritual teacher--difficult but rewarding if you have the patience and willpower. I find that the stability and peace achieved from resisting sugar/carb cravings far outweighs the momentary pleasure from satisfying them.

We don't need sugar. I'm not advocating that we avoid all sugar all the time, but I do recommend seeing how you feel without it for 10 days--just to see what kind of effect it really has on you.

Be well.

Nice one - Great thread.

I've cut down my sugar intake A LOT - I was diagnosed with candidiasis when I was a kid, but I'm not convinced - if I don't eat sugar, but just breads and oats and brown rice etc - I don't get the external exhibition of an intolerance, and my tongue is not toally covered in white, although it often has some at the back - but I do when I eat a bunch of sugar, my skin breaks out in horrible spots and I feel really tired and irritable the next day...I need to refind what is up with me.

Maybe this is just feeding my body a lot of something and it's just experiencing withdrawals? Maybe I don't have an intolerance to anything but refined sugars, and too much yeast?! Hmmm...

I wouldn't do this though - it's winter, and porridge oats fuel me, and because I don't eat refined sugar foods anymore (occasionally), I eat fruit everyday.

If I want a spiritual teacher, I will use other things than starving myself of what little joy from food I can get - I will however try what you suggested WHEN I feel my blood sugar is low, and I just need to go and eat, after I've settled and meditated.

 

[ColtDan]

Well after 9 days of very minimal sugar intake.. i can honestly say this has had a very positive impact not only on stabilizing my mood but i'm also less tired, sleep better and far less anxious then in the past. I went out for a friends birthday on the weekend.. and i had a couple of drinks but what really surprised me was i was acutely aware at how the alcohol was impairing my ability to think and form sentences, i actually felt more sociable after drinking a few glass's of water then buzzed from the alcohol as i could convey exactly what i was thinking. In the past i would use alcohol in social scenario's to reduce the amount of anxiety i was feeling so i could be sociable, but since there was very little anxiety to begin with.. there was little need for excessive alcohol. This was somewhat of an unexpected surprise but a delight at the same time.

I had a yogurt today after little to no sugar for almost ten days and i couldn't believe how sweet it was, i actually felt high from eating it.. and then the eventual crash and restlessness, the picture is definitely a lot clearer now.

excellent read, glad its made such a good impact :D

 

[ColtDan]

anyone bother to keep track of their salt intake?

 

[Darksidesam]

i dont look on the food packets,
but all i can say is,

its very rare for me to put a dash of salt on anything, ate a little plate of broccoli earlier, no salt, no nothing lol

 

[ColtDan]

always read food packets, crazy what some stuff contains

 

[addictivepersona]

anyone bother to keep track of their salt intake?

Not down to the milligram or anything, but I have a general idea of how much I eat. Most days it's way below 500 mg, since I don't eat highly processed food and don't add salt to anything. One or two days every week or two it's around 2500mg. Much lower in the summer when I'm not eating beans and rice with bouillon. The only time I regularly eat higher salt content foods (by adding salt to the food), is when I'm nearing my period.

 

[modern buddha]

anyone bother to keep track of their salt intake?

Not down to the milligram or anything, but I have a general idea of how much I eat. Most days it's way below 500 mg, since I don't eat highly processed food and don't add salt to anything. One or two days every week or two it's around 2500mg. Much lower in the summer when I'm not eating beans and rice with bouillon. The only time I regularly eat higher salt content foods (by adding salt to the food), is when I'm nearing my period.

Basically this, but with soy sauce.

 

[foxyloxy55]

I think this is a great idea, and am really looking forward to hearing what you have to say about it. But I am curious why no stevia, since it isn't a sugar and doesn't effect blood sugar levels at all?

 

[Darksidesam]

But I am curious why no stevia, since it isn't a sugar and doesn't effect blood sugar levels at all?

...Interesting...

see a stevia advert the other day on tv, im glad they are finally showing that there are better alternatives to Aspartame and other shitty artificial sweeteners.

 

[euphoria]

I switched to truvia a few months ago. I had re-introduced splenda (sucralose) into my diet prior to that. And before that hadn't used any artificial sweeteners in years. I noticed that splenda gave me lots of bloating and sometimes dizziness. Truvia hasn't caused me any noticeable side effects, and it has zero calories. It's derived from the stevia plant, so I feel this is a better alternative to chemically produced artificial sweeteners. I do wonder how true this is sometimes. I have done some reading on the subject and Truvia is owned by Coca-Cola. Knowing that makes me wonder how 'natural' this product actually is. Since I'm trying to lose weight, I choose to use this in my coffee and tea to add a touch of sweetness without going overboard. I don't consume enough of it to make me worry that much.

 

[Samadhi]

When i was on a weightloss program, the only alternative they gave me was stevia. While I haven't tried it in cooking, i can't have it in hot beverages (I have limited coffee still and don't have sugar in it), i have seen a number of healthy and raw recipes that call for stevia.

If anyone is keen, i have an e-book that was sent to me by a friend - it's all about quitting sugar - Here is some info about it - and i'm happy to email it to whoever

http://www.sarahwilson.com.au/i-quit-sugar-ebook/

PS: i had mini pavlova last night with fresh whipped cream and topped with fresh fruit - blackberry, banana and passionfruit. I'm happy to report that I couldn't finish it, however dont' feel like any more now, and could easily stop. I certainly don't want any more today. :D

 

[Blue_Phlame]

Count me in on the 10 day challenge, shouldn't be too hard since I usually avoid very sugary foods. The problem would be in trying to find foods that have minimal sugar. I'll start tomorrow morning with some rolled oats, two eggs, and rye bread. Lunch should be ham sandwich w/ tomato, onion, salt & pepper. Dinner should be pasta with some kind of natural sauce w/ some lean meat & veggies.

The other part is keeping interested eating foods that don't contain added sugar.

 

[euphoria]

Keeping interested = variety