The Sugar Free Challenge - Who is in??

[NoSugar]

How sugar affects some people similarly to alcohol:How sugar affects the brain - Nicole Avena | TED-Ed

[lifechange]

Thanks for that, NS!

Starty, I go through periods where I seem to have sugar "under control".. where I'll eat a scoop of ice cream or a chocolate and then be ok with it. As long as it stays like that, I'm fine.. But I tend to use sugar like I did alcohol in times of extreme stress, at that time of the month, for comfort.. during these times I almost always go overboard and feel terrible physically and mentally. I do experience sugar hangovers.. especially if I'm eating real crappy candy that's also mixed with colours and other additives. This Christmas season I think I've been eating more sugar to try and counteract any cravings I might have for alcohol.. which can of course have the opposite effect. I know in the past, when I've given up sugar, the cravings have lessened with time. Now I don't really feel cravings but I have some bad habits going. I started taking L-glutamine today, which seemed to help in the past.. and important for me is exercise! Which I've been slacking on..

How about you? I know I read a post of yours over the weekend about sugar, but I can't remember the details..

[NoSugar]

Really interesting (long ) article in The Guardian:

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/apr/07/the-sugar-conspiracy-robert-lustig-john-yudkin

We've been mislead and because I was one of the misleaders, I really want to encourage people to pay attention to what finally is coming out. This article sums it all up quite well.

[NoSugar]

Bump

[Eloise]

wow.

[lifechange]

bump

[NoSugar]

I've drifted away from eating in the way that makes me feel best so I'm hitting the restart button. I'd love some company :smile:.

A new book has been released on just this topic: The Case Against Sugar: Gary Taubes: 978377164: Amazon.com: Books
The first chapter can be read here: Sugar is a toxic agent that creates conditions for disease | Aeon Essays

And here's a recent report by a guy who gave up added sugar completely for a month: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/30/op...ugar.html?_r=0

[starty]

I am in NS. I will continue to have fruit though but not too much. It would also be helpful to list foods that we think are OK but in actual fact loaded with sugar. Also add foods that we can use as substitutions that are OK.

How do you feel when you eat clean and when you dont?

[NoSugar]

Hi, Starty

The most obvious difference for me is in energy level -- it is high when I avoid added sugar and goes down the more I consume. I also eat fruit - just not a ton of it and very little dried fruit (although I LOVE it :sad.

Because I am pre-diabetic, I can also quantify my lapses with the blood glucose meter. My numbers are running higher than normal while my energy (and mood) are lower.

Finally, and most relevant here, when I eat much added sugar (or in my case too many starchy carbs in general), it makes me want to drink more, not less. It is pretty well established that eating sugar can substitute for drinking alcohol because the biochemical/addictive pathways are very similar (and hence all the sweet tooths that develop post-quit) but for some of us, triggering that pathway causes a desire for all the things we know satisfy it to develop. My husband is having a guy party today and for the first time in AGES, those little "single serving" wines are calling to me. I'll ignore them but I don't like that I'm even noticing them.

If you don't eat processed food, it is pretty easy to avoid added sugar --- you just don't put it in or on! If you buy anything in a jar or box, you have to read the labels. That NYT article by the guy who gave up sugar for a month tells you all the sciencey words to look for. Normally, I minimize those products but don't avoid them entirely. That is where the sugar has been creeping back into my life (such as in the shrimp cocktail sauce I ate a TON of last night with 'high fructose corn syrup' as the second ingredient - before the horseradish :upset.

So, I just had a breakfast of a small granny smith apple loaded with nut butter that I made yesterday. Feels like a good start in the right direction.

[lifechange]

How nice to see this thread up again..
I'm like both of you. Sugar makes me feel terrible. I'm not cutting it 100% (I have a fresh cheese that has a bit of fruit and raw sugar and a ton of protein that I like) and am not cutting fruits, fresh or dried, but I am not eating anything that has any other name for sugar.. also, for me, the products combined with simple carbs, cookies, cakes, cereals, etc., make me feel the absolute worst. And I get terrible sugar "hangovers".. Yesterday I began eating high fat or high protein whole foods when I felt like sugar.. something I've never done before.. and it worked to kill the craving. I wonder if that could be a solution for me? Before, I would eat a healthy sweet as a replacement.. and I seem to remember rarely feeling satisfied. More like I ate so many of the healthy sweets trying to kill the urge that I made myself sick.. crazy.
So I'm here.!:happy2:

[NoSugar]

I've found that like with alcohol, total abstinence from "sweet" works best for me. And after awhile, things like 90% dark chocolate, raspberries, and cashews actually start tasting
sweet. I generally eat highish fat, modest protein, low carb food. And when I stick with it, feel very good.

[kuya]

Since totally changing our diets six months ago my daughter has lost 21kg and I have lost 23kg.

High fat, low carb has been a life changer. I have friends and clients commenting on our weight loss and changing.

NS pointed me to Diet Doctor - Revolutionize your health Awesome site

[satz123]

Bumping for Mario !

[mario]

Me here :-)

[satz123]

Me here :-)

Read back Mario what No Sugar writes - it's great stuff !
I still haven't gotten to Day 1 yet ......... working hard to get there.
I still have some sugar /sugar substitute in the form of protein bars which just keeps the sweet tooth active - need to weed that out.