Benefits of being sugar free?

[Kairos]

When I was in the early months of quitting, the couple times I had some sugar, it set up a craving the next day for alcohol. My experience has been that it is much much better to avoid both. That way, I want neither and don't miss them at all.

I think all any of us can do is to recognise what is true for us. We are all different physiologically it seems. I can certainly agree with you 100 percent on this NS. It has also been my experience that sugar sets up a craving for alcohol and vice versa. So it makes perfect sense to me to avoid both.
I enjoyed seeing what Ginger ate yesterday. I would be willing to share a food diary too. It might be a good idea to have a resource of sugar free meals. Maybe this already exists on MWO?
K

[Kairos]

Hey, Jane. I've not tried Truvia. I tried Stevia a few years ago and thought it was ok. I've found it easier not to use added sweeteners of any kind. That has changed my sense of taste so much that things like blueberries or raspberries taste really sweet on their own (Hi, Turn !).

I took the following from a book on nutrition by Gillian McKeith which counts stevia as a super-food.

“Stevia contains sweet substances which are not metabolised by the body, and thus are eliminated without any calories being absorbed. Therefore you’ll be pleased to know that stevia is not fattening. Stevia also contains protein, carbohydrates, phosphorous, iron, zinc, calcium potassium, sodium, magnesium and vitamins A
and C.
It is a herbal food with an impressive reputation for healing the body. Not only does it cause blood sugar to rise but it also brings down raised blood sugar levels. Unlike sugar it does not spur the growth of unhealthy bacteria which can infest the body causing serious problems. Stevia alleviates the craving for sweet foods by balancing the body’s sugar levels and avoiding the see-saw effect of hypoglycaemia. Thus stevia may decrease the desire to eat fatty foods and control appetite. Some people have found that their appetite decreases if they take stevia drops 15-20 minutes before a meal.
Reported in The journal of medicinal plant research, US scientists have found that stevia acts as a natural diuretic, helping rid the body of excess fluid, helps mental and physical fatigue, harmonises digestion, regulates blood pressure and assists weight loss”

Just in case anyone was tempted to write it off as a sweetener for coffee!

K

[Ginger999]

That's an interesting read, Kairos. I've also heard that white stevia tastes better. I was at a garden store last year that had stevia plants. I pulled a leaf and stuck it in my mouth. OMG!! It was so sweet. Crazy sweet.

I've not seen a food diary on MWO but I've not really looked. If you guys find one or start one, will you post the link here? I love having food suggestions. As a plant-based eater, I can always use suggestion. When I get lazy, I'll eat brown rice and steamed veggies for days. KInd of boring actually.

Happy hump day!

Ps.... Yesterday was day 2 no sugar for me.

[Ginger999]

I'm 6 days SF and I can really feel the difference. My gut feels happier if that makes sense.

[NoSugar]

Makes tons of sense, Ginger. There's a great deal of research linking sugar and refined/processed food intake with harmful gut bacteria (which in turn, lead us to crave those exact foods: http://www.theatlantic.com/health/ar...upcake/378702/). Like with AL, it seems to be a matter of breaking the cycle and then other things seem to fall into place. I'm glad to hear you're feeling good :wink:. All my shorts seem to have shrunk in the drawer over the winter so I apparently am eating a bit too many tasty non-sugar foods!

[NoSugar]

This TED talk is about sugar/carbs and diabetes but could just as easily be about alcohol and addiction:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=da1vvigy5tQ.

[Ginger999]

Very good video, NS. I'm still doing no sugar/refined carbs but I am keeping fruit in my diet. Yesterday I bought a fresh pineapple. Its the best one I've had in ages I'm eating an apple a day. Do you think that's okay? Am I sabotaging myself with the fruit?

[NoSugar]

Hi, Ginger
If a person is metabolically healthy, fruit should not be a problem. There are some very fortunate people who seem to be able to eat just about anything with no problem! However, that isn't most of us and like she said in the video, most people don't know they have an issue until something major happens. I was able to fool myself for a long time because I exercised regularly and wasn't overweight. Turns out that that didn't "protect" me after all. About the only way to know how foods affect you is to borrow or buy a glucose meter. The real culprit is insulin but there are no home meters for that so the proxy is blood glucose. The other thing is, fasting glucose, which is the one measured at yearly checkups, often isn't the first thing to get messed up. What is going on in your body with glucose and insulin (and other hormones) after eating is the real issue and most of us just don't know.

[Ginger999]

My fasting glucose this past April was 87. Now it seems that only gives me a false sense of healthy blood sugar level. "/

With my healthy eating and still struggling with my weight, I'm beginning to wonder if I might be insulin resistant. I guess the only thing I could do differently is to strictly avoid processed carbs. Right?

[NoSugar]

That is a fine FBG and no doctor would ever worry. Mine crept up slowly over several years until I was classified prediabetic. My post-prandial numbers were worse, though.

High insulin or insulin resistance would make it hard to lose weight. A great source of information on the subject is a 6-part lecture series by Dr. Jason Fung:https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YpllomiDMX0
The title includes "obesity" but the series is really about all of the metabolic consequences of insulin resistance.

[Ginger999]

Thanks NS! I'll check this out.

Ps... sorry about high jacking your thread, Francis. But thank you so much for starting it!