Surfside Academy Posted June 10, 2009 Share Posted June 10, 2009 Does anyone have any good practical tips for reducing/eliminating sugar from your diet? I know for us the biggest offender is cereal. I specifically purchased what I thought was healthier cereal options but they still have about 9 grams of sugar. Yikes! My boys don't drink much juice so we're ok there and we try to limit dessert to weekends only but so many other products are loaded with sugar. Did anyone find a website or book that they found particularly helpful? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OLG Posted June 10, 2009 Share Posted June 10, 2009 Very interested in the replies here too! Sugar is so pervasive, especially that corn syrup!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pretty in Pink Posted June 10, 2009 Share Posted June 10, 2009 Avoid processed foods. Instead of cold cereal make oatmeal, grits, rice, or some other hot cereal. Add your own fresh fruits to sweeten. I am just militant about reading labels. At first it took quite a bit of time but once you become familiar with your favorite products shopping will be easier again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen in PA Posted June 10, 2009 Share Posted June 10, 2009 I agree about avoiding processed foods. Eating unsweetened food can be a bit of a shock at first, but your taste buds adjust, and you begin to taste the natural sweetness of foods. I make our oatmeal with milk instead of water, add a sprinkle of cinnamon, and my kids don't miss the added sweeteners (the milk has its own sugars, which you really can taste). We add fruit or a drizzle of honey to plain yogurt instead of buying sweetened yogurt. We snack on plenty of fruits, veggies, and nuts. We use oil and vinegar in place of processed salad dressings. I was raised on Jif, but now love natural pb. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardening momma Posted June 10, 2009 Share Posted June 10, 2009 Your body converts both sugar and starch (carboydrates) to glucose, so you want to look at how much grain you eat (bread, pasta, rice, etc.). Whole wheat products are better because they have more fiber, which reduces the "net carbs" that your body absorbs, but you still have to look at how much your body is going to absorb. Whether you're looking at weight loss, or just reducing the amount of sugar your kids consume, it's worth it to look at the Insulin chapter in Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution. It gives a good look at sugar, starch, carbs, glucose, blood-sugar, excessive carbohydrate intake, etc... My parents at one time had a book called Sugar Busters. Might be worth checking out, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Surfside Academy Posted June 10, 2009 Author Share Posted June 10, 2009 Thanks for all the info! My oldest is just ridiculously picky so it's makes food-buying difficult. He refuses to eat oatmeal or eggs so making breakfasts is especially difficult. He will eat cereal but I know that has to go. Anyone have other breakfast alternatives?? I also need to give the agave nectar another try in my coffee. It's just not the same as sugar though...:ack2: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ConnieB Posted June 10, 2009 Share Posted June 10, 2009 I also need to give the agave nectar another try in my coffee. It's just not the same as sugar though...:ack2: You have to be patient with your body while it adjusts.....but eventually you will not even remember the sugar taste....and in fact at some point you'll be visiting someone's home and they'll serve you coffee with sugar and you will GAG at how overly sweet it tastes to you. But....it does take time.....for some people a few days for others it can be weeks. A lot of it depends on your current "addiction" but also on whether you ease into it or go whole hog. I recommend committing to it whole hog, because if you body gets just a little sugar it's not going to forget as easily. It's not fun, it takes committment and will power, but the end result is WELL worth the effort. I don't want to tell you to delay starting, but make sure that before you begin you don't have anything that would be difficult to get through the first week.....such as dinner with hubby's boss or a tea party with friends (yep, both of those in my first week!!). Committ to one week without any kind of added sugar, promising yourself that if after a week you can't handle it you can have some sugar......you'll find yourself so proud of the progress you made by then you won't want to have any. Enlist the help of everyone in the household, asking them to police you (kindly but firmly) and be sure to stock the house with plenty of alternatives. I absolutely adore strawberries, raspberries, boysenberries, etc....but it was late winter and were soooo expensive....but I stocked my refrigerator with them anyway and whenever the sugar craving was strong, I'd eat as many berries as I wanted. At the end of that week I didn't want to give up my berries, lol....but the cost made that easier. And sugar was much easier to resist. Somedays it's still a will power issue, but it's easier everyday as I learn choices and remind myself how nice it is to feel good about my body. If at all possible, buy your fruits and veggies from a farm or farmer's market....they are soooo much sweeter and stronger flavor than the store bought stuff. And of course if you love the food you're eating you'll not want to resort to the quick and easy sugary stuff instead. Good luck. Ain't easy, but worth it. I've lost an entire young person in weight, and still have another to go! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardening momma Posted June 10, 2009 Share Posted June 10, 2009 I'd suggest you get a carb-counting book so you can see the number of digestible carbs (net carbs) in food. Net carb is the total carbs, minus fiber. Starch & sugar are the main culprits (or only?). I consider starch and sugar to be equal, since they are both turned into glucose and affect blood sugar. For example, my book says that one small banana has 21.2 net carbs, 1 cup of Rice Krispies has 22.5 net carbs, 1 cup of corn flakes has 23.4 net carbs, and 1 cup of raisin bran has 38.9 net carbs. Now, those raisins are probably good for you, but they coat them with sugar, and raisins themselves have natural sugars. So that really means that the banana is about equal in sugar to a cup of plain cereal (w/o milk). If he's going to have a glass of milk with the banana, he could have milk in his cereal instead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ConnieB Posted June 10, 2009 Share Posted June 10, 2009 So that really means that the banana is about equal in sugar to a cup of plain cereal (w/o milk). If he's going to have a glass of milk with the banana, he could have milk in his cereal instead. But the sugars from the banana are natual sugars. THe sugar in the cereal is added and his body will react different.......it will feed his need for more sugar throughout the day...his addicition, if you will. The banana will not, nor does the cereal have the other nutrients that a banana has, including fiber which is likely to fill him up for longer than the cereal will. Using your analogy: A Snickers candy bar has 32.4g net carbs.....so you'd be saying he may as well have the Snickers bar instead of the Raisin Bran and be ahead 4.5g net carbs? Or half the Snickers (16.2) instead of a banana (21.2) and be ahead 5g? It's very important to differentiate the kind of sugar.....candy bar or sweetened cereal sugar is much worse for you than the naturally occuring sugars in fruits. Otherwise, we'd all be eating chocolate every morning and calling it healthier than Raisin Bran! If only that would work. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardening momma Posted June 10, 2009 Share Posted June 10, 2009 No, the amount of total net carbs, including sugar, that will affect blood sugar, is about the same for a small banana and a cup of plain cereal. But a cup of cereal is a really small amount and probably wouldn't hold him over for as long. I made no claim that he would be just as satisfied with both, or that they have the same nutrients. There's also a little bit more fiber in a banana than in cereal, although not much more. Still, the fiber will help keep you feeling full. Raisin bran has lots of fiber, so even though you'd be getting more net carbs (the ones that do affect blood sugar), you also have more fiber (which doesn't get digested and used as energy or stored as fat, but passes through eventually). What I'm saying is that it pays to read up on what affects blood sugar--grains do as much as sugar does. Whether you get a whole diet program book, or just a carboydrate counter book, or look it up online, it's nice to see which foods are higher in starch, sugar, total carbs, net carbs and fiber, and which are lower. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ConnieB Posted June 11, 2009 Share Posted June 11, 2009 No, the amount of total net carbs, including sugar, that will affect blood sugar, is about the same for a small banana and a cup of plain cereal. But a cup of cereal is a really small amount and probably wouldn't hold him over for as long. I made no claim that he would be just as satisfied with both, or that they have the same nutrients. There's also a little bit more fiber in a banana than in cereal, although not much more. Still, the fiber will help keep you feeling full. Raisin bran has lots of fiber, so even though you'd be getting more net carbs (the ones that do affect blood sugar), you also have more fiber (which doesn't get digested and used as energy or stored as fat, but passes through eventually). What I'm saying is that it pays to read up on what affects blood sugar--grains do as much as sugar does. Whether you get a whole diet program book, or just a carboydrate counter book, or look it up online, it's nice to see which foods are higher in starch, sugar, total carbs, net carbs and fiber, and which are lower. We're gonna have to agree to disagree on this I think.....I can tell you that there is no way that I could have eaten Raisin Bran or other types of sugary cereal instead of fruits (and lots of them, including berries which are high in natural sugars) and brought myself back from the abyss of diabetes (the doctors required me to sign AMA because I refused to let them start insulin), lost over 100 pounds, and restored my health not to mention my skin (which looks and feels human for the first time in decades). Eating that crap is what got me where I was in the first place....because I grew up believing that a calorie was a calorie, and ate what I wanted just kept the number within the "rules". I was never a big eater....but I also never ate the healthy stuff, so keeping the calorie count was easy...typically no "meals" just lots of small snacks. And I nearly died because of it. I guess OP is gonna have to do some research on her own and decide which of us she agrees with (or form a third opinion, lol)...because I'll never be convinced that all sugars are created equal. If that were the case I'd celebrate with a 3 musketeers floating in Ben & Jerry and chase it down with a Cherry Coke. :lol: And still have some calories to spare. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marylou Posted June 11, 2009 Share Posted June 11, 2009 lost over 100 pounds, and restored my health not to mention my skin (which looks and feels human for the first time in decades). Eating that crap is what got me where I was in the first place....because I grew up believing that a calorie was a calorie, and ate what I wanted just kept the number within the "rules". I was never a big eater....but I also never ate the healthy stuff, so keeping the calorie count was easy...typically no "meals" just lots of small snacks. And I nearly died because of it. Good for you! Way to go! I am also interested in lowering my sugar intake. I have about 25 pounds to lose. Do you ever eat ANY added sugar now? I don't eat a lot of ice cream, but I think I would miss it to not have any at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wyndie Posted June 11, 2009 Share Posted June 11, 2009 Do you ever eat ANY added sugar now? I don't eat a lot of ice cream, but I think I would miss it to not have any at all. Xylitol is a good sub in cooking for sugar. There is also a coconut ice cream that tastes delicious and is made with agave nectar (we get it at whole foods). There are many alternatives out there anymore, you just have to look really hard to find them. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ConnieB Posted June 11, 2009 Share Posted June 11, 2009 Good for you! Way to go! I am also interested in lowering my sugar intake. I have about 25 pounds to lose. Do you ever eat ANY added sugar now? I don't eat a lot of ice cream, but I think I would miss it to not have any at all. Honestly.....once you cut out the bad sugars completely from your diet, and get your body off that addiction, when you start adding them back in you'll find that your taste buds have changed and that ice cream that you used to crave now tastes too sweet, perhaps even sickenly sweet after just a few bites. I was lucky in that I had learned to notice the taste of the food I was eating, to really notice it......and so I didn't slip back into my bad habits much. Many people will stop eating sugar or whatever other food they deem responsible for their weight gain only until they lose the weight, and then slowly, isidiously, the bad habits trickle back in....and what do you know, suddenly you need to do it all over again because you gained back the weight and have the bad habits all over again. I eat sweets mostly when to do otherwise would hurt someone's feelings......if that makes sense, lol. When invited to dinner or a birthday party, I don't refuse dessert.....I simply take a very small piece and eat a few bites so that the celebration part of the occasion doesn't focus on my family's new way of eating. I know it sounds like I must have great will power to be sitting next to a full size sheet cake and say I only want a one inch square of it, lol....but honestly, it's only willpower if you don't have your body off it's addiction to this type of sugar. I worry occasionally that I might slip down that slippery slope and become addicted again, but the taste of those kinds of sweets is simply not a turn on like it used to be. Oh, I still have a square of good quality chocolate probably more often than any other sweet....but I can easily stop at one square, where in my "old days" of bad eating it would have taken 3 burly wrestlers in a failed attempt to keep me from eating the whole bar, and starting another bar, lol. I truly believe that people don't realize how sugar affects them.....how addicted they have become, in the same way that the drug addict needs their cocaine or heroin fix, people "need" sugar. That's why I said if you really want to make less bad sugar a way of life, as opposed to resisiting it to lose your excess weight and then giving yourself permission to have it again (which we all know means you'll likely gain that weight back)....you have to commit whole hog. It is truly a life changing event though, and one that my only regret is that I didn't do it 20 years ago instead of spending those 20 years with serious health issues, lugging around these extra people worth of pounds, never feeling healthy, never having energy. When I think of all the things I could have been doing with my kids if I'd had the energy, I just want to cry. Those 20 years of health problems have left me with physical issues that no amount of proper eating will ever change, so I still can't do all the physical things with my kids that I wish for......but I try to focus on now instead of then, because I can't change it all. Xylitol is a good substitute but there are very very few foods available with it....and those are quite expensive. And you aren't helping your addiction to sugar.....your body will still crave sweet. For now Xylitol is toted as being good for you......but so was Splenda a few years ago before it started getting it's bad rep...and so were the other sugar subs before it. Xylitol has a bit more probablity that it won't be found to be as bad health wise for you as sugar subs....but it will ALWAYS still feed your addiction to sweet things. And since it's not widely available, you will be vulnerable to feeding your addiction with sugar when Xylitol is not available. It doesn't change your taste buds. Something to try.....next time you make your favorite recipe of chocolate chip cookies, use only 1/2 the amount of sugar called for.....and see if your family even notices. If you don't tell them, I can almost guarantee they won't notice, but you'll know how much less sugar they're eating. Same with most any dessert. While it's a nice start, it's only a drop in the bucket of their sugar intake though, so it won't make a huge difference with just one food. We make oatmeal raisin cookies now instead of chocolate chip....and use about 1/3 of the normal sugar called for, and guests never notice, and typically rave about the cookies. Oh....hey, one thing I didn't mention, because I've always cooked most things from scratch.....if you truly want off sugar, you WILL have to cook from scratch and not buy many things you're used to.....because there is sugar everywhere. Look at your ketchup's sugar content (and it's NOT natural sugar from the tomato)....same with probably 3/4 of the commercial salad dressings out there....tons of added sugar, and if you think you're making a healthy choice by choosing something labeled "low fat"....check again.....you are getting less fat maybe, but more, lots more, sugar. I know some may be groaning and saying you don't have time to cook from scratch, you need your frozen dinners and packaged meals....but honestly, most of the dinners I make take me less than 30 minutes of actual prep time....about the same time as many package meals. At first it takes some extra time, same as learning anything new...but once you get the hang of it, it's no more time consuming than ordering a pizza and waiting for it to arrive. Planning ahead makes all the difference. And hey, as homeschoolers don't we LOVE to plan, lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted June 11, 2009 Share Posted June 11, 2009 We now use agave for most of our recipes and as a sugar substitute. We do use some honey as well. I have made things like cookies with ground whole wheat and agave and coconut oil and the kids thought it was great! The biggest issue is that you have to make everything yourself. I just don't always have the energy. I have started doubling and tripling recipes when I get a chance and then freezing though. Dawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirtroad Posted June 11, 2009 Share Posted June 11, 2009 (edited) Higher amounts of fiber and fats slow down sugar absorbtion. For this reason, an apple (loaded with fructose) absorbs more slowly in your system than a bowl of cocoa puffs (loaded with sucrose). However, if you are diabetic, both can be dangerous & some even have to avoid it all (depending on level or severity of disease). There is also some chemistry here b/c fructose is a 5 carbon ring and sucrose is a 6 carbon ring.... but I can't remember all my organic chemistry. The 6 carbon does break down & convert more easily (but that is all I can quickly recall). Also... MALTOSE is the worst of all sugars for your system. Sugar of BEER. So, if you plan to have an occassional toddy... better depend upon something like bourbon & not beer. My in-laws use a raw sugar from some things. It is a brown looking sugar but not "brown sugar". They use very little sugar now... but occassionaly use this as a replacement. My MIL, very health minded & big soy fan, swears raw sugar is better on your system than white sugar. I have not read up on it. There is a another big movement to avoid CORN SYRUP more than sugar. A little sugar isn't so bad for most, but CORN SYRUP is harsh & even causes allergic reactions for many (massive amts of mucus produced, etc). It is in everything.... almost shocking how much the food industry abuses it. WHITE flour foods & rices are awful & just plain bad b/c they are over processed & absorb to quickly. Add back the husks or wheat fiber and slow down the rate of absorption. Another issue is that even our BREADS & WHEAT products are barely what they claim to be. It doesn't take much for them to be able to label these products as "whole grain or whole wheat" when actually, they are barely an improvement. You may want to check into the bread makers that have coops or suppliers for raw grains (we can't all grow our own wheat & oats). Many in our homeschool community love making their own bread.... very different from store bought. Some say Ezekial bread is a good substitute also. (Breadbedders??? or something is one supplier... maybe someone else knows the exact name) Also, check natural grocers & health food stores for products with out corn syrups or sugar.... such as ketchup, etc. Might have some success there. I know weight watchers or atkins used to sell a sugar free ketchup and more. Good luck. I went cold turkey off sugar once and had more "withdrawals" than I ever had from dropping caffiene. Edited June 11, 2009 by Dirtroad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gandpsmommy Posted June 11, 2009 Share Posted June 11, 2009 Have you read the book Eat to Live? It completely changed my way of thinking about food. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wyndie Posted June 11, 2009 Share Posted June 11, 2009 Honestly.....once you cut out the bad sugars completely from your diet, and get your body off that addiction, when you start adding them back in you'll find that your taste buds have changed and that ice cream that you used to crave now tastes too sweet, perhaps even sickenly sweet after just a few bites. I was lucky in that I had learned to notice the taste of the food I was eating, to really notice it......and so I didn't slip back into my bad habits much. Many people will stop eating sugar or whatever other food they deem responsible for their weight gain only until they lose the weight, and then slowly, isidiously, the bad habits trickle back in....and what do you know, suddenly you need to do it all over again because you gained back the weight and have the bad habits all over again. I eat sweets mostly when to do otherwise would hurt someone's feelings......if that makes sense, lol. When invited to dinner or a birthday party, I don't refuse dessert.....I simply take a very small piece and eat a few bites so that the celebration part of the occasion doesn't focus on my family's new way of eating. I know it sounds like I must have great will power to be sitting next to a full size sheet cake and say I only want a one inch square of it, lol....but honestly, it's only willpower if you don't have your body off it's addiction to this type of sugar. I worry occasionally that I might slip down that slippery slope and become addicted again, but the taste of those kinds of sweets is simply not a turn on like it used to be. Oh, I still have a square of good quality chocolate probably more often than any other sweet....but I can easily stop at one square, where in my "old days" of bad eating it would have taken 3 burly wrestlers in a failed attempt to keep me from eating the whole bar, and starting another bar, lol. I truly believe that people don't realize how sugar affects them.....how addicted they have become, in the same way that the drug addict needs their cocaine or heroin fix, people "need" sugar. That's why I said if you really want to make less bad sugar a way of life, as opposed to resisiting it to lose your excess weight and then giving yourself permission to have it again (which we all know means you'll likely gain that weight back)....you have to commit whole hog. It is truly a life changing event though, and one that my only regret is that I didn't do it 20 years ago instead of spending those 20 years with serious health issues, lugging around these extra people worth of pounds, never feeling healthy, never having energy. When I think of all the things I could have been doing with my kids if I'd had the energy, I just want to cry. Those 20 years of health problems have left me with physical issues that no amount of proper eating will ever change, so I still can't do all the physical things with my kids that I wish for......but I try to focus on now instead of then, because I can't change it all. Xylitol is a good substitute but there are very very few foods available with it....and those are quite expensive. And you aren't helping your addiction to sugar.....your body will still crave sweet. For now Xylitol is toted as being good for you......but so was Splenda a few years ago before it started getting it's bad rep...and so were the other sugar subs before it. Xylitol has a bit more probablity that it won't be found to be as bad health wise for you as sugar subs....but it will ALWAYS still feed your addiction to sweet things. And since it's not widely available, you will be vulnerable to feeding your addiction with sugar when Xylitol is not available. It doesn't change your taste buds. Something to try.....next time you make your favorite recipe of chocolate chip cookies, use only 1/2 the amount of sugar called for.....and see if your family even notices. If you don't tell them, I can almost guarantee they won't notice, but you'll know how much less sugar they're eating. Same with most any dessert. While it's a nice start, it's only a drop in the bucket of their sugar intake though, so it won't make a huge difference with just one food. We make oatmeal raisin cookies now instead of chocolate chip....and use about 1/3 of the normal sugar called for, and guests never notice, and typically rave about the cookies. Oh....hey, one thing I didn't mention, because I've always cooked most things from scratch.....if you truly want off sugar, you WILL have to cook from scratch and not buy many things you're used to.....because there is sugar everywhere. Look at your ketchup's sugar content (and it's NOT natural sugar from the tomato)....same with probably 3/4 of the commercial salad dressings out there....tons of added sugar, and if you think you're making a healthy choice by choosing something labeled "low fat"....check again.....you are getting less fat maybe, but more, lots more, sugar. I know some may be groaning and saying you don't have time to cook from scratch, you need your frozen dinners and packaged meals....but honestly, most of the dinners I make take me less than 30 minutes of actual prep time....about the same time as many package meals. At first it takes some extra time, same as learning anything new...but once you get the hang of it, it's no more time consuming than ordering a pizza and waiting for it to arrive. Planning ahead makes all the difference. And hey, as homeschoolers don't we LOVE to plan, lol. :iagree: Great posting! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melabella Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 This thread has really inspired me to kick my sugar habit. Are there any online websites that are dedicated to sugar-free recipes? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardening momma Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 (edited) I can tell you that there is no way that I could have eaten Raisin Bran or other types of sugary cereal instead of fruits (and lots of them, including berries which are high in natural sugars) and brought myself back from the abyss of diabetes (the doctors required me to sign AMA because I refused to let them start insulin), Sorry, I wasn't suggesting someone eat raisin bran instead of fruit. Just pointing out different merits, like fiber. The other cereals I referred to I don't think of as sugary cereals (plain rice krispies and corn flakes), but maybe even that is sugary to some people. You also shouldn't do a low carb diet without a doctor's supervision if you have diabetes. because I'll never be convinced that all sugars are created equal. If that were the case I'd celebrate with a 3 musketeers floating in Ben & Jerry and chase it down with a Cherry Coke. :lol: And still have some calories to spare. I don't think all sugars are created equal, but I do think that they are given accurate carboyhdrate counts, which you can compare to see which sugars are higher in carbs than others. ETA: the sugar carbs given in nutrition information helps you see how much effect a food will have on your blood sugar. Then that sugar in your blood (glucose) will either be used as energy or stored as fat (if you have more than you need for energy use) And you couldn't eat 3 musketeers in Ben & Jerry and a Cherry Coke and stay in your carb limit. :001_smile: That would be nice. ;) Edited June 12, 2009 by gardening momma Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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