StaceyinLA Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 We don't eat much white sugar at all (though I fell off my Coke wagon and have been drinking them when out, and feeling horrid when I do I might add), but we do sweeten things with honey, maple syrup, and brown rice syrup. How did YOU get sugar totally out of your life? What steps did you take? My first step is back on the wagon. NO. MORE. COKES. EVER. But then I want to really attack this from all areas and get the sugar out of my diet completely. What must be eliminated? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stayseeliz Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 We keep honey and maple syrup around to sweeten occasional desserts. We make something with them rarely. Other than that we don't consume sugar. One of the biggest things for me was giving my body what it wants. Good, whole foods and lots of water. Then my body didn't crave the fake "high" of sugar anymore. Another thing was to make sure to have fruits, etc on hand to stem sugar cravings. Fruit goes a long way to calm those cravings. Another helpful thing was having some good quality dark chocolate on hand to calm those cravings every once in awhile. That helps too! There is a blog called "chocolate covered katie" that has some really healthy dessert recipes on there. Take a look at it. Going "cold turkey" probably isn't the answer here. Baby steps! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hilltop Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 :bigear: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 Try a calcium and magnesium supplement, since deficiencies in those can create sugar cravings. Rosie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grover Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 I did a 6 week course of optifast. It killed the carb cravings and made it easier to continue. I now eat very low carb and sugar free. There's not really a lot eat any more that might use sugar, so it's been surprisingly easy to stay off (I do drink too much pepsi max now, but I'm working on that). As an aside I've been making Easter Eggs tonight, including cream eggs and I licked the spoon which has left me feeling wired and I know from past small amounts that I will feel hung over in the morning. Sugar doesn't like me anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amy g. Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 I have been off all sweeteners, both natural and artificial for several months. I'd like for my children to follow suit, so when we return from vacation, I'm starting an eating plan called "Whole 30" I'll be grain free, sugar free and dairy free for 30 days. At least one of my children wants to try it as well. The others are thinking about it. After 30 days, we will see if adding back in raw dairy from our own animals has a negative effect. We should each come out of the experiment with new information about what foods are best for our own bodies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lily_Grace Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 Are you just talking sugar or all -oses? We haven't cut sugar out completely but we have cut back dramatically. -watch the prepackaged foods. Everything from bread to frozen meatballs to spaghetti sauce can have sugar in it. We buy fruit juice sweetened preserves instead of jam now and make other things at home. -up your natural fats. I've learned for my body that when I have a sweet craving, it's usually because my body is saying it needs fat or protein. I can eat a turkey and cheese roll-up and the craving goes away. -up your spices and flavoring. Instead of sweet tea in the summer, I make a pitcher of peach white tea or jasmine green, or add mint to black tea. The extra flavor dismisses the need for sweet. I simmer our tomatoes with fresh basil and oregano instead of dried when I make spaghetti sauce. -love your fruits. Stick grapes in the freezer or make a sorbet with pureed mangoes and pinapple. Grill peaches or make kabobs when you bbq. -if you have to, pick a less processed sweetener: stevia, cane syrup, maple, rice, sugar in the raw.. When we cut back on sugar a few years ago I began to be able to smell it. I don't like the smell of bleach - and I don't like knowing I'm eating it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracy in Ky Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 I began by reducing added sugar in my tea and coffee and eliminating all desserts (except for a cookie or two every 3 months or so). The one exception to this are the 7-8 chocolate chips I put on my go-to snack of whole grain rey cracker spread with cashew butter. I also watch the sugar content in anything I eat, such as bread. Currently the only added sugar I eat is one teaspoon of maple syryp in my coffee each morning. I am noticing a big difference in my energy, mood, and even my skin! Just take it slow, so your tastebuds have time to adapt. I think this is crucial. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momof3littles Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 I got a PCOS diagnosis and went from there. I wasn't overweight, but knew that reducing sugar might increase my chances of getting pg by normalizing my insulin levels a bit and thus my other hormones. That was good motivation. I found that upping fats and protein is very, very helpful in making one feel sated. Particularly important as you transition, IMO. We do bake on occasion, but day to day rarely consume any sugar. When I bake I use erythritol and stevia to sweeten almond or coconut flour recipes. But I only bake maybe every week or two max, so we aren't bombarded with sweet in any form daily. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 I'll be grain free, sugar free and dairy free for 30 days. What do you mean by grain free? Members of the grass family free? Or will you exclude the pseudograins too? Rosie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amy g. Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 (edited) For 30 days, we will eliminate all grains, and basically eat fresh grass fed meat, eggs, fruit, nuts vegetables, healthy fats and water. Then we will try adding foods back in. My oldest has autism and is also very sensitive to gluten and almost all food additives. She wants to see if her body might be reacting to grains that do not have gluten as if they did. Dairy is the first thing I want to try adding back in. She just wonders if drinking milk from animals that we feed grain to is a good idea. If she says that she feels better without dairy, we will experiment with milk from animals that only eat grass and hay. For the past few months, I've just given up sugars, artificial and natural, and all grains, but I have still been having dairy and coffee. I'm mostly giving those up to be suppotkve to my daughter. Edited April 2, 2012 by amy g. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kdeno Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 When I gave up eating wheat it was easy to not have sugar too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StaceyinLA Posted April 3, 2012 Author Share Posted April 3, 2012 I generally eat a healthy, mostly vegan diet, but my weakness is bread and grain, and I have that whole coke problem when I go out (I NEVER buy it for home). I looked online after I posted last night and found a 30 day sugar-free e-book that was actually downloadable on Kindle. I downloaded it and started today. I went to Whole Foods and stocked up on lots of things so I'd have stuff here on hand to make it easier. It's basically what Amy mentioned; no sugar (and that includes honey, maple syrup, etc., which is all I use at home) nor anything that acts like sugar (breads, potatoes, high sugar fruits, etc.). It basically uses the GI. He recommends 80-90% fruits and veggies with 10-20% proteins. Some dairy is OK, but he really doesn't encourage it, and I don't eat dairy anyway so that's not an issue. For protein, he encourages grass-fed meats/eggs, nuts and nut butters, etc. It was a simple little book, but I just wanted a list of can-haves and can't-haves for my shopping trip and it was perfect. Now all I have to do is stick with it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chocolate Rose Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 For me, the easiest way to do it was to give up all sugar cold-turkey. If I would have done baby steps or made it a long process, I never would have been able to do it. Eating a little bit of sugar leads to eating more sugar - at least for me. I gave up all forms of sugar including fruit. I also gave up all grains and pretty much all carbs. The cravings went away after the first few days. Just bite the bullet and give it up.:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Professormom Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 When I gave up eating wheat it was easy to not have sugar too. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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