Staying away from sugar??
 

Is anyone else trying to stay away from sugar??

I am trying to stay away from sugar and it is hard......it seems like everything I eat has sugar in it......orange juice, yogurt, soy milk, bread, etc......

Is there a good sugar (like in fruit and fruit juice)? --Is that okay to have??

Is Stevia the sugar substitute that is suppose to be good for you? Or is there a better one?

Aurgh......it is soooooo hard!!!!:(

Natural sugars occuring in fruit and juices are better for you than processed white sugar.

I used to use sugar substitutes until my son (the nursing student) convinced me that they are BAD for you. Most of the time when I use sugar, I use raw cane sugar, preferably organic.

I use agave nectar for sweetning usually!

It comes from a cactus and has a low glycemic index, but is very sweet!

I'm watching my sugar too, especially being on WW. It's tough, but I do feel better :)

I have tried the organic raw sugar cane and it is okay in some things....but other things, like some baking, it was just too noticable and sweeter......I didn't use much, but in some baking, it left the big chunks of sugar crystals! Did I do something wrong??

This is the other sweetner I was told......I knew I had it saved somewhere.... a lady at the natural food store told me about it.....
Use Xylitol for a sweetener. It is good for your teeth, kills
bacteria in the body, nutritionally feeds the good bacteria.
Anyone heard of it??

I will have to look into that..........I also heard of some sort of "bark" sugar (sugar from the bark of something)...but I can't remember anything about it though......

I guess I just need to make a trip the the health food store and bug them with what I need :biggrin:

BTW...how is WW going for you?

http://www.naturodoc.com/library/nut.../natsweets.htm here are a few more good ones I've been experimenting with, and also brown rice syrup is a good one too.

WW is going okay! My scale I started with last week kept going berzerk and within 5 minutes of me stepping on and off could fluctuate like 6 lbs!

So, according to that scale I lost 2.5 my first week.

But, we bought a new scale that shows I lost 7 my first week.

So, I don't really know what I lost, LOL! But this scale is stable and even so Monday I should have a better idea where I'm at.

This week I've not worked out or gotten my water in -- I've been super busy and forgot of course =/. Getting back into it tonight! :)

Thanks for asking :)

AH, I am on the South Beach Diet and cannot have real sugar for the first 2 weeks to detox your body of its cravings! For sugar I use Splenda, and I love it. Some say its not that good for you but idk the statics or studies that have been done to show this being true. For natural sugars to get them out of fruit is the best way but try and stay away from pineapple, watermelon, and I cannot remember the other but those are high on the glycemic index and are not good for you. Certain food cause you to have a spike in your blood sugar level then a crash that makes you feel lousy, tired, and craving sugar even more!

I don't eat sugar. I really don't care for the taste of stevia either.
I use the pink stuff in coffee but otherwise i just don't eat sweet stuff.

Wow! Good for you!

I told my doctor just last month that it seems my body is craving sugar...but he didn't seem too concerned. So, I called my "other" doctor because of other issues and he said that it thrives off sugars and it makes you crave sugar...so he said to watch my intake.
I think I may look into the South Beach thing (just for the first few weeks) to get the sugar out of my system and hopefully to stop craving it. Maybe I had too much sugar over the holidays because I normally do not eat/drink sweets......:scratchhe
BUT when I started really wanted to watch the sugar, I found it VERY hard to find anything without it in it!
Maybe I should look into the diabetic stuff...I know they came out w/ cereals and stuff.

Should I just google South Beach Diet or is there a certain site?

www.southbeachdiet.com He also has a book and I believe 2 different cookbooks. If you need any help let me know I have done this "diet" I like to say way of life for a long time!! I crave sugar like no tomorrow but by the end of the 2nd week you have not much of a desire for it. Plus in those 2 weeks you can cut up to 10lbs!

My whole diet is sugar!!lol I should really try to cut back,

HA:biggrin: That is like my DH!

any sugar substitute with aspertame in it should be avoided. it is cancer causing and is the "food product" that gets the most amounts of serious complaints to the FDA over any other product.

its not a diet for me...it is a way of life. i do eat chocolate once in a while, but on a day to day basis i do not eat any processes sugar products.

fruit is naturally occuring sugars which are better for you, but you still do not want to over do it. watch out for fruit juices since a lot of them have added sugar. juices you make yourself are always a better option especially since ALL comercial fruit juices are pasturized (by law) which depleats almost all nutritional value in the produce...therefore you are basically drinking sugar without the nutrient benefits of a peice of fruit.

Stevia is the "bark" sugar product someone was refering to. stevia IS NOT "sugar" nor is it made from aspertame. it is a naturally ocurring sweet product derived from a plant. it is a better choice for anyone who has diabetes or insulin regulating problems since it does not cause a spike in insulin levels like sugar does.

oh man...i could really go on for a long time about this subject! lol. i have cook books galore for recipes involving no sugar whatsoever. i found when first starting out that nuts and seed help a lot of cravings and keeping a peice of fruit on you at all times in case a sugar craving comes around, you will not cave in and buy candy or chocolate!

ok...i'll stop now...;)

Thanks.......going to check it out now.

My doctor always tells me that there is no DIET that works...that if there were, there wouldn't be thousands of "diets" out there.......he said I should just eat right.....but where do you start? They make it hard...and give you very little help! :(

I think I need a lifestyle eating change...so, I am starting w/ sugar!--- and I am on my own!!! :eek:

LOL I just got done snacking on my nuts!!

once you cut out sugar you won't crave it. I ate a bunch of junk over the holidays and all the cravings came back until i got back on track. If you need some chocolate, they have pretty good sugar free candies/chocolates. I always buy some when we go to the movie theater so i'm not tempted by the candy and popcorn there.

It's just a way of life for us now for about 1 1/2 years now. I eat mostly whole foods, veggies, meats, eggs, cheese etc. Pretty plain and basic butit is the most healthy lifestyle for us as my husband has diabetes if he doesn't watch his food and weight.

hehe! i dont leave home without nuts or seeds, a piece of fruit and water!

If you google South Beach Diet you can get a lot of sites that tell you the do's and don'ts. The first 2 weeks are the worse but after that you start to incorporate healthy whole grain carbs. A lot less sugar, and no processed foods (at all) Anything with partially hydrogenated (ANYTHING), soybean oil etc is the largest no no. But man I could go on for hours about it. Its a wondeful way of life and I love it.

Well, I guess I already started changing my lifestyle because I make sure I watch for any hydrogenated (sp) ingredients....and I watch sodium too!

But...it is really hard w/o help....I think I need to find someone who deals w/ this for a living.....

I think if you just eat fresh fruits and veggies and avoid startch and sugars, you will lose all the extras fat really quick and be a lot healthier too.

If you get the South Beach book it explain and teaches you SO much. I swear I actually need to read it again to freshin' up on all of it. But if you are really serious about it I would go and get it. I think its like $20 or so its really worth it!

Thanks........Is there just that one book? I may see if our library has it too....course, I may need to buy it so I can keep it handy, huh?!;)

talk to a wholistic nutritionist in your area if you think having support will help! im lucky since my fiance is a wholistic health practitioner and focuses a lot on diet and nutrition. i have profesional support for free! (and it comes with hugs and kisses too :P )

southbeach is just one of the sugar free diets out there. there are many many books out there that have a lot of information about living a sugar free lifstyle. one website that i visit often is www.mercola.com he has books also. but my favourite book is called "nourishing traditions" by sally fallon. yum!!!

What about protein?

Is there a list anywhere that tells you what fruits and vegies are the best, which ones to stay away from, different "recipes" for just fruits and vegies, etc?

I like salmon and have bought several of those vac packed fillets (I hope those are good).

I find it hard too, in my house...because DH is all about meat and potatoes, so making several items can be a chore.....he needs to eat healthier too, but boy...he is soooooo stubborn!!!

Yup just one book! I would buy it to keep handy, I just recently moved and cannot find mine and I really need to get another one! They have a shopping little book as well you can bring with you when your shopping, and he actually made a Cook Book as well. I don't have it yet but I totally want to get it. But like I said I can get you some websites that have the info on it for starters and what not, or if you need any help with it let me know!

How lucky are you!!! I'm jealous! I know of one that is 1 1/2 away, but last I heard he wasn't taking new patients and I do not think insurance covers that either (which I don't know why).....Does your fiance have a site or anything?

he will, but i dont think its up yet. www.bodyevolutions.ca is what it will be...he has been to busy helping me with my business that we have put his practice on hold for a while..

it is unfortunate that most natural healthcare is not covered, but if you dedicate a good amount of time to research on the net you will find a lot of helpful information. everyone is different and some diets that work for some, may not work for others...if you do research yourself, you can customize your own "diet" !

So true..so true! :thumbup:

Thanks for that too!:thumbup: I will look into those as well....I have plenty of time this weekend for research since we have had so much ice here!

Thank you all for your advice thus far......please know that I greatly appreciate it! AND I look forward to hearing more!

I found these.....

Three great websites to locate Homeopathic Doctors are:

International Directory of Homeopaths-http://www.hpathy.com/dirhomeopath/index.asp
National Center for Homeopathy- www.homeopathic.org
www.homeopathicdoctor.com