Is anyone here sugar- and dairy-free?

heartofplastic
heartofplastic Posts: 68 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hey all! I've been doing a lot of research and have decided to try cutting sugar and dairy from my diet for reasons other than weight loss. Was wondering if anyone here is familiar with this lifestyle and how it's going for you and any meal ideas. Thanks in advance :)

Replies

  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    Sugar or added sugar?
  • heartofplastic
    heartofplastic Posts: 68 Member
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    Sugar or added sugar?

    I guess refined/processed sugar... I'm still in the "educating myself" phase so I'm pretty ignorant and any info would be appreciated.
  • elphie754
    elphie754 Posts: 7,574 Member
    Fruits and vegetables contain sugar, are you cutting those out too?
  • heartofplastic
    heartofplastic Posts: 68 Member
    elphie754 wrote: »
    Fruits and vegetables contain sugar, are you cutting those out too?

    I would like to cut certain fruits/veggies that are relatively high in sugar, like apples and carrots. But I'll eat broccoli and kale, etc. Just trying to limit my sugar intake I guess is what I'm saying. Do you have any experience doing that?
  • BodyzLanguage
    BodyzLanguage Posts: 200 Member
    edited August 2016
    Just eat natural food and you'll be good. There's nothing complicated about limiting added sugar in ones diet. A few staple meals of mine : Steak & poached eggs, Rice Noodles & Jerk chicken breast, grilled potato wedges & beef burger, Egg fried basmati rice & mince (any kind), Chicken drumsticks & grilled potato wedges. The list is endless. Who said "dieting" was hard aye? Lol. Hope that helps. *Personally I don't crave sugary type foods so my diet is generally low sugar. However if I do feel like eating cake, I'll eat cake.
  • elphie754
    elphie754 Posts: 7,574 Member
    I've lost weight without cutting out anything (except foods that I have a diagnosed allergy to). Honestly-cutting out sugar and dairy seems like one of those "fads" that are based on junk science and are nonsense.
  • heartofplastic
    heartofplastic Posts: 68 Member
    elphie754 wrote: »
    I've lost weight without cutting out anything (except foods that I have a diagnosed allergy to). Honestly-cutting out sugar and dairy seems like one of those "fads" that are based on junk science and are nonsense.

    Like I said, I'm doing it for reasons other than weight loss. I know losing weight can be done without cutting anything. Thanks though!
  • beccaellena
    beccaellena Posts: 21 Member
    I'm dairy, sugar, and starch free. I do eat eggs. I eat about 8 oz of lean meats a day and lots of vegetables, some Reddy bread, and nuts and seeds.
  • elphie754
    elphie754 Posts: 7,574 Member
    What other reasons? Because most of those other reasons are also based on junk science.
  • Michael190lbs
    Michael190lbs Posts: 1,510 Member
    edited August 2016
    I just added Milk back into my diet for a mini bulk and did very low sugar 25 grams for about six months. In my opinion food taste better on a low sugar diet.

    I challenge anyone to do a 30 day sugar detox then eat some red grapes or strawberries they taste amazing!!
  • beccaellena
    beccaellena Posts: 21 Member
    I'm
    elphie754 wrote: »
    What other reasons? Because most of those other reasons are also based on junk science.

    I can't speak for the OP but I'm doing it to control blood sugar and because I'm teaching myself to eat to fuel my body, not for social/fun/stress-relieving purposes like I was doing. I already have much more energy and have a better mindset since I've been able to cook things that still taste good but are purely for the benefit of my body. I also have auto immune diseases so I'm trying to reduce inflammation in my body with my diet.
  • fr33sia12
    fr33sia12 Posts: 1,258 Member
    edited August 2016
    heartofplastic wrote: »
    Hey all! I've been doing a lot of research and have decided to try cutting sugar and dairy from my diet for reasons other than weight loss. Was wondering if anyone here is familiar with this lifestyle and how it's going for you and any meal ideas. Thanks in advance :)

    I've cut down a lot on added sugar and am currently easing out dairy. I will still eat a small amount of cheese, but haven't had cow's milk in years and am trying dairy free yogurts etc. Most of the sugar I eat is from fruit and veg, I do eat some processed foods with added sugar but not usually over 20g. The best thing I advise is read food labels and understand all the different meanings of sugar in the ingredients. It can be hard as even packs of dried fruit have added sugar and so called healthy muesli and granola.
    I'm also doing this not for weight loss reasons but for healthy reasons and I do feel so much healthier in body and mind.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    heartofplastic wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    Sugar or added sugar?

    I guess refined/processed sugar... I'm still in the "educating myself" phase so I'm pretty ignorant and any info would be appreciated.

    Ah. I think you mean added sugar then (sugar is sugar, but added sugar is often in high cal/low nutrient foods, although not always, and the calories are often half or more from fat). I did a comparison on another thread that is worth repeating:

    "Apple (1 medium): 80 calories, 0 g fat, 0 g protein, 22 g carbs, 16 g sugar, 5 g fiber
    Chocolate chip cookie (recipe of mine): 206 calories, 14 g fat, 2 g protein, 22 g carbs, 14 g sugar, 0 g fiber

    For me (not everyone), the apple will be more filling, and I think it is on average a better choice because it has more micros for the calories (especially if one is trying to lose weight). There would be exceptions: are you wanting a cooking or saving room for it? Is fat satiating to you? Are you tired of apples after eating a bunch in recent days? Stuff like that.... The important differences is that the cookie is typically considered highly palatable (due to the particular combination of ingredients, especially carbs+fat, also vanilla, a bit of salt, etc.), the cookie has a lot more calories (in this case much more from fat (largely butter) than sugar, which it has less of than the apple), and the apple has more fiber and water and overall volume."

    Point is that there's no "processed sugar" that is different in a meaningful way from fruit sugar. So-called processed sugar (which I'd call added sugar) is generally taken from sugarcane or sugarbeets (or is honey or syrup) and gets broken down to glucose and fructose, same as the sugar in the fruit.

    That said, I think it can be worthwhile for some people to cut out added sugar. I did it myself for a while. I didn't think it was that hard -- I don't eat a lot of packaged/processed foods that have sugar or add sugar to savory dishes, so it was just avoiding sweets for a while and being careful what I ordered at restaurants.

    As for high sugar fruits, not sure why you'd want to do that, and it would be hard for me during the summer as I love my peaches, etc., but shouldn't be too hard if you don't care that much about them or have a good reason. (If it's that sugar/carbs are bad/unhealthy, though, I agree with elphie.)
  • ByrdBarajas
    ByrdBarajas Posts: 26 Member
    heartofplastic wrote: »
    Hey all! I've been doing a lot of research and have decided to try cutting sugar and dairy from my diet for reasons other than weight loss. Was wondering if anyone here is familiar with this lifestyle and how it's going for you and any meal ideas. Thanks in advance :)

    Try the book "Eat This Lose That" by Dr. Kota Reddy. He also has a cook book.... It really works and I actually lost 19 pounds the first week. Granted, most of it was most likely water weight, but I felt so much better. He doesn't sell supplements/ meal replacements/ ect. He is all about your diet and becoming the healthiest you can possibly
    be.
  • tryett
    tryett Posts: 530 Member
    Op, look for people doing Paleo.
  • kaylaschmittfit
    kaylaschmittfit Posts: 5 Member
    Yea!!! I'm recently lactose intolerant aka Superbad gas! It's been about a year ok limiting dairy & now I have very very minimal amounts throughout the week. On June 18th I had a bad sugar binge, so my mom and I made the decision to not eat any sugar/binge foods for a year. So far it's been a success. I only get sugar from fruit & veggies & natural foods even still my sugar content is always below 25ish a day. I feel Sooooo much better physically. It was hard for a bit, not going to lie. But if you just tell yourself it's not an option, the struggle isn't even there. Id love to encourage you on your journey!!
  • KrazyKrissyy
    KrazyKrissyy Posts: 322 Member
    Dairy free, yes (I'm allergic). Sugar-free, it depends. I've learned moderation is key. If I consume something with refined sugar, its around workouts. There was actually a time I did an experiment for a few days by eating nothing but Ben and Jerry's dairy-free ice cream and kept it to a 1400 calorie max. No weight gain.
  • Hamsibian
    Hamsibian Posts: 1,388 Member
    I'm dairy and refined sugar free. the only sugars I have are in veggies, a serving of fruit, and a little raw honey.
  • trudiebamford
    trudiebamford Posts: 88 Member
    I'm gluten free, sugar free, dairy free (except for Greek yoghurt) - I have been for more than two years. I have autoimmune problems, that are only under control if I eat this way. Before that, I was seriously incapacitated by them.

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