HELP! > Eating Less Sugar

iambrandice

I'm a vegetarian and everyday I post my food on this website, my sugar is 2x or more what is recommended. This is today for example (below), which is pretty average for me. I allow myself to have like 1 bad food a day (not that small), which is the Bosco Sticks today, which isn't really sugary anyways. If you notice, I still have about 300 calories left, but my sugar is more than twice what it should be! Any suggestions? Note that I am limited for lunch because I'm in high school, and I try to get the healthiest options. I know that I could get water instead of the Powerade for lunch. To cut down my sugar, I started only eating one oatmeal packet in the morning instead of the 2 I used to eat. Maybe I should start eating meat substitutes more often because it seems like I could use more fat and protein, and meat is low in carbs. What do you think?

Breakfast
Quaker - Instant Oatmeal - Strawberries and Cream, 1 packet
Milk - Reduced fat, 2% milkfat, 0.5 cup
Lunch
Peas - Green, canned, regular pack, drained solids, 0.6 cup
Yoplait - Yogurt - Light Fat Free - Strawberry Banana, 1 container
Powerade - Orange 20oz Sports Drink, 8 fl oz
Bosco Sticks - Bosco Sticks, 85 g 216
Bertolli - Marinara Sauce, 1/8 cup(s)
Dinner
Boca Meatless - Burgers - Cheeseburger, 1 burger
Lettuce - Iceberg (includes crisphead types), raw, 1 leaf inner
Tomatoes - Red, ripe, raw, November thru May average, 1 slice, thick/large (1/2" thick)
Mustard - Yellow, 0.5 tsp or 1 packet
Great Harvest Bread Co - Whole Wheat Hamburger Bun, 1 bun
Summer Squash W/ Red Pepper - Vegetable, 4 oz
Snacks
PB&J (Strawberry), 0.5 meal
...........................Calories......Carbs..Sugars..Fats..Sodium..Protein
Total:......................1,163.......180........73........30......2,170......55
Your Daily Goal:...1,564.......215........31........52......2,500......59
Remaining:..............397..........35........-42........22.........330........4

iambrandice

I'm a vegetarian and everyday I post my food on this website, my sugar is 2x or more what is recommended. This is today for example (below), which is pretty average for me. I allow myself to have like 1 bad food a day (not that small), which is the Bosco Sticks today, which isn't really sugary anyways. If you notice, I still have about 300 calories left, but my sugar is more than twice what it should be! Any suggestions? Note that I am limited for lunch because I'm in high school, and I try to get the healthiest options. I know that I could get water instead of the Powerade for lunch. To cut down my sugar, I started only eating one oatmeal packet in the morning instead of the 2 I used to eat. Maybe I should start eating meat substitutes more often because it seems like I could use more fat and protein, and meat is low in carbs. What do you think?

Breakfast
Quaker - Instant Oatmeal - Strawberries and Cream, 1 packet
Milk - Reduced fat, 2% milkfat, 0.5 cup
Lunch
Peas - Green, canned, regular pack, drained solids, 0.6 cup
Yoplait - Yogurt - Light Fat Free - Strawberry Banana, 1 container
Powerade - Orange 20oz Sports Drink, 8 fl oz
Bosco Sticks - Bosco Sticks, 85 g 216
Bertolli - Marinara Sauce, 1/8 cup(s)
Dinner
Boca Meatless - Burgers - Cheeseburger, 1 burger
Lettuce - Iceberg (includes crisphead types), raw, 1 leaf inner
Tomatoes - Red, ripe, raw, November thru May average, 1 slice, thick/large (1/2" thick)
Mustard - Yellow, 0.5 tsp or 1 packet
Great Harvest Bread Co - Whole Wheat Hamburger Bun, 1 bun
Summer Squash W/ Red Pepper - Vegetable, 4 oz
Snacks
PB&J (Strawberry), 0.5 meal
...........................Calories......Carbs..Sugars..Fats..Sodium..Protein
Total:......................1,163.......180........73........30......2,170......55
Your Daily Goal:...1,564.......215........31........52......2,500......59
Remaining:..............397..........35........-42........22.........330........4

meryl135

Hey there,

As a vegetarian teenager, you need more protein in your diet. Try adding a protein shake to your breakfast (whey or soy), you'll feel more full and less likely to reach for sugary snacks later in the day because the protein keeps your blood-sugar more stable.

Also, become good friends with tofu. It's a great way to add protein to your diet. Hard-boiled eggs also make a great, easy, on-the-go snack or meal (if you're ok with eggs of course).

Hope this helps. Please do consider talking to a registered nutritionist or naturopathic doctor to help you plan sensible, sustainable, meal-plans that address all your needs as a young adult. Keep in mind that your teenage years sort of lay the foundation for the rest of your life in terms of bone-density and lean muscle-mass (can't make muscle without adequate protein intake).

Cheers!

iambrandice

I do eat eggs on occasion, maybe twice a week. Usually it is like a 3-egg omelet with cheese (the cheese probably isn't that great) and lots of veggies. I feel kind of dumb for saying this, but I'm not really sure how to make boiled eggs. I mean, obviously you boil them, but how long does it take and how do you know they're done? I guess I strayed a little off topic, haha.

And I've tried tofu, but I'm not really sure how to make it a way that I'll like it that doesn't take too much effort, because I'm always on a tight schedule.

Thanks for the advice!

Calmand1

To make boiled eggs, you let them sit in boiling water for 10 minutes. By then they should be done. It's pretty easy
And eggs are tasty

July

Those oatmeal packets are full of sugar. Swap them instead for quaker oats in the big container, 1/3 to 1/2 cup dry. It doesn't take that much longer, 3 minutes total, and while it's cooking I get my books and stuff together. It keeps me full longer, too, so I'm not ravenous at lunch time. And it looks like more food than the instant stuff because its fluffier.

sportygal

I eat plain oatmeal with berries and some protein powder...the protein powder is a little sweet, added with the berries is SO much better than the instant packages that I used to eat!
I try to avoid processed sugary foods as much as possible. I even use protein powder in my coffee instead of creamer! Good luck!

angelinaz

The oatmeal in the morning is a great idea. Switch it to steel cut oats or old fashioned oatmeal that you have to cook for a minute or two. Sweeten with a packet of Stevia (my favorite brand is SWEET LEAF). Stevia is a great sweetener with a gram of fiber and does not have the affects of sugar and it is natural, sold at whole foods or other health food stores. I add raisins and nuts to my oatmeal. I also eat egg whites with my oat meal to get an extra boost of protein. We eat salad in the morning, frozen peas or broccoli along with our meal. The more veggies in the morning that you eat, the more alkaline and stable your blood supply. The "instant" oatmeal is very processed and therefore not as healthy of a choice, stay as close to natural, or unprocessed as you can when choosing food. You can also "cook" the eggs and oatmeal the night before and reheat the oatmeal if you don't have a full minute or two in the a.m.

To boil eggs, start with cold water to cover the eggs. Bring to a boil and then count, people say, 3 minutes. Since I get large or extra large eggs, I count five minutes. Pour the hot water out. Poor in cold water several times to cool the eggs and you are done. (You can also put ice in the water to quicken the cooling process.

As far as tofu goes, you can add silken tofu to shakes, there is vanilla tofu now, or you can cook tofu like you would hamburger by freezing and then crumbling it with onion, garlic, etc. or buy already prepared "turkey, beef or chicken" tofu or other yummy flavors. Experiment!

Great work! You will soon have the sugar way down!!!!

Another great tip is to use the grey Celtic sea salt, course style. It has a lot of minerals that the table salts do not, whether they are sea salts or Morton.

KaitieBug

On the subject of hard boiled eggs, I had a horrible time figuring out how many minutes to boil them for! I boil the water then set the timer for 20 minutes so I can make absolute sure they're cooked (too many experiences pulling them out too early lol!) I understand that you're pressed for time so I would try making them the night before. Hard boiled eggs are yummy hot or cold!

My favorite quick breakfast is cheesy egg whites in pita pockets! Scramble the egg whites with some garlic salt and throw in a slice of low fat cheese, dump it all in a whole wheat pita pocket-yummmm!!! Regular oatmeal that you have to cook is awesome with a teaspoon of organic brown sugar (only 15 cals and 4g sugar) and I can barely finish one portion, it's very filling!