Support

AuntieMC

I'm just joining this group to lend a little moral support. I went sugar-free over a year and a half ago. However, I do not worry about the sugars in vegetables, or even fruits (within reason), if they are eaten in their natural state. I used to moniter grams of sugars even in those, and felt that it was impeding my ability to get enough vegetables in a wide enough variety. And one single piece of fruit, and Bam, most of the days supply of natural sugars is gone! So I do fruits in moderation, and lots of vegetables.

MikeInAZ

Great to have you!

So how do you deal with the fact that every processed food has added sugars. What's a good suggestion for a few snacks without any sugar (or very low).

AuntieMC

I eat virtually no processed foods. My only regular concession is that I eat tomato sauces that are available in jars. The brand I use, Organicville, is, of course organic, and does have some agave nectar in it. That isn't ideal, but it is the closest I can come at the moment, without resorting to canning my own tomato sauce! Which I am seriously temped to try, next tomato season! I read the labels of EVERY tomato sauce at the HEALTH FOOD store, and this was one of only two with no sugar!! The other brand with no sugar had soy oil in it, and I need to avoid soy.

I very rarely eat a bead product. Most of those have sugar in them, even the wholesome looking ones from the health food store have "organic cane sugar" in them! The ones that don't are loaded with high glycemic things like dates or raisin juice. Besides that, whole wheat is actually high on the glycemic index, as well! So I eat beans, lentils, and whole grain brown basmati rice.

A good no-sugar snack is celery sticks filled with raw almond butter (I like the one made by Artisana), or raw tahini (sorry, can't remember brand I use). Again, labels have to be read, because even almond butters from the health food store sometimes have sugar in them.

Another good snack is hardboiled Egg White. That's right, JUST the egg white. I toss the yolk, too much fat.

Nuts and seeds make good take-along snacks, if you can afford the calories.

Lettuce wraps filled with your favorite fillings, like sprouts or what ever veggie you like is good.

Coconut and coconut sugars are about 50 on the glycemic scale, and might be suitable for some people.

I have found that cinnamon, vanilla, and coconut have sweetening properties. But, to a very large extent, I simply got accustomed to life without sweet-tasting foods, except for the fruit.

I am sure many health conscious people would be amazed how very much sugar is in that "healthy" low fat yogurt many of them are eating! It is difficult to find yogurts with no added sugar, and the only one I have found I don't happen to like, but some people do, so it might be worth trying.

Dried fruits are also very concentrated in natural sugars, so I avoid them.

I do include fruits in their natural state, especially low-glycemic ones like berries. I am not currently worrying about natural sugars, if the foods are nutritionally dense, and relatively low glycemic.