Giving up sugar and white flour forever.
Replies
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@skullshank
http://www.nutralegacy.com/blog/general-healthcare/top-10-dangers-of-artificial-sweeteners/
http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/nutrition/artificial-sweetenersPersonal opinion only here... but making ´never´ and ´none´ statements do not really belong in a health and nutrition forum. There just is no health benefit to completely eliminating normal food types.
Health is not an extreme sport, you do not get healthier by making radical choices. All things in moderation.
Since when did sugar become a normal food type? Starch is, and I am just limiting white wheat, not whole grains. No "normal" food types are eliminated.
And thank you
CyberEd312
Need2Exerc1se
abear007
I know I lack self-control, and I know discipline is like a muscle...the more you use it the stronger it gets. Why must this be so difficult? I don't know what else to do.
So a blog and a site trying to sell "Natrual Health and Organic Living" are the citations? That second link even says "Do NOT drink tap water"...smh.0 -
YES! In fact the whole issue with diet,exercise,fat,calories is all crap. It's all about sugar and processed food. If you change your diet to only eat sugar free foods that you cook at home and you will lose weight. Good luck0
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please don't ever post this nonsense again. it's generally not helpful to anyone.YES! In fact the whole issue with diet,exercise,fat,calories is all crap. It's all about sugar and processed food. If you change your diet to only eat sugar free foods that you cook at home and you will lose weight. Good luck0 -
I cut all carbs waaaaaay back. I feel better, I don't get as hungry, and it makes weight loss relatively easy.
But to completely eliminate a food "forever", which essentially means being in a constant state of anxiety over failure? What happens when you go out to dinner, or are a houseguest, or really want pie, or go on a loooong hike and the trail mix has m-and-ms in it, or the only food being served is pizza? That seems to me like a terrible way to live. YMMV of course.
"There are no good and bad foods, only good and bad people" :bigsmile:0 -
Cracks me up so many people get emotional over somebody's choice to do without something.
if you don't want to eat or have something ever again then just don't eat it. build your lifestyle around it and carry on.
It's your life, enjoy it as you see fit.
SO TRUE CAMO, AM FINDING COMMUNITY IN GENERAL ON MFP IS BECOMING A REALLY HARD PLACE TO BE- full of judgement and direction devoid of empathy and support.0 -
Hell no! Because cake.
+1
I have a grain mill and unbleached sugar ... but I still have a big honking 5 gallon pail of unbleached white flour.0 -
give up? Nobody likes a quitter. Seriously though - reducing is barely practical. Giving up would be nearly impossible.0
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give up flour *and* sugar!? :sad: :sad: :sad:0
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Perhaps people don't really understand what sources worthy of citing and how the scientific method works. (shrug) Sadly, bamboozling people into thinking any outrageous thing is easier than teaching them how to think for themselves.
So a blog and a site trying to sell "Natrual Health and Organic Living" are the citations? That second link even says "Do NOT drink tap water"...smh.@skullshank
http://www.nutralegacy.com/blog/general-healthcare/top-10-dangers-of-artificial-sweeteners/
http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/nutrition/artificial-sweeteners
Since when did sugar become a normal food type? Starch is, and I am just limiting white wheat, not whole grains. No "normal" food types are eliminated.Personal opinion only here... but making ´never´ and ´none´ statements do not really belong in a health and nutrition forum. There just is no health benefit to completely eliminating normal food types.
Health is not an extreme sport, you do not get healthier by making radical choices. All things in moderation.
And thank you
CyberEd312
Need2Exerc1se
abear007
I know I lack self-control, and I know discipline is like a muscle...the more you use it the stronger it gets. Why must this be so difficult? I don't know what else to do.0 -
Nope.
Pass the gelato.0 -
please don't ever post this nonsense again. it's generally not helpful to anyone.YES! In fact the whole issue with diet,exercise,fat,calories is all crap. It's all about sugar and processed food. If you change your diet to only eat sugar free foods that you cook at home and you will lose weight. Good luck
^QFT my brain hurts0 -
OP - Want a tip? If this is something you want to do, then try it for 30 days. See how you like it then decide if it's for you. You will always have people who are opposed to what you want to do. In this case I'm one of them. There's no need to do this when you maintain a balanced diet. However, that's just my opinion and I don't know if this would actually benefit you as an individual. Maybe it does wonders for you. All I know is it wouldn't benefit me.
Try it. If you hate it, then stop. Live and learn.0 -
this is so sad! please don't give up sugar and white flour! think of all the amazing croissants and tiramisus and crappy pizzas and birthday cakes that you will have to miss out on on special occasions. it might be the pastry student in me talking, but life just isn't the same without such amazing indulgences. you can limit these things in your diet (i don't have much white flour or sugar on a day to day basis, but i certainly don't restrict myself from it) but deciding to completely cut them out is, i believe, a little extreme.
if you believe you can do it, and you want to, there is no harm in it. substituting white flour and sugar for less processed foods is possible and quite a hefty goal if you're looking to be a "clean eater". however, it's gonna make your life unnecessarily difficult, and i don't think most people would want to restrain themselves from some of life's most delicious deliciousnesses.0 -
Wow, some of these responses make it sound like it's the hardest thing ever, along with "homemade everything"... Honestly, I did it about a year ago (started 3 years ago, but it took a while) and it was the best decision I ever made. I almost everything from scratch (it's actually quite easy...) read every single label, etc. The less ingredients in something and the simpler it is, then the better. And honestly, I've never felt better - my skin cleared up, I stopped getting migraines, I sleep better, and I have way more energy and less anxiety. And when I do "cheat" (I don't even call it that...) I regret it the next morning when I wake up with a migraine. Oh, and I lost those stubborn last 10 pounds and then some by giving up white sugar/flour.
If I want something sweet then I have fruit. If I want a treat, then I bake with maple syrup, but even that is only for special occasions... it can be done and once you get the hang of it, you'll never look back.
Also, why is veganism considered extreme?0 -
Check out Sarah Wilson's "I Quit Sugar"... She has an 8 week program that eases you into giving up that stuff. The book makes it really simple and fairly painless. Plus she has lots of pretty pictures
I've been cutting it out for a while and while it was hard at first--- I'm starting to feel amazing!
One of her first tips is to not label it as giving it up FOREVER. Just a day at a time and see how it goes... so much of it is mental.
If you're going to wean off sugar, this is the way to go. Being a sugar addict, I haven't quite mastered giving it up completely, but the programs that help you step off of it gradually are way easier. A friend just told me about Tosca Reno's ebook called "Strike Sugar". She also does a strike sugar challenge. I'm going to look into both. You may also want to look into "The Wheat Belly Diet" by William Davis. I have another friend that lost 25 pounds following that and many of her health issues are no longer issues... Educate yourself and try different things. You'll find the eating plan that works for you.
White flour and sugar are in so much, it is very extreme to give them up. I strive to decrease them and look for natural sugar and whole grain, wheat or other flour options, whenever possible.
Best wishes whatever you decide to do!0 -
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The less ingredients in something and the simpler it is, then the better.
Why? I cook with a small number of ingredients more often than not, because of time, but sometimes I make more complicated foods, like a tagine with lots of ingredients or, yes, a fruit pie or maybe a homemade pizza (I'm thinking about doing one with whole wheat crust soon, based on a discussion in another thread), and I see no reason why simply using more ingredients would make the food worse.And honestly, I've never felt better - my skin cleared up, I stopped getting migraines, I sleep better, and I have way more energy and less anxiety.
Lots of people get these results without having to give up anything. Others never had the problems. Thus, the idea that people in general benefit from never eating innocuous (yes, really, in moderation they are) foods like flour and sugar isn't accurate. Might some? Sure, although I think many of them probably never truly tried moderation or limiting consumption. But so long as they are just making a personal choice and not making pronouncements about what is necessary for good health, that's fine with me.
As I understand the OP's concerns, she thinks she will binge. My suspicion is that not dealing with a binging issue and just not eating something is likely to result in (a) cravings and eventually a binge, or (b) a binge if one happens to eat the food on rare occasion (or is offered it on a special occasion, as you will be), because now it's become a forbidden item. But I admit I don't binge, so am not an expert. I'd think that working on the underlying binging issue would be more the issue than deciding that you will never eat sugar or flour again, as the food is unlikely to be the actual culprit.
Anyway, it seems hard to me just because it seems pointless, and restrictions that lack good reason are generally hard to stick with, IME. I suppose if you really believed in it that wouldn't be the case, but that's why I don't think veganism is necessarily all that tough or extreme (I don't buy into the ethical argument but I understand why others would) or, of course, giving up foods that one is actually allergic to or has a negative reaction to, but something like this seems different.
Also, I always think it's odd when people claim giving up something isn't a big deal but then post asking how to do it. Just don't eat it if you don't want to. I tried giving up grains and added sugar for a bit to see if I felt different (I did not), and it wasn't any kind of big thing. I'd say rather than focusing on forever the advice to just try it for a period of time if you really think it would help is good. I wouldn't demonize it, though, but just think of it as experimenting with what makes you feel better.0 -
The less ingredients in something and the simpler it is, then the better.
Why? I cook with a small number of ingredients more often than not, because of time, but sometimes I make more complicated foods, like a tagine with lots of ingredients or, yes, a fruit pie or maybe a homemade pizza (I'm thinking about doing one with whole wheat crust soon, based on a discussion in another thread), and I see no reason why simply using more ingredients would make the food worse.And honestly, I've never felt better - my skin cleared up, I stopped getting migraines, I sleep better, and I have way more energy and less anxiety.
Lots of people get these results without having to give up anything. Others never had the problems. Thus, the idea that people in general benefit from never eating innocuous (yes, really, in moderation they are) foods like flour and sugar isn't accurate. Might some? Sure, although I think many of them probably never truly tried moderation or limiting consumption. But so long as they are just making a personal choice and not making pronouncements about what is necessary for good health, that's fine with me.
As I understand the OP's concerns, she thinks she will binge. My suspicion is that not dealing with a binging issue and just not eating something is likely to result in (a) cravings and eventually a binge, or (b) a binge if one happens to eat the food on rare occasion (or is offered it on a special occasion, as you will be), because now it's become a forbidden item. But I admit I don't binge, so am not an expert. I'd think that working on the underlying binging issue would be more the issue than deciding that you will never eat sugar or flour again, as the food is unlikely to be the actual culprit.
Anyway, it seems hard to me just because it seems pointless, and restrictions that lack good reason are generally hard to stick with, IME. I suppose if you really believed in it that wouldn't be the case, but that's why I don't think veganism is necessarily all that tough or extreme (I don't buy into the ethical argument but I understand why others would) or, of course, giving up foods that one is actually allergic to or has a negative reaction too, but something like this seems different.
Also, I always think it's odd when people claim giving up something isn't a big deal but then post asking how to do it. Just don't eat it if you don't want to. I tried giving up grains and added sugar for a bit to see if I felt different (I did not), and it wasn't any kind of big thing. I'd say rather than focusing on forever the advise to just try it for a period of time if you really think it would help is good. I wouldn't demonize it, though, but just think of it as experimenting with what makes you feel better.
Wow, way to take things out of context. My "simpler the better" comment was in regards to packaged foods. Someone asked the OP if she was willing to read every single label for the rest of her life. Personally, I don't think a long line of ingredients is all that healthy on a PACKAGED food item. It's also not difficult to do if you know how to read. I wasn't talking about home cooked meals at all...but whatever, you clearly seem to have a problem with the fact that I personally benefited from giving up white sugar and white flour. I really don't know how that affects you, but if you feel the need to take issue with that, then it's your problem, not mine. Good luck with your attitude.0 -
So what are you going to eat if you're giving up sugar and white flour?
Sugar is in pretty much everything: fruits, vegetables, alcohol, lots of foods in the grocery store have sugar.
So if you're giving up cane sugar then does that mean you're going to substitute with brown sugar, or honey, or fake sugar? :huh:
I only said cane sugar, and I will of course eat fruit and all. Brown sugar is white cane sugar before the molasses is taken out. I would use probably honey or 100% maple syrup. Fake sugars can be worse for you than the real stuff. 
Organic sugar has the same calorie content, but many times it is completely worth it to purchase fair trade! Reading up on how big sugar companies gets their sugar makes me think going without it can also be for ethical reasons. http://equalitywalk2.blogspot.com/2014/05/where-does-your-sugar-come-from.html Just fuel for thought.
OP interesting blog. Here in the US you could impact this issue by not buying blueberries(Maine, New Jersey), tomatoes(southern Virginia and Maryland), blue crab meat packaged and picked (coastal North Carolina, southern Maryland) and on and on. Many of the foods you consume are picked and or harvested by folks living below a livable wage. Or you can recognize many of the foods enjoyed are harvested by people who are day laborers. It seems you would have very limited food options in the end if you boycott foods like sugar due to someone making very little money to hack away the sugar cane. pick the fruit, or you can seek alternatives. Good luck.0 -
Giving up meat and animal products entirely if one is vegan makes total sense, as it's for ethical reasons. Not ethical reasons I personally agree with in full, but reasons that make the complete prohibition logical.
I simply don't see any reason why it would be necessary to give up sugar (presumably added sugar and other sweeteners?) and white flour entirely, such that I couldn't eat a pie on Thanksgiving, have some pizza once a year, whatever. If you think you are eating too much of something, why wouldn't you just cut down or eat it only when you thought the calories were worth it? I honestly don't understand the overwhelming desire to cut out broad categories of foods. Makes way more sense to me to just focus on the foods you want to eat more of.
I generally agree with this ^0 -
So what are you going to eat if you're giving up sugar and white flour?
Sugar is in pretty much everything: fruits, vegetables, alcohol, lots of foods in the grocery store have sugar.
So if you're giving up cane sugar then does that mean you're going to substitute with brown sugar, or honey, or fake sugar? :huh:
I only said cane sugar, and I will of course eat fruit and all. Brown sugar is white cane sugar before the molasses is taken out. I would use probably honey or 100% maple syrup. Fake sugars can be worse for you than the real stuff.
Organic sugar has the same calorie content, but many times it is completely worth it to purchase fair trade! Reading up on how big sugar companies gets their sugar makes me think going without it can also be for ethical reasons. http://equalitywalk2.blogspot.com/2014/05/where-does-your-sugar-come-from.html Just fuel for thought.
a) most of the sugar used in the world is extracted from sugar beets, not cane, which are farmed just like other root crops.
b) These days, brown sugar is white sugar with molasses added back in because it is cheaper to process that way
c) Sugar is sugar. There is no "fake" or "real" (excluding artificial sweeteners which are clearly labeled as such). Whether you get your sugar from cane, beets, honey, maple sap. Table sugar is sucrose, honey is fructose and glucose, maple syrup is mostly sucrose with some glucose and fructose,0 -
Sucrose is simply glucose and fructose joined with a weak bond that needs to be broken to obtain the simple sugars.So what are you going to eat if you're giving up sugar and white flour?
Sugar is in pretty much everything: fruits, vegetables, alcohol, lots of foods in the grocery store have sugar.
So if you're giving up cane sugar then does that mean you're going to substitute with brown sugar, or honey, or fake sugar? :huh:
I only said cane sugar, and I will of course eat fruit and all. Brown sugar is white cane sugar before the molasses is taken out. I would use probably honey or 100% maple syrup. Fake sugars can be worse for you than the real stuff.
Organic sugar has the same calorie content, but many times it is completely worth it to purchase fair trade! Reading up on how big sugar companies gets their sugar makes me think going without it can also be for ethical reasons. http://equalitywalk2.blogspot.com/2014/05/where-does-your-sugar-come-from.html Just fuel for thought.
a) most of the sugar used in the world is extracted from sugar beets, not cane, which are farmed just like other root crops.
b) These days, brown sugar is white sugar with molasses added back in because it is cheaper to process that way
c) Sugar is sugar. There is no "fake" or "real" (excluding artificial sweeteners which are clearly labeled as such). Whether you get your sugar from cane, beets, honey, maple sap. Table sugar is sucrose, honey is fructose and glucose, maple syrup is mostly sucrose with some glucose and fructose,
This can even be done on your stove using a weak acid like lemon juice and heat to produce invert sugar which bakers use.
It has an higher apparent sweetness because of the free fructose I believe, and also gives baked goods a longer shelf life.
I also do this with sucrose (table sugar) for fermentations so that the yeast don`t have to do it and are less stessed.
You don`t have to do it when fermenting honey (making mead) because the glucose and fructose are mostly free already.0 -
Im on day 8 of a clean diet, no sugar besides what is in fruit, using a small amount of honey when sugar is needed. And only Whole wheat, nothing out of a box with more than 5 ingrediants. I feel pretty good. I got my tips and an outline from the web site 100daysof real food. Amazing articles and food ideas.0
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Wow, way to take things out of context. My "simpler the better" comment was in regards to packaged foods.
You were talking about making items from scratch, you did not limit the comment. I don't think the reading was unreasonable. Same point stands, anyway--why does the number of ingredients and not what they are matter in the least?
Anyway, I don't think reading labels would be the challenge, but (IMO, pointlessly) giving up items that I know contain flour and sugar (or analogous ingredients like maple syrup and honey, for consistency).you clearly seem to have a problem with the fact that I personally benefited from giving up white sugar and white flour.
Nope. Not at all. I specifically said otherwise. I just don't think you should assume from that that everyone has the issues that you say you did before giving up those items or that giving them up will generally cause others to feel better.
I mean, last time I had penicillin I ended up in the hospital as a result, so I think I benefit from not consuming it, but I don't tell others it is therefore bad for them.0 -
I'll be the first to admit that I am generally skeptical of most bandwagons, but then will jump on my own for no other reason than to just see if I like it, or if it works for me.
But on this I'm lost. And I'm not just trying to be an *kitten*, but here goes......
Why give up white sugar but not brown, honey, maple, or whatever else. Why does the color matter?
The same for white flour? I mean, I can sorta get the whole not wanting bleached flour, but unbleached flour is white flour right? Or not? Whole grain for the added fiber, and maybe a slower blood sugar spike? I understand that. But then wouldn't you want to give up fresh corn, rice, and corn starch thickened sauces? What about potatoes? Are white potatoes better than white flour? Why is white flour so bad but other flours ok?
Unless you have celiac disease of, course, but you're otherwise fairly healthy, yes?
I guess I don't understand why, and why forever?0 -
Can we give up cauliflower? Cause I'm down with that.0
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Im on day 8 of a clean diet, no sugar besides what is in fruit, using a small amount of honey when sugar is needed. And only Whole wheat, nothing out of a box with more than 5 ingrediants. I feel pretty good. I got my tips and an outline from the web site 100daysof real food. Amazing articles and food ideas.
Pssst. Honey is sugar.0 -
I did it.....It was the best decision I ever made with regard to food. I cannot believe the changes it has made in my life. I lost weight and a host of other health issues have disappeared. Not sure it will work for everyone (although I like to think it would). I can only speak for myself. I am never going back to it.
I did it too and I am on my fourth year of being wheat-free and no-added-sugar. I have lost 66 pounds and reduced my blood sugar and blood pressure. My arthritis has improved a great deal as well. It really isn't difficult. I would recommend going fruit-free for a couple of weeks to back off your fructokinase enzyme. That will also cause a die-off of the intestinal bacteria and fungi that thrive on "fast" carbs like sucrose and wheat starch. I don't eat a lot of fruit still but I always have one or two servings a day. When people eat sugar, they tend not to eat as many fruits and vegetables as they otherwise would. I have observed that on many food diaries.0 -
We really have to stop vilifying foods. No food is inherently good or bad. Period. Some foods are more healthful than others. It's not a dichotomy, it's a spectrum.
Whole grain flours are certainly more healthful than white flours, but there are probably specific grains which are more healthful than whole wheat. And there are "white whole wheat" flours nowadays. And there's plenty of foods made from white flour which are enriched with extra vitamins.
And sugar? An argument could be made that honey is more healthful than sugar, because of the other stuff it contains, but it contains those other elements in such minuscule amounts that it's debatable if they actually do anything. Other than that, sugar really is sugar. Is an artificial sweetener better? Some studies say yes, some say no. Is stevia better? Some studies say yes, some say no. If you want a more natural, less process sugar, why not use turbinado or raw sugar cane juice or something like that? Or you could go really hippy and just sweeten everything with dried figs. *shudder*
So, let me repeat: It's not a dichotomy. It is not a "good" or "bad" food situation. It's a spectrum, and there's always something healthier you could be eating. A better idea than cutting foods out is to eat a wide variety to ensure that you're getting all the micronutrients you need.0 -
Simple, the reasoning is that if something is bad in larger quantities for some people, then none would be ideal for everyone.......the paleo diet is based on this screwed up philosophy for example.I'll be the first to admit that I am generally skeptical of most bandwagons, but then will jump on my own for no other reason than to just see if I like it, or if it works for me.
But on this I'm lost. And I'm not just trying to be an *kitten*, but here goes......
Why give up white sugar but not brown, honey, maple, or whatever else. Why does the color matter?
The same for white flour? I mean, I can sorta get the whole not wanting bleached flour, but unbleached flour is white flour right? Or not? Whole grain for the added fiber, and maybe a slower blood sugar spike? I understand that. But then wouldn't you want to give up fresh corn, rice, and corn starch thickened sauces? What about potatoes? Are white potatoes better than white flour? Why is white flour so bad but other flours ok?
Unless you have celiac disease of, course, but you're otherwise fairly healthy, yes?
I guess I don't understand why, and why forever?0
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