how to cut out sugar...

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ChantalD75
ChantalD75 Posts: 680 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I have noticed that I eat way too much sugar (I love my fruits...) I thought I was doing a good thing until I read a few posts on here.... now my question is how do I cut that out??? I have one coffee in the morning with a non fat french vanilla creamer. Then sometimes I have a fruit soothie in the morning or I have a bowl of cereal... I notice that milk is high in sugar too??? I am afraid of the sugar headaches that I will get once I cut it out.... Any suggestions... ???

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  • khrys1
    khrys1 Posts: 444 Member
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    Don't worry about the "good" sugars from fruits- I'm over my daily sugar if I have a glass of milk and a banana! I try to just pay attention to the candy/doughnut sugars and not worry about fruit sugar.
  • ChantalD75
    ChantalD75 Posts: 680 Member
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    I like that answer!
  • fanceegirl75
    fanceegirl75 Posts: 620 Member
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    Agreed! I was going to say something similar. I've been adding honey to my tea instead of the Equal I'd grown so used to. I've seen honey, stevia mentioned a lot here to use as a natural sweeter. Just an FYI!
  • Rtrue18
    Rtrue18 Posts: 45
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    Unsweetened Almond milk is the best substitute for milk...or a soy milk I just prefer almond. Pure Almond makes a really good unsweetened vanilla and its perfect for cereal.

    Honestly some sugar is ok. I had the same problem I would eat like 5 servings of fruit a day. I try to now limit it to 2 sometimes 3. Its also best to eat fruit on an empty stomach and not with other foods bc it digests faster than other foods and when you eat it with carbs or proteins it stays in your system longer.

    Sugar is important to cut down though bc it turns into fat (its mostly the refined sugars that are the main culprit). Just ease into cutting it down and you shouldn't get bad headaches. If anything it would help headaches as your wouldnt have those sugar highs/lows, but at first you might get sugar cravings.
  • Rtrue18
    Rtrue18 Posts: 45
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    Tip on Stevia: If you are going to use stevia (which is the only sweetener I use...stay away from splenda!) the ONLY brand that is good (I have tried a lot and many are very bitter) is the NuStevia by NuNaturals. Its in a purple box I get them at GNC. Also Agave nectar is better on you GI.
  • cjnorman
    cjnorman Posts: 93
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    Very interesting article http://motherjones.com/environment/2011/03/fructose-sugar-hfcs#

    Here is the most interesting paragraph.

    "Unlike glucose, which the body stores in various tissues for use as fuel, fructose is sent to the liver for processing. Robert Lustig, a pediatric endocrinologist at the University of California-San Francisco, has shown that it causes a buildup of fats there, triggering a host of health problems including diabetes, gout, and heart disease. Most worrisome, Lustig says, it can lead to insulin resistance, a hormonal snafu that makes you feel hungry even when you're full. "The way fructose is metabolized leads you to want to eat more," he explains—no great revelation to anyone who's ever slain a pint of Ben & Jerry's in one sitting."

    Fructose is the sugar in fruit. So while fruit has other good benefits, it has the most difficult to deal with type of sugar.

    I eat a lot of nuts and more vegetables. I even eat vegetables at breakfast.
  • cobes24
    cobes24 Posts: 132 Member
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    Sugar from fruit is still a simple sugar--better than refined sugar (like the donut/candy kind) but still able to make your blood sugar spike because your body breaks it down so easily. Are you making your fruit smoothie with juice? Juice gives you all the sugar of fruit, but without the fiber and other goodies that take some energy to break down...therefore keeping your blood sugar more stable and keeping you fuller longer. Same goes for cereal...just make sure the amount of fiber offsets the sugars. I have started making a "green smoothie" every day (one apple, one banana and 2-3 cups of fresh spinach, blend it up with a cup or so of water) and it gets me all my fruits and veggies for teh day, without needing any juice to thin it down.

    All in all though, if you have to have sugar, fruit is not a bad place to get it!
  • LORR79
    LORR79 Posts: 55
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    Fructose in fruit is different to high fructose corn syrup and Dr Robert Lustwig doesnt say dont eat fruit as it has fibre in it. Its drinking coke and eating products with HFCS in it that he says is toxic to the body and the cause of obesity

    . To find out more about it you can watch a lecture he gives on HFCS and its effect on the body,its long but really interesting

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM
  • curvygirl512
    curvygirl512 Posts: 423 Member
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    First of all, don't torture yourself by cutting *out* sugar. I started cutting *back* on sugar, b/c I'm always over my daily limit, even if it's from healthy sugars in fruit, milk, etc. If I can drop 1/2 of my daily sugar overage, that's a success. Sometimes that just means eating a smaller apple or just 1/2 a banana.

    Second, if you haven't already, try agave nectar. I live in a small town, and even our grocery stores stock it. It is supposed to taste sweet without raising your glycemic index. So, you get sweet without sugar highs and lows. The friend who recommended it has lost 75 lbs, and she bakes at lot. Use the same amounts as sugar, and expect baked goods to come out a little more moist. I use it in tea in place of honey, and on fruit if I really need to indulge.

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