Gluten free, sugar free, dairy free... who is with me?

It must be difficult to be a diabetic celiac with lactose intolerance. I cannot imagine.

If none of the above applies, why? Dairy, gluten and sugar are not bad for you or cause fat gain.

If you gave up on sugar, what are you eating? Grains, fruit and vegetables contain sugar. To the body, sugar is sugar is sugar.

You couldn't pay me tbh

RuNaRoUnDaFiEld wrote: »

MaryYoungmark wrote: »

A few months ago I gave up gluten, sugar, and dairy. I feel like a new person! I've only been eating whole unprocessed foods. Is anyone else eating similar? What are your favorite meals and snacks?

Wow that's restrictive!

What can you eat?

*Looks at my oatmeal with greek yogurt, eggs and berries*

No.

carried22 wrote: »

I'm guessing when you said sugar, you meant processed sugar...not fruit sugar? I am trying to eat mostly protein, veggies, limited fruits, and good fats. As a society we tend to eat way too many simple carbs. I'm trying to stay away from grains, dairy, and processed sugar. I have been enjoying taco salad with salsa as a dressing. I sometimes also mix canned chicken with a little mayo and diced apples. I also love raw almonds for a snack!

You mean "added sugar"? That's what I assumed she meant too, but it's worth understanding that the sugar itself is not different (being "processed" means being removed from a plant, nothing else is done to it). So called "fruit sugar" is a combination of glucose and fructose (on its own and combined in sucrose), and sucrose (table sugar) is also a combination of glucose and fructose.

Thus, the sugar in fruit is ALSO a simple carb. (The carbs in a potato or grains, whole OR white, is starch, and therefore is considered a complex carb.) Point is that the distinction between simple and complex carbs is not as nutritionally significant as many seem to think based on an inaccurate understanding of what they are.

I have nothing against giving up added sugar if that appeals to you (I did for a period of time for my own reasons), but I think it is important to understand that nutritionally sugar is sugar. Now, foods are not foods, of course (unless you are starving), but I'd focus on the nutritional density of the food and how it fits into my overall diet as a more sensible and nutrition-based approach than assuming that innate sugar=good and added sugar=bad. A bit of sugar in some oats or a rhubarb sauce or a cranberry sauce will likely be less sugar than in an apple, depending, and yet just as nutrient dense, if not more, depending on what is missing in your diet.

Anyway, I avoid having much of my diet be from foods that are not nutritionally dense, but I see no reason why avoiding dairy would serve such a purpose, or grains -- both of them add to the nutritional density of my diet on the whole. Specifically, dairy is good for protein in forms such as plain greek yogurt and cottage cheese, and good cheese is delicious so while not on its own particularly nutrient dense it makes my overall diet more satisfying without needing to add or (or eat it) in huge amounts. I don't eat a lot of grains compared to some because I mostly find them not worth the calories, but given that I don't overeat them I don't see the point of cutting them out. I find oats in the morning (with an egg and vegetables) can be a great start to the day, and pasta for me (or occasionally rice) is a good base for lean meat and lots and lots of vegetables. Not sure what would be the point of cutting out the pasta/rice if they fit in my calories and make the overall meal more delicious and satisfying. Sure, if you overdo it, but they aren't bad in themselves. Similarly barley or other grains can be nice sides, just as good as lentils or tubers and allow for variety.

As for added sugar, I think it's about not consuming too much, not making a totem of consuming none as if it made a difference. (But I do understand there being reasons for individuals to cut it out, just not normally nutritional ones -- like I said, I cut it out for a while myself.)

ana_varn wrote: »

Jesus Christ why are you so nasty to each other? We can't compare fruit with a mars bar anyway. The fruit has fiber, vitamins and minerals which help keeping the appetite stabilized and give proper nutrition! And dairy? You're a freaking human, not a cow so it's okay not to have it in your diet even when you're NOT intolerant or allergic to it. Now for gluten, if you're not sick I don't see any reason why to avoid it but if it works for one then it's good, you don't have to play the "i know better than you because I am SO much better" card.

I eat all of the things she says she avoids but still... who am I to criticize and belittle one? Jeez there's no need to be mean. Maybe you need to up your calories a bit.

PS: Some responses have been nice and/or honest, so my text doesn't go to all who responded.

The irony of this post.

MaryYoungmark wrote: »

A few months ago I gave up gluten, sugar, and dairy. I feel like a new person! I've only been eating whole unprocessed foods. Is anyone else eating similar? What are your favorite meals and snacks?

This post seems as if you are trying to encourage people to cut out gluten, sugar, and dairy, as if that would be a better way for everyone to eat. Not sure why that would be. (Or why a processed food like smoked salmon would be considered a bad thing to eat either.)

That said, I'm glad it's working for you. I experimented with cutting out grains and added sugar and dairy (did paleo for a bit, so also went without legumes), and I did not find that it made me feel any different. Cutting out added sugar for a while did help me get a handle on my emotional eating issues, although I found that not snacking was a much more significant help (I occasionally have a dessert with added sugar after dinner, often ice cream or high quality chocolate, and sometimes one with no added sugar, like fruit or good cheese). From experimentation, it's pretty clear I am not lactose intolerant and do not have any other issues with dairy, which is expected in that my family background is all northern and western Europe where those things are quite uncommon (early dairy adopters).

However, I think grains are kind of overrated (just a personal preference), almost never add sugar to things, certainly not dinner or some other meal, and don't put dairy in everything (it's easy to just not add cheese, after all), so if what you are interested in are menu ideas, I might be able to help/share ideas. Just because one doesn't cut something totally out doesn't mean that one eats it all the time, after all.

So, given that, I don't really snack, but some of my favorite meals that fit the criteria are:

2-egg vegetable omelet (most recently mushrooms, onions, broccoli, and spinach, but it depends what I have on hand) with some smoked salmon and blueberries on the side (I guess use a different meat if you think that's too processed). (I often add a bit of feta to the omelet or have some cottage cheese on the side instead of the salmon, but of course dairy -- like I said, easily avoided.)

For lunch my current favorite (made ahead for lunches) is a vegetarian chili (bean- and lentil-based) with some sweet potatoes, kale, and whatever vegetables are available (cauliflower, zucchini, peppers (sweet and hot), and of course tomatoes -- at this time of year I think canned are preferable, but of course you could use "fresh" -- I think out of season tomatoes just are tasteless so don't buy them).

I do often eat grains at dinner, but probably more than half of my dinners do not involve them. A couple of favorites: trout with potatoes and brussels sprouts (both roasted) plus some sauteed green beans (summer squash works just as well, or whatever else is around) with mushrooms. Another favorite when it's still cool is a pork chop with apples, onions, cauliflower (chopped small), and sauerkraut. I'd probably have another veg on the side, green bean again go well, or maybe some winter squash.

I have numerous other meals that don't involve the things you are cutting out, but if the discussion must include why those things are bad then I guess my ideas are not what you are after.