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MyFitnessPal Community

natural sugars vs Artificial sugars?

goyangi_kitty

Hello all,

For the purpose of this 21 Day Sugar detox, I'd like to ask:

- would fruit or natural sweeteners be allowed? Somehow I think not, because the 'taste' of sweet is what really triggers me to want more. So even natural sugar like dates are VERY sweet to me, and as much as I love those Lara bars or Kind bars, I think is best to avoid those.

- if sugar is what I'm trying to avoid, what are your thoughts on having coffee with say, Stevia or sweet - and - low?

Again these may be 'sugar-free' which is good, but they will make my brain still feel its on a 'sugar high.' But right now, maybe just focusing on the sugar is enough, so a diet soda or Stevia is okay?

NOt sure, but look forward to hearing about your experiences with this. Thank you all

Replies

Chef_Barbell

All of it sounds completely unnecessary.

3bambi3

Chef_Barbell wrote: »

All of it sounds completely unnecessary.

This. Why are you trying to 'detox' from sugar?

Macy9336

Sugar isn't something to detox from. It's just something to have in moderation. If you're worried about sugar rushes and crashes, just ensure you eat it with fibre ( i.e. Fresh fruit instead of juicing it) or proteins/fats ( trail mix and bars).

Need2Exerc1se

I think these are questions only you can answer because only you know what triggers you. If I were trying to break sugar cravings (I assume this is your intent when you say 'sugar detox') I certainly would not include natural sugars (syrups, etc.). I probably would include fruit because I do not have the same reaction to unsweetened fruit as I do to sugary things like candy or cake. But if you do have a similar reaction you might want to limit or eliminate fruit for a while. Or perhaps stick to lower sugar fruits like berries. The berries might help you not give up and binge eat a whole box of cookies.

Best of luck to you.

J72FIT

Need2Exerc1se wrote: »

I think these are questions only you can answer because only you know what triggers you. If I were trying to break sugar cravings (I assume this is your intent when you say 'sugar detox') I certainly would not include natural sugars (syrups, etc.). I probably would include fruit because I do not have the same reaction to unsweetened fruit as I do to sugary things like candy or cake. But if you do have a similar reaction you might want to limit or eliminate fruit for a while. Or perhaps stick to lower sugar fruits like berries. The berries might help you not give up and binge eat a whole box of cookies.

Best of luck to you.

OP this is good advice, bolded in particular...

PaulaWallaDingDong

You'll have to consult whoever got you onto this "detox." Or decide for yourself. Since since sugar isn't toxic, you can't detox from it, so the rules are going to be arbitrary anyway.

crevtion

Honestly there's no point in doing some detox. If you say to yourself 'i won't eat this cause I can't ' you'll end up stressing about it too much. If you think 'i can have this but I don't want to' you're putting yourself in a much healthier position. Remember it's about the mental side of things too. Besides what are you gonna do on day 22? Binge on sugar because you've just deprived yourself of it? Seriously, learn to have it in moderation and you won't have to worry about cutting things out. Especially fruit! A piece of fruit won't hurt you and if it's causing you to reach for the unhealthy side, well then it's your mind you have to work on. And it isn't through diets and detoxes.

ndj1979

I don't understand the point of detoxing from something that is not toxic. When you boil it down sugar = sugar and source does not matter, as they all have the same impact on your body. Also, sugar can be a part of a health diet that is meeting calorie, micro, and macro requirements. What matters is context and dosage.

RJuo

Similarly to the replies above, I don't see why you want to detox from sugar, OP, would you care to elaborate? I personally try to limit how much refined sugar I consume, and eat fruit as much as I want (within reason, of course)

goyangi_kitty

Hi all, thank you for your comments and feedback.
I know sugar is not 'bad.' Perhaps I ought to clarify - I feel the need for resetting or changing my taste buds to WANT less sweet. I truly do have refined sugar in excess and I hope that more natural sources such as fruits can help me with health.
So, maybe 'detox' was not the best word to use. I want to be free from the cravings which for me are really affecting my mental, emotional and physical well-being. I know it should be easy to do. (i.e. just avoid the food that triggers me) but it's very hard to put into practice.

Its great that, many of you can do sugar in moderation. I don't believe I have ever been one of those people. At least, not with refined or foods that have a lot of added sugars.

goyangi_kitty

I'm not sure then why its referred to as the 21Day sugar 'detox' I was simply following that wording based on the book. It does sound like more of a detox, this plan, as it is more than just giving up sugar - I think there are a few other aspects of the program, anyway.

lemurcat12

goyangi_kitty wrote: »

Hi all, thank you for your comments and feedback.
I know sugar is not 'bad.' Perhaps I ought to clarify - I feel the need for resetting or changing my taste buds to WANT less sweet. I truly do have refined sugar in excess and I hope that more natural sources such as fruits can help me with health.
So, maybe 'detox' was not the best word to use. I want to be free from the cravings which for me are really affecting my mental, emotional and physical well-being. I know it should be easy to do. (i.e. just avoid the food that triggers me) but it's very hard to put into practice.

This being the case, I think you need to start by understanding what specifically is "triggering" for you (and if there are specific circumstances or situations that play into it). For me, it would likely be sweet/fat dessert stuff, even if the sugar was artificial (and certainly if it was honey/syrup), so if I were trying to take a break and change my taste buds, I'd avoid that stuff, perhaps, for a while while working on not being so focused on those kinds of foods, perhaps.

For me plain dairy (like cottage cheese, plain greek yogurt, milk if I drank it) wouldn't be the same at all, and neither would fruit, but if eating those things causes you to crave other things, maybe skip it for a while.

I dislike these planned "sugar detoxes" since they seem to come from a pre-existing idea that sugar is bad and everyone reacts to it in the same way and that even fruit needs to be cut out when your issues may have nothing to do with fruit (or even with adding a bit of sugar to a non dessert food like a rhubarb side or oats). For me now, I sometimes find it beneficial to take a break from sweets for a bit, but it's not necessary to worry about sugar in fruit or veg or about putting some sauce with a little added sugar on a dish (for example, sriracha). I'm not going to have trouble not overeating my calories in sriracha or want to go eat some cookies afterwards (well, not because of the sriracha).

DEBOO7

Perhaps take a look at this link: http://www.sugar-and-sweetener-guide.com/glycemic-index-for-sweeteners.html
You'll see that something like maltodextrin has a GI of 110 - which is more than sugar (sucrose).
If you are wanting to reduce sugar and stop cravings then best to try and avoid sugar alcohols and modified sugars. Many fruits, other than berries, have a high fructose content - but at least you get other nutrients with them and fibre. Stevia and Erythritol are the two most commonly used as substitutes for sugar and have minimal effect on blood sugar levels. Comes down to personal preference and what you're trying to achieve.
I follow a keto way of eating which has carbs at about 23g and coming from green leafy veg and berries. After many years I've lost the taste or need for sugar or refined carbs and most times don't even bother with alternative sweeteners.