Cutting out refined sugar with allergies

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celinaballerina
celinaballerina Posts: 4 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hello! i'm new here. :)

This year I want to remove all refined sugar from my diet, which isn't a lot but I do get sugar cravings every now and then and indulge in them. My problem is that I am allergic to fruit. Yes, all fruit. I have taken dozens of allergy tests (blood tests, spot tests, you name it) and essentially, if it grows on a tree, I can't eat it. Most things make my throat swell up at best, and send me into anaphylactic shock at worst. By proxy I also can't consume fruit juice, smoothies, or fruit snacks. I take a ton of vitamins and supplements to compensate for this allergy as I've suffered with this all my life, but refined sugars are especially difficult for me to cut down on because a lot of things with natural sugars are fruits.

My main question is, how would one go about cutting out all refined sugar with this allergy? Do I just go without sugar at all, or are there other sources of natural sugar aside from fruit? My diet is otherwise very healthy, I am a ballerina and am always active. Refined sugar is really my achilles heel with my allergy.

Replies

  • RunsWithBees
    RunsWithBees Posts: 1,508 Member
    edited January 2019
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    How about using honey as a sweetener?
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    Not quite seeing the logic in this I'm afraid.
    What substance precisely are you allergic too?

    As refined sugar is natural sugar from cane or beet with something (molasses) removed but nothing added I'm not seeing how refined sugar could be worse for your allergies?
    Sucrose (refined sugar) is a disaccharide of fructose and glucose.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
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    You don't need to eat foods with substantial amounts of sugar (most foods other than meat and oils have at least a tiny bit of sugar, you can actually get quite a bit with veg). Also, your body turns starch into sugar, so it's not like you will go into ketosis without consuming sugar itself.

    Are you allergic to fruits that don't grow on trees, like berries? What about vegetables that are actually fruits?

    I also agree with those who say there's probably no point to cutting out all added sugar, but it wouldn't mean that you lacked anything essential.
  • brower47
    brower47 Posts: 16,356 Member
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    I have the same question as the poster above me: Can you eat berries since they don't grow on trees? If not, you don't have to eat fruits in order to have a nutritious diet. You can get all the plant based vitamins and minerals you need from veggies. Nothing wrong with cutting added out sugar if that's what you want to do, as long as your plan is one you find you can stick to.
  • celinaballerina
    celinaballerina Posts: 4 Member
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    monkeefan1974 wrote: »
    How about using honey as a sweetener?

    A great idea!
  • celinaballerina
    celinaballerina Posts: 4 Member
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    snickerscharlie wrote: »
    There's nothing wrong with refined sugar in moderation. Why are you trying to cut it out entirely?

    Currently I feel like I have a little too much in my diet, it's really the only unhealthy thing that I continue to consume on a regular basis. I've always felt like sweets, cakes, pastries etc. were "my weakness" but now I'm ready to get rid of them.

  • celinaballerina
    celinaballerina Posts: 4 Member
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    sijomial wrote: »
    Not quite seeing the logic in this I'm afraid.
    What substance precisely are you allergic too?

    As refined sugar is natural sugar from cane or beet with something (molasses) removed but nothing added I'm not seeing how refined sugar could be worse for your allergies?
    Sucrose (refined sugar) is a disaccharide of fructose and glucose.

    Rather than a singular substance it's many substances. A big one is something they call the "latex fruit family", which is all fruit that grows from trees related to the latex tree. I also have a latex allergy so it makes a lot of sense. These fruits include bananas, avocados, kiwis, and several melons. The cross contamination in the fruit and produce section is pretty rampant, so even fruits that sometimes wouldn't give me a reaction, like an orange, may have been touched or processed or loaded/unloaded in the same area as a fruit I'm allergic to, and i'll have an allergic reaction that way.

    Refined sugar itself is not bad for my allergies, it's just one of those unhealthy things I'd like to get rid of from my current diet.

    And, for those asking above: Berries are touch and go. I'm severely allergic to strawberries and raspberries, but blueberries seem to be fine for me, though i've only had them once or twice in my life due to the cross contamination that's usually present. It's the same for a lot of nuts, peanuts and almonds seem to be the only nuts I don't have a reaction to, which is very strange considering peanut is one of the most common allergies in the world.
  • GaleHawkins
    GaleHawkins Posts: 8,160 Member
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    celinaballerina wrote: »
    Hello! i'm new here. :)

    This year I want to remove all refined sugar from my diet, which isn't a lot but I do get sugar cravings every now and then and indulge in them. My problem is that I am allergic to fruit. Yes, all fruit. I have taken dozens of allergy tests (blood tests, spot tests, you name it) and essentially, if it grows on a tree, I can't eat it. Most things make my throat swell up at best, and send me into anaphylactic shock at worst. By proxy I also can't consume fruit juice, smoothies, or fruit snacks. I take a ton of vitamins and supplements to compensate for this allergy as I've suffered with this all my life, but refined sugars are especially difficult for me to cut down on because a lot of things with natural sugars are fruits.

    My main question is, how would one go about cutting out all refined sugar with this allergy? Do I just go without sugar at all, or are there other sources of natural sugar aside from fruit? My diet is otherwise very healthy, I am a ballerina and am always active. Refined sugar is really my achilles heel with my allergy.

    @celinaballerina refined sugar seems to make my arthritis flare up so at the age of 63 I stopped eating all foods containing added sugar or any form of any grain. My pain dropped like a rock starting in just a few weeks and now over 4 years later my arthritis pain is better managed by diet then ever by Rx Meds and actually am seeing some reversal of joint damage. Thankful I am okay with eating unprocessed fruit so that is not one of my speed bumps.

    As I type this I am chewing on Red Quinoa to see how it works for me. While very high carb it is not a grain and is considered a perfect food protein and nutrient wise.

    One very simple place most people can get control of their intake of refined sugar is to stop eating all highly processed foods like we see packaged in appealing ways in the center of most grocery stores like Krogers, WalMart, etc. Most packaged meats contain added sugar for example. Pop Tarts is not the only food containing refined sugar. :)

    I think your goal is very worthwhile in your case but based on my experience it took me about a year to get free of processed food containing added sugar because it is added to nearly every processed food like milk shakes and buns.

    At 68 my health and health markers are better than decades ago so the proof my new Way Of Eat for my body is right is in the results of over 4 years now.

    Best of success and not waiting until you are 63 to get serious about eating for better health is smart.
  • ccrdragon
    ccrdragon Posts: 3,365 Member
    edited January 2019
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    celinaballerina wrote: »
    sijomial wrote: »
    Not quite seeing the logic in this I'm afraid.
    What substance precisely are you allergic too?

    As refined sugar is natural sugar from cane or beet with something (molasses) removed but nothing added I'm not seeing how refined sugar could be worse for your allergies?
    Sucrose (refined sugar) is a disaccharide of fructose and glucose.

    Rather than a singular substance it's many substances. A big one is something they call the "latex fruit family", which is all fruit that grows from trees related to the latex tree. I also have a latex allergy so it makes a lot of sense. These fruits include bananas, avocados, kiwis, and several melons. The cross contamination in the fruit and produce section is pretty rampant, so even fruits that sometimes wouldn't give me a reaction, like an orange, may have been touched or processed or loaded/unloaded in the same area as a fruit I'm allergic to, and i'll have an allergic reaction that way.

    Refined sugar itself is not bad for my allergies, it's just one of those unhealthy things I'd like to get rid of from my current diet.

    And, for those asking above: Berries are touch and go. I'm severely allergic to strawberries and raspberries, but blueberries seem to be fine for me, though i've only had them once or twice in my life due to the cross contamination that's usually present. It's the same for a lot of nuts, peanuts and almonds seem to be the only nuts I don't have a reaction to, which is very strange considering peanut is one of the most common allergies in the world.

    Not too surprising since peanuts aren't nuts - they are legumes (they grow in the ground like potatoes). Technically, both almonds and peanuts are drupes like peaches.
  • tibby1971
    tibby1971 Posts: 25 Member
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    The best way to start is to start reading labels. There is sugar in almost every processed food. Unless you change your diet drastically overnight, start by cutting out the processed foods.

    I love peanut butter and luckily it’s getting easier to find it without added sugar. I’ve been cutting out sugar in a slow process. It’s not easy but by gradually cutting things out and cooking more, I’m doing ok.

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