The Sugar Free Challenge - Who is in??

[NoSugar]

Re: The Sugar Free Challenge - Who is in??

Hello to the sugar-free peeps!!

NS - I've been meaning for some time to ask you a question about honey. I don't eat sugar and as much as I can, avoid foods with added sugar. However, I do bake my own muffins and make my own granola-type bars but I use honey. I had read that it is absorbed into the system as sugar is, EXCEPT when you eat it with foods high in fibre such as whole-wheat flour etc. I only use WW flour as I prefer the taste. I was wondering if what I read is true. Is it okay to substitute honey for the sweetener in these kinds of foods? As for veggie oils - living in Greece, I mainly use EVOO but I do use coconut oil in baking. Any comments on those would be appreciated as well. Thanks!

Nice to see you here :smile:!

Whether a person consumes honey or pure maple syrup or any natural sweetener really depends on what their goals are. In my case, they would wreck the same metabolic havoc (high blood sugar, insulin resistance) as sugar or high-fructose corn syrup and they can keep the desire for "sweet" alive (craving), so I don't eat them very often. (My daughter and DIL use honey when they bake and I of course will taste their treats).

However, if eating foods with honey doesn't affect you negatively, there are benefits. For one thing, honey just isn't used at the levels sugar is in most products given its consistency and greater sweetness. Around here, the difference in price would matter. Sugar is much cheaper so there is no disincentive to using a lot of it. If you don't tend to overeat the honey-sweetened products you make, it seems like that is a good option for you. You are eating homemade, REAL, unprocessed food which is a great plan.

Fiber in whole foods like apples slows the rise in blood sugar but I'm really know sure how that works in a baked product. If you don't have blood sugar problems and don't have a dependency/unhealthy desire for the foods you make, it sounds to me like you're on a good track!

Coconut oil as the fat in baked products is pretty amazing, isn't it??? I wish I had known that back in the day when I ate cookies and cakes!!

[stirly-girly]

Re: The Sugar Free Challenge - Who is in??

Thanks for your quick reply, NS. I use 1/2 C honey in the recipe that makes 12 medium muffins and I eat one a day. Same with the bars - makes about 12 - one per day. I decided today to try using half the honey in the bars and add some coconut to see how that goes. No problem with high blood sugar, just trying to eat healthier.
Have just roasted some sunflower and pumpkin seeds for a snack. They also get added to my salads for crunch. I do, however indulge in some dark chocolate - the 65% cocoa kind. Have to have a little choccie to get me through the day.....

[Pavati]

Re: The Sugar Free Challenge - Who is in??

Day one ended in cravings for sweets after dinner but I resisted. Amazing what you can train your brain to do!

I had white rice with dinner - Indian. But not too much. Stayed away from the bread/wheat all day.

Onward.

[IamMary]

Re: The Sugar Free Challenge - Who is in??

Check In - Day 2. (yay)
Interesting about the rapeseed name change [MENTION=18725]NoSugar[/MENTION].

I make these from time to time, my kids all love them.

Ingredients
300g oats
3 tbsp. coconut oil
2 tbsp. honey
½ tbsp. baking powder
2 banana
2 egg whites
125g blueberries

Method
1.Preheat the Oven to 180 degrees.
2.Place the oats into a food processor and blend into a flour like consistency.
3.Pour into a bowl along with the baking powder and stir.
4.Spoon in the coconut oil and using your fingers tips rub together with the oat mix.
5.In a food proccessor or nutribullet add the egg whites,honey and banana and blend until smooth.
6.Pour into the mixing bowl and combine well, the dough will be slightly wet.
7.Stir in the blueberries evenly and prepare a lined baking tray.
8.Using your hands take sections and roll into large ball shapes and place on the tray.
9.Place in the oven for 20 minutes until lightly golden around the edges.

[Pavati]

Re: The Sugar Free Challenge - Who is in??

Feeling hungry heading into Day 3 - it is amazing what I wasn't saying NO to for the last month. Just being a little careful puts it all into perspective.

I also get eczema from time to time. I am curious about connection to food allergy - although when I was tested they didn't find anything. I am wondering if no wheat will help.

Pav

[JackieM]

Re: The Sugar Free Challenge - Who is in??

[MENTION=20929]Ginger999[/MENTION]- I noticed bloat reduction almost immediately when I cut crappy carbs. [MENTION=20191]Pavati[/MENTION]- I think it is really easy to over eat sugar/crappy carbs because of the low nutrient content and what they do to blood sugar/insulin levels. I noticed many times that I was eating something after dinner when I was not remotely hungry. Dunno about the wheat and eczema. I have no allergies but I can say I feel way better not consuming grains.

[Ginger999]

Re: The Sugar Free Challenge - Who is in??

Day 12 here. I can't believe how much better my joints feel. Just a short car ride would make me ache. I'd get out of the car like I was 90 yo!

For me, sugar is evil!

[Ginger999]

Re: The Sugar Free Challenge - Who is in??

Oh the bloat! Almost forgot about that I'm so focused on my joint pain. Definitely improved, JackieM.

[NoSugar]

Re: The Sugar Free Challenge - Who is in??

Thanks for the recipe, [MENTION=22411]IamMary[/MENTION]. I passed it on to my daughter who is eager to make it for her kids.

Day one ended in cravings for sweets after dinner but I resisted.

I like rituals, Pav, and something sweet after dinner each evening feels pretty good. I have a bit of dark chocolate after dinner most of the time. I started at whatever standard dark chocolate is (60%?). It seemed so bitter, one square was enough. As my sensitivity changed, though, I've adjusted upwards on the % chocolate. I could easily eat a whole BAR of 60% now! I usually have a bit of 88% these days but even that is tasting a little too good. One of these days I'll be left with just a square of the 100% dark chocolate that Trader Joe's sells. It is enjoyable in its own way but certainly not because it is sweet!!

Quickly getting rid of belly bloat is why the Hollywood stars go on low carb diets the week before a big ceremony so they look sleek in their designer dresses. At first it is due to water loss due to the lower blood insulin and lower concentrations of sugar and salt in the GI tract (and so less need to retain fluid to dilute it out). Over the longer term, though, one of the main benefits of a low carbage diet takes effect -- a reduction in visceral fat, which is the fat around the abdominal organs. THAT is the fat that causes the metabolic problems and we are really helping ourselves to get rid of mid-section fat. That's not to say I'm thrilled with my butt and thigh fat but at least it isn't doing any actual harm :happy2:.

That is great news about your joints, [MENTION=20929]Ginger999[/MENTION]. You do so much hiking, you need those to be in good working order!! Two fingers on my left hand never fail to inform me that I've goofed up!

Gluten sensitivity (not necessarily celiac disease) is associated with all sorts of non-GI conditions including (but not limited to) skin problems (The Link Between Gluten and Eczema), neuropathies, restless leg, infertility, weak bones, certain mental disorders, and on and on. If I were an MD, I would check every apparent "hypochondriac" or person with non-specific, seemingly incurable complaints for a reaction to gluten. I have so many anecdotal examples of people I know who have decided to try a GF diet and never looked back having finally gotten rid of ongoing issues.

Anyway, it is great to hear that some of you are reaping the benefits of this challenge! Take care, NS

[NoSugar]

Re: The Sugar Free Challenge - Who is in??

How's it going, SFers? I hope you're eating enough quality food (and salt!) to get the maximum energy benefits from this challenge. Giving up sugar and other junk doesn't mean you should deliberately restrict calories. But the good new is that your appetite should go down when these foods that stimulate hunger are avoided and you'll naturally need less food to feel satiated.

I read 2 articles this morning - one made me mad and the other, very sad.

This is about how US food/beverage conglomerates are promoting their nasty products in Asia, resulting in increased diabetes and obesity in populations that rarely experienced these before we butted in in an effort to make $$: Research Details How Junk Food Companies Influence China’s Nutrition Policy - The New York Times

And this is one of the most poignant accounts of the pain of addiction, in this case food addiction, I've ever read: Weight Loss Is a Rock Fight - The Atlantic

[satz123]

Re: The Sugar Free Challenge - Who is in??

After a rocky start on Monday - today is the first day i've felt in control and not eyeing up other people's sweet food.
Yesterday was the hardest - I felt REALLY bad like my head was going to explode and soooo tired. Can only assume I'm detoxing from excess sugar over past month :egad:

Thanks for always being here [MENTION=18725]NoSugar[/MENTION] with really interesting & informative posts :hug:

[IamMary]

Re: The Sugar Free Challenge - Who is in??

Well done you lot.. Im not doing so well yet on this challenge, but I'm not giving up, will keep reading and the penny will drop soon!

[satz123]

Re: The Sugar Free Challenge - Who is in??

Well done you lot.. Im not doing so well yet on this challenge, but I'm not giving up, will keep reading and the penny will drop soon!

With your running I suspect you need the extra calories Mers. You probably wouldn't get enough from 3 meals a day ....?
So the quickest way is with sweet carbs.
To be honest if I didn't load on the weight from sugar I probably would be trying to give up completely ..... just cut back after the Christmas shite is gone. And this will happen automatically anyway. But that's just me. [MENTION=18725]NoSugar[/MENTION] will tell us how bad sugar is on the whole body not just weight. :thumbsup:

[NoSugar]

Re: The Sugar Free Challenge - Who is in??

[MENTION=22411]IamMary[/MENTION], any attempts made are positive, even if you're not 100% on board. This is much more complicated than giving up alcohol because we have to eat so we are required to make choices and sometimes, making the right one is really hard. I was more addicted to alcohol than to sugar but in many ways it was easier to quit because once I decided not to drink it again, I didn't have to have that awful internal debate anymore.

When humans began consuming sugar, it was so rare and expensive, it was used more like a spice than a food. If we still did that, I doubt we'd have all the chronic metabolic diseases that are doing us in. Like most things, the dose matters and in the standard Western diet, the doses consumed are really high (USDA estimate is 150-170#/year or ~3#/week vs 2#/year 200 years ago).

A short video explain the negative metabolic effects of sugar (and comparing sugar to alcohol) is here: WHY Sugar is as Bad as Alcohol (Fructose, The Liver Toxin) - YouTube

A longer one is here: Sugar: The Bitter Truth - YouTube

Once you enter the you tube - sugar is evil rabbit hole, you could go on forever. Bottom line to me is that at the doses we consume it unless we deliberately avoid it, it is toxic to our bodies, is associated with a myriad of "modern" diseases, and in susceptible people, is addictive.

In addition to some direct effects of sugar, the hyperinsulinemia that develops due to sugar intake as well as to frequent consumption of carbohydrates likely is involved in (and may be responsible for) many of these diseases.

Here's a fairly short video: AHS18 Rand Akasheh - The Role of Hyperinsulinemia in Chronic Diseases - YouTube

And here's a longer one: The Root Cause: Links Between Insulin Resistance & Disease ft. Dr. Benjamin Bikman || #96 - YouTube

Most people never have their insulin measured, even those with diagnosed diabetes, and it generally is high before diabetes develops. Furthermore, most people with diabetes or pre-diabetes don't know it (Harrowing read: A true gift from my family: Christmas in the ICU - Chicago Tribune). Given that reducing sugar and other carbage intake is an effective treatment for both and may delay or prevent most of the diseases we dread developing, it is worth it to me to give up the short-term reward.

[satz123]

Re: The Sugar Free Challenge - Who is in??

Great links [MENTION=18725]NoSugar[/MENTION]