All posts tagged Monday Health & Wellness

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A little over a week ago, I stopped eating sugar.

It’s not the first time I’ve done that.  In fact, I’ve gone on and off sugar lots of times over the last few years.  I’d start eating sugar, and like it, and then I’d be stressed so I’d crave it…and I’d eat more and more and more of it.  Then I’d realize what I was doing and decide with firm resolve that I needed to stop eating so much sugar.

This time it didn’t really happen that way.  I was baking with sugar as I was testing recipes for a book (to be released in the fall) about baked goods.  I didn’t really want them most of the time and I just kept thinking, “I probably shouldn’t eat these.”  Worse, I was also baking with white flour again (it’s easy, and the results are yummy).  I decided I just wasn’t going to buy white flour anymore, and I’d have to stick to soaked or sprouted if I wanted to bake anything.

And I just kind of…stopped eating sugar.

Now I don’t crave it much, and I feel better, and I think I might be losing a little weight.  Too bad I just bought some new clothes!

We could all benefit from eating less sugar.  Want to know why?  And more importantly…how?

Is Sugar Bad?

When I first started to go for real food about three years ago, I struggled with thoughts about sugar.  Everyone kept talking about how it was bad.  I didn’t want to believe that something like natural cane sugar could really be bad.  Oh, I totally bought that high-fructose corn syrup was bad, and that artificial sweeteners were bad (more on that in a bit).  But natural sugar?  Surely it had some redeeming value!

Yes and no.

I wanted to believe that because, well, who doesn’t like sugar?  I wanted to feel like it had a place in my diet.  And you know, breastmilk is sweet…we’re programmed to like sweet.  So doesn’t that mean, you know…that sugar really isn’t so bad?

While some natural forms of sugar do have some redeeming value (sucanat, maple syrup, raw honey), and are not bad for you in moderation, sugar as a whole is not a necessary part of the diet.  There are no nutrients in sugar that we require that we cannot get from other sources.  Sugar’s not a critical food, like fruits, vegetables, meat, grains, etc.  It also has the ability to spike our blood sugar and wreak havoc on our endocrine system, so too much is clearly bad.  We could all never consume sugar again and be just fine.

But that’s not really realistic for most people.  It’s just not.  And we don’t need to condemn sugar outright and say that we should really never eat it.  As with all other things, moderation is key.  We don’t need to have dessert after every meal, or even once a day.  We’d all do better to have weeks at a time where we just skip all the sugar as a form of “cleanse.”  But having a treat now and then isn’t going to “ruin” your health.

Let’s talk more about moderation…and how to get there.

What is Moderation?

Since we probably all consume different levels of sugar, we need to talk about what moderation looks like.  For someone who eats SAD (Standard American Diet), where some form of sugar is in everything, the average person is consuming over 150 lbs. of sugar each year.  That is approximately 3/4 cup per day.  This works out to almost 200 grams, if you’re reading package labels.

That’s not moderation.

Dr. Mercola suggests that no one should consume more than 25g per day (which is the equivalent of just under 2 tablespoons).  That’s definitely moderation but may not be realistic for everyone, especially since in Dr. Mercola’s argument, that includes fruit too.  It may be a good goal to aim for if you’re just considering added sugars.  No more than 2 tbsp. of added sugars (including natural ones) per day.

Naturally, some days you won’t consume any sugar, and other days (like holidays), you’ll consume quite a bit more.  I don’t think it’s especially healthy to worry about the occasional splurge and obsess over it, but you should look at weekly totals and make sure, even at splurge times, that your weekly amount is below 175g (that’s 25 x 7).  That’s plenty to have a treat or two, then a couple sugar-free days.  I think this approach is more realistic, especially when you know there are special occasions.  It can also make you feel better everyday rather than an all-or-nothing approach. The fact that you had a chocolate bar today doesn’t ruin your whole approach!

Ways to Cut Down on Sugar

The real crux of the matter: how do you cut down on sugar?  And really, more importantly…how do you handle the cravings?  It’s actually not that difficult to “not eat sugar,” per se; it’s the cravings everyone’s worried about.

First, the early days will be hard.  Sugar is literally like a drug.  It lights up the pleasure centers of our brains and we learn to crave it.  Some claim it is as addicting as cocaine!  For that reason, it’s not just about willpower.  You are not a failure if you continue to crave sugar even after you’ve decided to stop eating it.  It is going to take some time to “get off it” just like breaking any addiction.

There are ways to reduce your cravings, though:

Consume Enough Fat

Many people don’t eat enough fat.  And if you don’t, then you’re left hungry, and you’ll crave sugar.  Add butter to your veggies, make snacks based on coconut oil (there’s a recipe coming later this week), have crispy nuts, have full-fat dairy.  All of these things will steady your blood sugar and help reduce cravings.

Add Fermented Foods

Sometimes sugar cravings mean a systemic candida (yeast) overgrowth.  That yeast needs sugar to live, so you crave it.  Consuming fermented foods can help to balance the body and kill the overgrowth of yeast, reducing sugar cravings.  I have found that make smoothies in the morning with whole fruit and plain yogurt help because of the light, natural sweetness, the fat, and the probiotics in the yogurt.

Don’t Skip Meals

If you’re hungry, you’ll crave sugar.  Have breakfast soon after you get up, a snack whenever you’re hungry, lunch at the usual time, etc.  Make sure you plan enough food!  That’s always my issue — I make the meals, but I don’t make enough, leaving me hungry.  Eating as much as you need of healthy food will not cause weight gain, contrary to what we’ve been told.  The number of calories you eat is mostly irrelevant and you certainly shouldn’t be limiting them.  Eliminating sugar alone is enough for now.

Look for Naturally-Sweet Foods

Whole fruit is a good “sweet” food to consume.  Dried fruits, especially dates, are very sweet.  Anything containing coconut oil or vanilla tends to be on the sweeter side.  Muffins made with low-sugar and whole grains or almond flour are also good (and balanced).  Sometimes people enjoy drinking herbal teas which contain dried fruits, and find these sweet enough without any added sugar.  Don’t overdo it on these, especially initially. It can increase your desire for sweet.  Once you’ve had a few days off the sweet stuff, though, these will taste a lot sweeter than they used to and can satisfy cravings.

Check for Nutrient Deficiencies

Certain nutrient deficiencies can cause a desire for sweet foods.  If this is the case for you, addressing the underlying deficiencies with healthy foods or supplements can help reduce cravings.  A friend shared that the trick for some in her family was vanadium.  For others, vitamin D deficiency may be at the root.  You can get a blood test to see if you are deficient in anything and try supplementing if needed.  If you’ve tried everything else and the sweet cravings keep coming, check into this.

I Need a Treat!

Here are some nice treats you can have, even on a sugar-free diet:

• Fresh, whole fruit
• Dried fruits, especially dates (make sure you get them unsulphured)
• Dark chocolate (as little sugar as you can manage)
• Coconut (sweeten at home with a little honey if needed)
• Yogurt or kefir popsicles
• Fresh strawberry-limeade
• Herbal tea (with a small amount of honey, if desired)

What other treats do you enjoy?

Artificial Sweeteners

Now, I know there are some of you out there who may be newer to real food who are saying, “Come on now, the answer’s obvious.  Just switch the real stuff out for the fake stuff.  All the sweet taste with none of the calories.”

I hate to burst your bubble…but nothing in life is free.  Those artificial sweeteners aren’t doing you any favors.

Splenda’s made from chlorine and has been linked to all kinds of health problems, including weight gain, reduction in healthy gut flora, reduction in absorption of medications, migraines, dizziness, diarrhea, muscle aches, headaches, intestinal cramping, stomach pain, and more.  Yikes.  Even if you don’t personally have these reactions, that does not mean that Splenda is safe.  You may be unaware of the damage it is doing.  Some scientists say that Splenda actually has more in common, on a molecular level, with chlorocarbons (which are pesticides) than food!  Skip it.

Aspartame is not any better.  It has been linked to headaches, migraines, dizziness, seizures, nausea, muscle spasms, weight gain, depression, fatigue, irritability, and even death.  And a lot more, actually.  Mercola calls it “the most dangerous substance added to food.”  Skip this one too!

Saccharin’s not either. Some studies have linked it to cancer, although these studies have been criticized.  Although it’s the longest-used sweetener, it too, is probably better skipped.

What about agave?  There’s been a lot of confusion about this.  Some in the real-food-world use agave nectar or agave syrup still.  I used it myself three years ago and was thrilled to discover a “natural” sweetener!  Sadly, agave is not what it appears to be.  The sap from the agave plant is not sweet whatsoever.  It is used to make tequila.  In order to make it sweet, it must be boiled for a long time, or be treated with enzymes to break down the complex sugars.  Experts now compare the process to the one used to make high fructose corn syrup.  This one is better skipped.

Then there’s stevia.  Some lump it in with the other artificial sweeteners, although technically it is not.  Stevia is an herb.  You can grow it in your own backyard, if you choose, and use the leaves to sweeten your foods.  The problem is that it is so much sweeter than sugar that manufacturers process it and mix other substances in with it so that it can be “used like sugar.”  Stevia extract is probably the safest, and you may consider trying to make your own extract at home with fresh stevia leaves.  Failing that, unrefined stevia powder (which is green) is a good choice.  Other forms of stevia, especially patented brand-names made with only parts of the stevia plant are not so safe.

The Challenge

Are you with me?  Are you convinced that you need to cut down on the sugar?

Here are some options for you, over the next two weeks:

• Reduce sugar to 25g of added sugars per day (and that includes sugars in ketchup or other products!)
• Eliminate refined sugars, but keep some honey, maple syrup, and sucanat
• Eliminate all sugars, and keep fruit and other naturally-sweet foods in moderation

What are you up for?  Let me know in the comments section!

Over the next two weeks, I’ll have a few more articles for you on balancing blood sugar, a sweet treat you can have, healthier gluten-free (and low-sugar) baking, how to replace some of the common processed sugar culprits (like ketchup) and more.

I’ll be curious to see how you do!  Please come back and share your progress with all of us.

Are you ready to cut the sugar?  What’s your best tip?