Day 1
Sugar's ill effects on health is no news to me. I have been aware of it since my childhood. I have learnt about it in depth in naturopathic college, as a matter of fact even my biochemistry professor in medical school have ingrained it in us that sugar is detrimental to health.
Yet, for reasons known and some unknown I have had periods in my life when I have been eating more sugar than what I would call healthy levels. I don't add sugar to any foods or drinks, I don't even have sugar in the cupboard, but there are days when I have chocolate, ice cream, cake or pastries.
Having attended a webinar on Insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome not too long ago, then reading about "dr. Lustig's "Sugar, The Bitter Truth" video, and most recently having had a family member diagnosed with diabetes I have reached my tipping point.
Today was day one of "My sweet life without sugar".
I am planning to log. blog my experiences, good or bad, primarily for my own education and self observation. If anybody else learns from it, that's just "icing on the cake". Wait a minute... that's sugar, which is bad... but it would sound odd if I said: "nuts on the salad"... which I have just about every day, and the truth is, that I enjoy it more than icing on the cake.
I will get into details about sugar and it's effects on cells, tissues, organs, body systems later. For now, I am just observing that my first day without sugar was a good day. I had no cravings. I was quite emotional which may have been partially related to not having any sugar, although I can't prove that and I have a few other reasons that may have provided sufficient reason to feel kind of blue.
Let's hope my liver is grateful for not having to process any sugar and I will have a good restful sleep tonight.
Very encouraging. I am trying to avoid sugar as well. On the other hand, I understand that even other sweeteners than table sugar, like corn syrup and agave syrup have negative effects, since they have a high fructose content. What is your opinion about that?
ReplyDeleteThank you for you comments and questions Zoli. I will get into detail about high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and agave syrup in my next post. In a nutshell: HFCS seems to be the biggest culprit of all the sugars, while information about agave syrup is conflicting. I happen to be of the opinion that getting away from very sweet tasting foods is helpful in breaking the addiction to sugar. I know that addiction is a strong word, but sugar is an addictive substance. So from that perspective I believe one is safer to stay away from even agave syrup, as most of it found on the market is not likely to be what the manufacturers would like us to believe.
DeleteGood for you that you are reducing your carbohydrate intake. In my opinion carbohydrates high in fibre in their natural state in vegetables and fruits are useful nutrients. Moderation is key in this area as well. Stay tuned for the post about HFCS and agave syrup. Thanks for reading my blog!
In fact I am trying to reduce my intake of carbohydrates even in other forms than sugar...
ReplyDeleteVery informative! I look forward to your investigations.
ReplyDeleteThank you! Stay tuned.
DeleteFascinating! I, too, am eliminating as much sugar as possible after reading "Body Ecology". I've gone from too much sugar, being fearful of sugar, embracing sugar and making it my friend, to finally putting it where it feels comfortable for me. Kind of a "sugar" journey. :) Congrats on this new blog, and I'll be lurking!
ReplyDeleteThanks Dianne! Congratulations on your sugar journey. I am not trying to instil fear in anybody. It is my own journey, where I have reached a point (as I referred to it, a tipping point) where I decided that I love myself and love my body enough to give it what I think is best for it (and best for ME) and to (further) decrease items in my daily food intake that are not part of our natural diet. Humans are the only species that decided to consume large quantities of substances that were not meant for our consumption. That is because we are sentient beings. :)
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