Stop SUGAR Support Thread
Comments
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Regarding processed foods: If it comes in a box, it's probably processed! Eating whole fresh foods is the way to go, and if you can eat your fruits and veggies raw, even better.
We have cut out all white from our diet..pasta, potatoes, rice, flour, sugar, etc. If you do this diligently, the pounds will melt away and you will hardly know it happened. I got on the scale one day and had lost 7 pounds! I had no idea how many empty calories I was consuming. I really don't miss the bread or pasta at all. Brown rice is ok to have, and there are pastas that are whole wheat, or gluten free, that taste just like regular pasta. Sweet potatoes are a much better option than white.
Meal planning is a breeze...some fish, chicken, a nice salad, and some veggies, and you're done! You can get fancy if you have a vitamix blender and make raw soups, and if you have a juicer, you can make great fruit and vegetable juices that are detoxing and taste wonderful.
For a snack if you feel hungry, an apple and some nuts work just fine.
I think the key is to change our thinking to view food as nutrition, and not something that is needed as a stimulation activity. Although we cheat now and then, we will never go back to our old way of eating.
Hope this helps.
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This link contains information about agave that seems to make sense:
http://www.livestrong.com/article/398007-agave-nectar-benefits/
It does score around 30 on the GI where sugar is around 60. That's because it has a high percentage of fructose, which comes in at 14. And supposedly it's a bit sweeter than sugar, so you may use less. But most of the agave sold in the US is highly processed.
"According to MayoClinic.com, the vitamin and mineral content is essentially the same as honey or sugar. Using agave syrup instead of honey or sugar may ultimately come down to a matter of personal preference rather than increased health benefits. Like other high-calorie sweeteners, agave nectar may contribute to weight gain or elevated triglyceride levels if you use it in excess, MayoClinic.com notes."
Like everything else, moderation is the key.
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I like your point about viewing food as nutrition and not something else. Without actually verbalizing it, that is one thing I have been working on. Another good point of Michelle's is portion size is very important. The third thing that has been helping me is to move on if I eat something not quite healthy, not beat myself up about it and then have even more. I have also read to look at is as a health plan to get healthy not as a diet to lose weight, so that you don't just give up if you go off the wagon, you just climb right back on. I am hoping it's a life long change for me. And that it's a long life too. LOL
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I just had to chime in with a quick comment. Took a break from stopping sugar over the holidays. The FRUSTRATING thing is that instead of being satisfied and happy enjoying my treats, my body continually craved MORE MORE MORE. So I felt UNsatisfied all the time,and was putting something in my mouth every time I walked past the kitchen (which is especially bad since I work at home!).So after New Year's all leftover Christmas cookies and junk went into the trash. A week sugar free and I feel FANTASTIC. Cravings gone.WHY is it so hard to enjoy in moderation? Instead of enjoying an occasional treat, it seems to set off a chain reaction and put me in a terrible place of cravings, bloating, etc. Anyone else feel this way?
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I found the same problem when I broke down over the holidays with chocolates.Made sure they were gone after the holidays and now I am back to normal again.
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I think we have to view sugar as a very addicting substance, same as alcohol and drugs. Some have a higher tolerance for it than others. If you know you can't resist the temptation to have more and more, then it is best to eliminate it completely from your diet. I know I can have a small piece of dark chocolate each day, but that would not be enough for me, so I pass!
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I have been reading the thread, and really appreciate the research you've all done. Has anyone tried stevia as a sugar substitute? Any thoughts?
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SAB: I've tried it and have been told that it's safe to use, but I try not to use it too much because it can create cravings for sugar treats that we aren't supposed to have. I might use it to sweeten a smoothie or tea, but don't know about using it in bulk for baking and such.
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I tried Truvia - a stevia derivative, and didn't like it in my coffee. I do like the Trop50 line of juices which uses Truvia as a sweetener. Many people use stevia, I'm sure it's fine.
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Oh, women. I'm a sugar JUNKIE. I cannot get away from it. I am like Kaara...can't do even a little bit, but man, I just can't seem to do it. I sit on the couch at night and think of what I could find sugary in the kitchen. ugh. I tried to cut out just candy, but didn't even make it through January. I cut alcohol out and that was no biggie. This just feels pretty impossible.
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profbee: Can you try substituting some dried fruit like cranberries or dates for the sweet treat? I realize they still have sugar, but it's natural at least and not loaded with additives. I'm happy now with a couple of dried apricots and some nuts which gives me just enough to make me think I'm not being deprived.
My DD who is fifty was hooked on gummy bears...ugh! Anyway, she gave them up, but then I caught her eating my DGS's gummy bear vitamins...please! Now that's an addiction!
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One of my daughter's middle school class mates was taken to the ER to get their stomach pumped for eating a whole bottle of gummy bear vitamins. I do eat a lot of fruit. Now that I am not eating much sugar, the fruit really tastes very sweet and delicious to me. I do eat some sugary desserts once in a while, but only small portions. I did completely cut it out for a couple of months and that seems to have been enough for me to just eat it in moderation. Knock on wood. I used to be a diet coke aholic, but completely quit that back in March. I had read as someone else here said that that makes you crave really sweet things, so maybe that was what really helped me. Not sure if you're using any artificial sweeteners, but maybe cutting back on those would help with the sweet cravings.
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Hi ladies. This is a topic close to my heart! i LOVE my chocolate and sweets in general. THere is nothing more satisfying than a cup of tea with cookies after lunch/dinner OR a brownie with milk while watching television at night. I ACTUALLY LOOK FORWARD TO MY LITTLE SNACKS! However, being a breast cancer survivor with my finger on constantly trying to keep this thing at bay, I try to eat less sugar. I do not experience what some of you experience - that NOT eating any sugar makes you crave it less. It is the opposite for me. If i do not eat sugar for a long time, then i BINGE when I am around sweets - this is probably WORSE for me than eating sweets once in awhile in moderation. I also feel that going through breast cancer was difficult and I deserve what makes me happy - in small amounts, of course! Life is precious - as we all know - and to deprive myself of sweets for the rest of my life makes me sad. So I have come to terms with my cravings for sweets - I give myself the "gift" of sweets once in awhile simply because it is FUN, brings me happiness, and I deserve it!
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One more question...since you are all so smart! I went for dinner with my hubby and we bought a bottle of iced tea. I looked at the label, and it said that there were 56 grams of sugar! This translates to about 14 teaspoons of sugar!! I have learned that 4 grams of sugar equals 1 teaspoon. Could this be? How could a drink have 14 teaspoons of sugar? It would be undrinkable at that level!! ARe my calculations correct?? It was a SMALL bottle of iced tea! I would appreciate any input.
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WOW...that's a lot of sugar! I think if you check the labels on these sweet drinks you will find that most of them contain large amounts of sugar...more than needed...so we don't drink them anymore, we make our own. Even the green goddess drinks in the health food dept. are too much sugar.
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That's probably about right for that bottle of sweet tea. I like homemade brewed iced tea with no sweetener, just a little lemon wedge. I don't even like the "diet" teas because they are just way too sweet.
Godlistens - I ate almost no sweets for more than 9 years because I am diabetic. I maintained very good control by really limiting all carbs. Then I got BC and after having gone through treatment (the whole works) I have decided that life is too short to never eat a piece of apple pie or a muffin or chocolate cake. I just do it in moderation and it has to taste really good or I don't eat it. Ice cream cones got me through chemo last summer. There were nights when I didn't feel like eating much of anything, but a "kiddie" cone of my favorite flavor always hit the spot. There are at least half a dozen ice cream stands within 5 miles of our house. It's going to be dangerous this summer!
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Michelle, you wrote: << I have decided that life is too short to never eat a piece of apple pie or a muffin or chocolate cake.>>
And I just wanted to say amen to that
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I have decided the same. I used to be addicted to sugar seemingly. I could not stop at one piece of cake or a couple cookies. I don't have to do that any more. I credit it to stopping diet coke. I used to drink several of those a day. I think that made me crave sweets. I feel so normal now being able to be moderate with sweets. I think I would also crave it too much if I completely gave it up and might start binging again. We're all different though.
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The artificial sweetners are bad for setting up cravings because they taste just like sugar and the body doesn't know the difference, so stopping diet sodas is a good way to eliminate that. I don't eat that many sweets now mainly because I know that every time I put a bite of refined sugar in my mouth, I am inviting cancer in for a visit and a possible long term stay. Not worth it to me.
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Michelle, I am glad that you gave yourself what you needed - the ice cream cones - while you were going through chemo. In my opinion, people who are going through the cancer ordeal should have whatever they want!
Unfortunately, no one knows what brings breast cancer on. There are theories about sugar, and soy, and flaxseed....etc. etc. etc....
. What frustrates me is all the conflicting information out there. I have done so much reading since I was diagnosed, and I actually do not know what is true and what is false at this point. In addition, I have known many people who ate healthy, exercised and really PAID ATTENTION to their health, and still got breast cancer. I also know many people who do not give a damn what they eat, do not exercise, and never had cancer. My great grandfather had a drink and smoked every day, and lived to be 94 with no cancer. He died of natural causes. So, I am not 100% convinced that the onset of breast cancer can be controlled. However, I will continue to try to eat as best I can, decipher what I read and make sound decisions, and exercise when I can. But I will not deprive myself of the food which makes me happy once in awhile - life is short - and I am not sure that a few cookies here and there is going to make much of a difference!!
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Hello, Ladies.....
Just finished reading all the great posts here!
Am I a sugar-holic? You bet! Even after I was diagnosed with BC, I managed to finish off two Costco bags of Halloween candy! I could imagine the cancer growing with each bite I took, but oooh, all that chocolate was SO comforting!
Now I am going to do something drastic. Kaiser has a Weight Management Program that lasts for 82 weeks. The first 16 weeks (four months) consist of meal replacements in the form of shakes, soups, and bars. That comes to 960 calories a day, and each day has the full nutrition you need. It is carefully supervised and monitored by physicians and nurses, and you have to get regular labwork and EKGs.
Diets have never worked for me. Weight Watchers is wonderful but I don't have the discipline. I need to lose 40 pounds before my exchange surgery, because otherwise my implants will look too big if I decide to lose the weight after exchange.
I was fortunate - I didn't need chemo or rads. So I look at this simply as part of my breast cancer treatment. I want to use those first 16 weeks as kind of a "food detox" (getting rid of the white flour, white sugar, etc) so that when I start back on regular meals, it will be more of an Anti-Cancer diet.
Many people tried to tell me that this was not a healthy way to lose weight. But when I told my Oncologist about it, she was thrilled. She said "Forget the drugs (Arimidex) for now. The absolute best thing you can do for your overall health - AND your breast cancer (ER+) - is to get rid of this excess weight." I thought that was a pretty good endorsement. So I start on March 14th!!!!
We already eat fairly healthy - DH has kidney disease, and I have other health issues that make it necessary for us to scrutinize every single thing that goes in our shopping cart. Aspartame brings on migraine symptoms, as do any foods with nitrites or nitrates. We eat lots of veggies, but our downfall has been snacking - especially at night after dinner.
We recently bought a VitaMix blender at Costco. The demonstrator made the most amazing smoothies and sorbets....from whole fruits and veggies! Even making juice, you use the whole fruit, and retain all the pulp and fiber.
Right now, I make a big smoothie for breakfast - a cup of water, half a cup of frozen organic blueberries, a small tub of organic Greek yogurt, sometimes half a banana, and a scoop of whey protein powder. It fills a 32 oz. glass, and keeps me full until way after lunchtime. I can also add any other veggies I want to get my daily allowance. The blender is so fast it just pulverizes anything you put in it, and makes it completely smooth, without losing any of the fiber that slows down the blood sugar spikes you might get from the carbs.
I am loving all the suggestions I'm reading here....I'll be able to try them while I'm "in training" for this weight management program. I want to start now eliminating the bad stuff from my diet, and - this is hard - I will have to drink a gallon of water a day. I'm in training for that, too!
Thanks to all who keep posting with great suggestions!
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Blessings2011: That is so great! You might find that you don't need to do that special diet program after you've been off the white stuff and sugar, although I know it's for a quick weight loss to prepare you for surgery. Excess weight, especially around the middle' drives estrogen dominant cancer, so the more we can get rid of the better. I lost weight in places I never have before. As far as I'm concerned, this is a program that I want to be on for the rest of my life.
The soup I made today in my Vita Mix blender was so rich and creamy you would have thought it was loaded with half and half, but it was all vegetables, chicken stock, and seasonings. My boyfriend couldn't believe I didn't put cream in it. That and a big green salad and we were stuffed!
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Kaara...what all was in the soup? I use a Blend tec, but always searching for new recipes. It seems I fell off the proverbial vegan clean eating wagon for awhile. For about 2 years following my diagnosis, I was super clean...felt great, in shape..lots of energy etc. Then I slowly "allowed" myself treats...Christmas cookies, a chocolate shake with my kiddos...but I feel the difference!!! My system is a little sluggish, and hot flashes are driving me nuts. I think its time to get rid of the sugar again. Ugh, quitting is so hard!!! I need to win the lottery, I want one of those professional vegan chefs!!!
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Thanks, Kaara.....
Would love your soup recipe!
(Or is it over on the VitaMix thread?)
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Blessings: Not sure I'll check and post there if it is not.
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Great hread, so much info. LuvRVing, that is the way I eat salad dressing and butter, just a bit on fork and I eat so much less. Never thought about it for sugar.
The agave I thought was better because the glycemic index had it so very low compared to other sugars. Not worried about calories so much as feeding cancer cells. Don't completely understand.
I was wanting candy and everything and then I tried tapping, search online for EFT tapping cancer or compulsive eating or chocolate. I did it a few times and it works for a long time. Seems I am a natural. hahaha. My kinesiology test eveen showed I could make ccandies from > 70% dark chocolate aand agave but I haven't even wanted to so far. so something worked somewhere because I ate sweets every single night. Whether I enjoyed them or not.
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I found my peeps! Yay, lol!
When I got diagnosed Jan 6, I spent the weekend of Jan 7/8 weaning off my 40 plus year Dr Pepper habit and then practically had a funeral service for mt last case. I ended up giving it to my neighbors, and I told them don't be surprised if you hear me playing taps on my piccolo later....so sad to give it up, but sugar, corn syrup, caffeiene...had to go. I am a vegertarian but a self avowed junk food vegetarian. I'd rather have oreos than fruit and cake over veggies. But.....gave it all up. I have no genetic history of cancer in my family so I thought I'd try diet even though my siblings and parents have a crappy sugar diet and they're all fine. Hmph.
But now I'm doing tha agave nectar thing and the green tea (I still only taste hot water) and fruits and vegetables and whole wheat pastas and only organic of everything even cheese.
Oh! I did discover Throat Coat. It's an herbal tea which usually has no taste for me - however this one has licorice root in it, and I just let 2 bags steep for 20 min with another cup covering the mug with the tea brewing. If you try real hard, it kinda has the after flavor of Good N Plenty candies! Not a subsitute but I almost feel like I ate some candy just now! Hee. Also - has anyone tried the food flavored sugar free gums? Dentene has this Apple and Cinnamon one I tried and it's yummy. I'm not a fan of any of the sugar substitues but I only have to chew on this not even 5 minutes and my sugar craving is gone. And overall my desire for sweets has lessened in the last couple weeks. But there is a whole line of flavors with the gum, so it might be an idea just to try and see if it works for you. And gum is cheap too
Cheri
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Welcome, Cheri! This thread has been kind of quiet but every now and then someone pops back in. Congrats on kicking the soft drink habit. The artificial sweeteners don't bother me, so I still drink Diet Coke and Sprite Zero, but not nearly as much as I did pre-BC.
Interesting about food-flavored gum. I rarely chew gum so I hadn't noticed so many new options.
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I want to postulate something about sugar and breast cancer.
Ask yourself WHERE you get your sugar? Is it table sugar being added to food you cooked at home? Maybe a little. Home-baked items, from scratch? Maybe some.
My theory is that the reason they have linked sugar to BC is because most people get sugar from: processed food and soft drinks, which all contain a TON of other chemicals, preservatives, coloring agents, artificial flavors, stabilizers, chemicals from processing and packaging, etc.
I'm guessing there's more to it than just "sugar".
That said, I eat very little sugar. Always have. I eat even less after finding out I was pre-diabetic a few years ago. And I still got BC.
If you want to ditch the sugar, do it for the zillion reasons you should...weight loss, avoiding diabetes, preventing tooth decay (especially for those of you who drink sodas, even diet sodas which are terrible for your teeth!), avoiding candida infections, keeping your energy levels on a more even keel. Lots of reasons to at least cut back on sugar. But I'm still dubious about the breast cancer connection.
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Quaatsi, I pretty much use whole grains, like brown rice or quinoa for the starch part of a meal, then veggies and a protein. Most meals like that do not have anything highly processed in them, but from one point of view even olive oil is a processed food of course.
Today my lunch was a tomato salad, cut a tomato, parsley and onion, dress with vinegar and olive oil, a tin of sardines in olive oil topped with fresh onion and garlic and a slice of quiche left over from yesterday. The crust for the quiche was made with whole grain rye flour, olive oil and an egg, the filling had spinach, goat cheese, eggs and goat kefir as well as onion and garlic.
For your cream of wheat, try putting cinnamon on it instead of sugar. That is what I do on oatmeal and it works for me. The cinnamon sort of tastes sweet and because it is associated with sweet things it sort of tricks you into thinking you are eating something sweet.
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