Sugar

[TheSongsofDistantEarth]

I am about to embark on a dietary change to eliminate sugar in all it's forms. Does anyone here a.) have any view or opinion on this b.) not eat sugar at all, why, and what health differences have you noticed? I am talking about avoiding it entirely, not just cutting back or allowing incidental amounts. I really would like to know what different health practitioners and cultivators here do. I can imagine that it takes a great deal of commitment, as sugar is a stealth ingredient in so many things.

 

I'm very curious as to how much sugar people here eat. (I wanted to do a poll on this topic, but couldn't figure out how).

[Aetherous]

It's very possible. I did it once a few years ago. The beginning is tough (withdrawal for a few days to a couple weeks) then gradually you feel better.

 

Are you also talking about natural sugars, like in an apple, for instance? That would be challenging! What would you be able to eat, besides meats?

[trailmaker]

Right, anything you can't burn off fast is questionable - Love the sugar in my morning tea, but have it

black (or green or red) unsweetened rest of the day. Don't cook with much, either. Excess to be avoided...

 

A lady dietitian back in the 50/60s, Adele Davis, was keen on the different

sugar sources for different times of day, she made sense, and still does.

[TheSongsofDistantEarth]

[Mal]

moved into discussion.

[Ya Mu]

I am about to embark on a dietary change to eliminate sugar in all it's forms. Does anyone here a.) have any view or opinion on this b.) not eat sugar at all, why, and what health differences have you noticed? I am talking about avoiding it entirely, not just cutting back or allowing incidental amounts. I really would like to know what different health practitioners and cultivators here do. I can imagine that it takes a great deal of commitment, as sugar is a stealth ingredient in so many things.

 

I'm very curious as to how much sugar people here eat. (I wanted to do a poll on this topic, but couldn't figure out how).

Very difficult to entirely avoid but I agree it is BAD STUFF. You get natural sugars from many foods so I would approach it as no added sugar. Read the ingredients on cans if you buy foods in grocery store. Most things have it added.

[Herodes]

[Herodes]

[devoid]

I am about to embark on a dietary change to eliminate sugar in all it's forms. Does anyone here a.) have any view or opinion on this b.) not eat sugar at all, why, and what health differences have you noticed? I am talking about avoiding it entirely, not just cutting back or allowing incidental amounts. I really would like to know what different health practitioners and cultivators here do. I can imagine that it takes a great deal of commitment, as sugar is a stealth ingredient in so many things.

 

I'm very curious as to how much sugar people here eat. (I wanted to do a poll on this topic, but couldn't figure out how).

 

I have pretty much stayed off sugar for a year by now (not counting natural sugars, including natural honey). As a consequence, this is the first year in about 20 where I have managed to get through spring without sneezing myself to pieces - and this in spite of also having stopped taking antihistamines completely which used to provide quite some relief!

 

I generally cook my own food and so it is fairly easy to stay off it - this said, I am not fanatic about it; I may eat something containing sugar (like have and ice cream or a glass of soda) once in a while (say, once or twice a month) - however, if I do, I can be sure to feel my nose itching and my eyes getting runny as soon as there is pollen in the air for the next few days following that.

 

Since then, on the rare occasion where I overdo the sugar, I can feel it in my spleen and the controlling nerves under the lower part of my left shoulder blade.

 

By now, I can't think of ever starting consuming much sugar again...

 

A final note from my experience: Sugar from sugar cane is the most benevolent of sugars, refined sugar beet somewhat worse and sugar from corn starch and similar the worst of industrials sugars.

 

Good luck with the diet! Remember to start out at a pace you can follow rather than going cold turkey for a fortnight and then back into the old habits

[idquest]

I am about to embark on a dietary change to eliminate sugar in all it's forms. Does anyone here a.) have any view or opinion on this b.) not eat sugar at all, why, and what health differences have you noticed? I am talking about avoiding it entirely, not just cutting back or allowing incidental amounts. I really would like to know what different health practitioners and cultivators here do. I can imagine that it takes a great deal of commitment, as sugar is a stealth ingredient in so many things.

 

I'm very curious as to how much sugar people here eat. (I wanted to do a poll on this topic, but couldn't figure out how).

Depends on how you define sugar. Many people distinguish between cane/beet refined sugar and fruit claiming that eating fruit is not bad at all.

 

My personal experience is that sugars found in fruit (fructose) have the same detrimental effect on body systems as white cristalls sold as sugar/added in processed food. Fruit could be tasty but they are harmful, no doubt about that (at least those fruit grown in modern agricultural factories that you can't even call gardens).

[suninmyeyes]

Hi Songs,

Ive been sugar free for about 3 years now.Just sweet from natural fruits,no added sweeteners and stuff.And its worth it as i feel sugar initially gives a buzz but actually it depelates the system.

Personal differences ive noticed is lack of irritability and lack of tierdness.

[TheSongsofDistantEarth]

Depends on how you define sugar. Many people distinguish between cane/beet refined sugar and fruit claiming that eating fruit is not bad at all.

 

My personal experience is that sugars found in fruit (fructose) have the same detrimental effect on body systems as white cristalls sold as sugar/added in processed food. Fruit could be tasty but they are harmful, no doubt about that (at least those fruit grown in modern agricultural factories that you can't even call gardens).

 

Wow. Well, I am hoping to to still be able to eat fruit, but will cut it out if I must. I need to eradicate a bacterial infection from a joint completely, and it must stay away once I stop the antibiotics. Very high stakes if it remains or comes back. I'll do what it takes.

[C T]

I need to eradicate a bacterial infection from a joint completely, and it must stay away once I stop the antibiotics.

Hi Mr Songs - quite curious to know what caused this to happen? Might be helpful if you could share some info around this predicament of yours. I have never heard of bacterial joint infection. Was it due to negligence of minor sprains that led to acute inflammation and subsequently infection? Any insights would be appreciated... I play competitive badminton regularly, which puts hefty demands on the wrists and ankles, and do experience quite a bit of battering to these parts at times - in fact sprains are quite the norm. Usually i just heal myself thru intense visualization, and would resume playing after a day or two. As age is catching up, there is a feeling that perhaps i ought to know more about potential hazards that may not be as easy to overcome, hence the question. Thanks in advance! (I realize this has no direct bearing on your topic -sorry!)

 

Wish you the very best in tackling and healing this rather serious-sounding condition.

[idquest]

Wow. Well, I am hoping to to still be able to eat fruit, but will cut it out if I must. I need to eradicate a bacterial infection from a joint completely, and it must stay away once I stop the antibiotics. Very high stakes if it remains or comes back. I'll do what it takes.

Considering your conditions, I'd suggest paying attention not only to fruit but to some veges as well. After a while you will notice that there is a lot of sugar in carrot, bell pepper, tomato, some sorts of potato. Unfortunately, producers keep making the produce sweeter and sweeter catering to the average Joe's tastes.

[~jK~]

[宁]

starch

 

that's the word

[gendao]

I am about to embark on a dietary change to eliminate sugar in all it's forms. Does anyone here a.) have any view or opinion on this b.) not eat sugar at all, why, and what health differences have you noticed? I am talking about avoiding it entirely, not just cutting back or allowing incidental amounts.

This is more important in childhood, but if you can avoid sweets then, you can entirely prevent any cavities!

 

My friend is past his mid-20s already and does not even have a SINGLE cavity. This is because his parents simply forbade him from eating any candy or packaged sweets as a kid!

 

But for the rest of us, sweets typically start a downward dental cycle that starts with cavities & can progress to root canals, crowns, loss of teeth and worsening general health as a result. All at the cost of thousands of dollars. And the more your dental health slowly deteriorates, the fewer healthy options you are left with to "fix" them. It just becomes a no-win game of choosing the lesser of evils...

 

And yet this all could have been easily prevented had you just avoided sweets as a kid! Dr. Weston Price found that DIET is actually the key to dental health. Namely, avoiding sugar & white flour.

 

Which actually form the BASIS of our SAD (Standard American Diet).

Edited June 10, 2010 by vortex

[Encephalon]

[NeiChuan]

Generally feel better. Although if you drink so much as one soda it hits you hard, if back when I was addicted to sugar 4 energy drinks.

 

Sorta stoned feeling.

[That Guy]

Well, I had got off sugar (more or less), but other people at home haven't, so they buy chocolate. And last night there was nothing easy to eat, I was tired and it was late so I had a Mars bar and a Bounty. Tasted good at the time, but had nightmarish dreams and not feeling as groovy as usual this morning. Is that related to the chocolate? maybe

[Ya Mu]

[That Guy]

Prolly not the chocolate, but other ingredients...?

 

Milk Chocolate, (Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Chocolate, Lactose, Skim Milk, Milkfat, Soy Lechithin, Artificial Flavor), Almonds, Corn Syrup, Sugar, Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Skim Milk, Less than 2% - Butter, Milkfat, Lactose, Salt, Egg-Whites, Soy Protein, Artifical Flavor

http://www.oregonl5.org/mist/marsbar.html

yeah I meant chocolate as the whole bar itself, not the chocolate ingredient in it, I guess I should be more specific

[sasblamthanb]

[EagleShen]

I was refined sugar free for a couple of years, tough but awesome, these days i eat very little, but now and then binge and regret it. It upsets the chemical balance in your body that's for sure.

 

Regarding the fruit thing, i actually quite disagree that the sugars are as bad for you on a general health level, the reason being they are contained in a whole environment. One of the primary effects of refined sugar (aside from your body mistaking it for adrenaline) is that the sugars try to return to a more complex 'complete' state by stripping iron and calcium from your body. Most naturally occurring high sugar foods are high in these minerals, eg fruit, sugar cane, etc.. That said, some medical conditions are effected by particular forms of sugar regardless of whether they are refined or not.

 

And being a Taoist forum, it's good to consider it from a 5 elements perspective. As i understand it sugar during summer is especially bad as it over stimulates the heart, but in moderate doses during winter it can be good for warming the organs, especially if one is prone to yin conditions, like feeling cold.

 

Personally i think refined sugar is one of the most addictive and evil drugs we've created, subtle enough to be consumed everyday but ridiculously addictive and profoundly dulls the mind/body connection.

[Non]

Well I dont think sugars are evil... you just might have to stay away from the high glycemic index foods as possible, and keep the sugars (not carbs) as low as possible, if any like I said before it should be low glycemic index. We are all supposed to consume carbs, I dont know how much is best, but surely, if you look at the label you can see how many of the carbs you are eating is sugar.

 

High glycemic index foods will give you that sugar high, which will also give you a low feeling afterwards, and perhaps give you cravings for more as it may also eat up leptin a hormone in the body that controls appetite and curbs hunger, can give you a 'satisfied' feeling. High fructose corn syrup not only eats up leptin more also never shuts off gherin, which gives you the hungry feeling. when too much fructose builds up in the liver (as it does in the consumption of HFCS) it starts turning the fructose into fats, especially when your liver is already low in sugars.