Why do people give up sugar?

[Byrdie]

I am honestly just curious... I just don't really understand. Does it mean you can't have fruit? Or is it processed sugar only? Does that mean honey is ok? Do peope give processed sugar up because they are addicted? What's the difference between sugar that's processed and other 'sugars'?

Because it's bad for you and addictive! Fruit is ok because, as I understand it, the fibre in fruit makes it harder work for the body to access the sugars, so it doesn't give you that instant sugar hit which sets off the insulin response. But eating loads of fruit every day would still probably be more sugar than you need. Honey is just as bad as sugar except that it pure unfiltered honey does have other nutritional benefits. But I expect you can probably get those through other foods which are not mostly sugar!

There are plenty of books around atm which explain the science of what sugar does to your body. I am trying to cut out sugar (again) atm, but once you've fallen off the wagon it's very hard to get back on. It truly is addictive!

Here you go. .. www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/aug/24/robert-lustig-sugar-poison

it depends. Some people give up all kinds of sugar, including fruit and honey, temporarily because it's a pretty effective way to lose weight, especially in conjunction with cutting right back on other carb-heavy foods like bread and wheat based foods, rice, pasta and potatoes.

Some people just give up processed sugars and ready made foods that contain processed sugars because they offer little to nothing in nutritional value but because they are so easily and quickly digested and they hit your blood stream very quickly and have your blood sugar levels swinging about all over the place. If this continues unchecked for years it leads to diabetes.

If you are not trying to control your weight or lose weight and you need lots of energy-dense food it's better to get it from from high carb foods that do offer something nutritionally useful such as sweet potatoes, brown rice, bananas and other fruit etc)

It's easy to become addicted to high-sugar foods and they trick your body into thinking it's always hungry when it's not. As well as the link to diabetes it can also cause bloating, headaches, lethargy, mood swings, inability to concentrate etc.

Doesn't cutting out sugar make you diabetic? Something about the body forgetting how to process sugar? I watched that documentary with the two twin doctors - one ate only sugar and other just fat and the one who had been on the sugar only diet was much better off at the end of the month than the one who had been on just fat. He was almost diabetic from not having sugar!

I can't say that i've ever felt a particular addiction to food - but my brother canmt have chocolate or sweets in his house as he'll eat all of it as he just can't stop himself. My kids are looking a little like they are a little more like him so am wondering if i should try cutting it out or if it's not reallt safe to for the kids - who don't eat much but need a ton of energy. Is dried fruit ok?

Cutting out sugar make you diabetic? ??!!! How could it possibly? People in primitive tribes, or prehistoric people wouldn't have eaten sugar. I don't imagine they were all diabetic!

I did full - on low carb for a while (so no sugars of any kind, no starchy veg, no pasta, no rice etc). I lost a load of weight and felt amazingly healthy and full of energy. Just too hard to stick to though....

Dried fruit is much much more sugary than fresh fruit. 100g dried apricots for example have 53g of sugar. It's better than eating sweets, obviously, and ok as a little snack occasionally, but not nearly as good as eating fresh fruit.

The thing is, sugar is not going to do you much harm in little amounts, but people don't stick to little amounts - partly because so much processed food is full of hidden sugars which we don't tend to count, and partly because eating sugary food gives you a sugar high and then a low which makes you crave more sugar.

I have cut out sugar several times. The first time, I ate no refined sugar for 11 weeks and easily lost 11kg.

Then I kidded myself that I could keep refined sugar to moderate amounts only and slid right back into full blown sugar addiciton and put a stone back on.

So I cut it out again and the extra stone that I had gained disappeared.

I am now in the trying to kid myself that I can do moderation phase

Yup - my sympathies mawbroon . I'm in the same boat. Christmas always messes it up. And then Easter is even worse! It's hard to quit sugar when the house is full of Easter eggs.

The low carbing was amazing but hellish! I didn't just lose weight, my body really changed shape. I felt almost lean (for the first time ever). It's just not tenable long - term though, unless you have a will of iron. I'll never do it again - once I stopped, I put on more than I'd lost.

I hear you maw broon!

In terms of low-carb, and this is probably going to be a silly question but, what do you replace pasta/rice with? Say if you're making bolognaise or curry? And what about oats? I'm not sure I could cope without oats in the morning!

Some people use long thin strips of courgette as a pasta replacement. And there's a way of cooking cauliflower in teeny bits to replace rice, but I found that I didn't need to replace things really. Just eat plenty of meat, fish, eggs and veg. Lots of big salads, roasts, grilled meat, salmon, roasted veg, omelette etc.

Breakfasts are tricky if you are used to having cereal and toast. Eggs are best imo, or yoghurt with a few berries and nuts (but no honey!)

But the problem isn't that there aren't plenty of delicious things to eat. The problem is resisting the chips/bread/cake etc day in day out when they are everywhere.

True. I struggle to say no to things and once I've 'given in' I just binge

I make my own granola (not showing off - honest!!) so it is packed full of seeds, nuts and coconut. I do add some honey and dried fruit.

I suppose for other meals there pulses, etc as well as upping veg in general. Thanks!

Exactly - I can happily stop at one delicious bowl of home made soup, but after one crappy cheapo chocolate digestive I want to inhale the whole packet . That's what is annoying about all these beautiful-looking wholesome food blogs with their elegant, whippet - thin, swishy-haired bloggers. Yes it all looks wonderful, but it doesn't make the Friday night takeaway curry or the children's Easter eggs any less tempting!

Anyway, today I have so far not eaten any sugar .

Holmes... Your comment of being almost 'lean' makes me want to try it. Maybe i'm kidding myself that i'm not addicted - i've just never thought about it before. As for the diet with the twins where the twin had only sugar and was better off than the twin who only had fat - it was a channel 4 documentary www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03t8r4h (hope that link works)

Anyone got any tips on how to start? Reduce sugar like smokers do or just quit cold turkey? I think shopping for a no sugar diet sounds the biggest challenge.

Ah but Byrdie - the 'lean' thing came from full-on low carbing, not just cutting out sugar. And low carbing is reeeally hard! The reason I'm never doing it again is because as soon as I went back to eating carbs I put the weight back on (and more!).

My aim is to cut out sugar and refined carbs, drink plenty of water and do plenty of exercise.

Oh sorry - didn't answer your questions! I think cold turkey is best. In terms of shopping, it's a case of no cakes, sweets, biscuits, flavoured yoghurts etc. But also pretty much no processed stuff (bought soups, sauces etc). It depends how strict you are going to be - it's pretty much impossible to buy bread with no sugar in it!

Well the good news is that i don't tend to buy any sweets, cakes, flavoured yoghurts (will admit to a biscuit addict husband) but i do buy ready made sauces and processed food. I'm thinking that school packed lunches might be a bit hard to do... I guess plain full fat yoghurt, fruit and... Erm... Can't do nuts... No bread... Ok. I may need help here. Has anyone got their kids to go sugar free?

No - my kids aren't sugar free. It's hard! The bread thing - you can make home made bread without sugar. Also I use rice cakes quite a lot. For breakfast this morning I had rice cakes with almond butter and slices of banana.

I find the best kind of packed lunches are a salad box kind of thing - cold chicken with new potatoes and salad veg, noodle salad, couscous, that kind of thing.

My plan for me is fruit/rice cakes /eggs for breakfast, a big salad or soup for lunch and a meat/fish and veg based dinner. That sounds kind of doable. I also really need to drink more water.

See, now I didn't go full low carb. I have done in the past, but it's too hard and makes you a complete PITA if you eat elsewhere!

I tried my best to avoid refined carbs, but if I did have them, I only had a very small amount.

I am terrible at moderating anything I had to give up alcohol for that same reason, 10 years since I had any!

But sugar is everywhere. I feel such a killjoy not having a slice of birthday cake or whatever, but if there's any left over, I scoff the lot

And to people who say "just have one slice", I don't understand your ability to just have one slice any more than you understand my powerful urges to scoff the lot.

Seems like it has to be all or nothing for me.

My children have been advised by a nutritionist to cut out sugar, very small qualities of fruit each day, to improve their gut bacteria and get rid of a parasite. They both have food intolerences that affect their immune system and makes them susceptible to infections. I am hoping that this will help, it is very hard.

It reduces IBS symptoms and improves my skin.