I'm thinking that a sugar free diet isn't that unusual?

[Twartyvajitus]

NC for this as its quite outing (not that I'm that interesting to be 'outed')

I've just had an operation via the NHS, but at a private hospital, I'd done the usual fasting before and was starving a few hours after coming to.

I asked for something to eat and was given a fruit corner, I queried if there was alternative, explaining that I don't eat sugar or sweeteners (a dietary choice made 18mths ago resulting in me dropping my BMI from 49 to 34) and was made to feel like an absolute pain in the arse - and told there was nothing else!

I was reluctantly given a latte - but one of those sachet sweetened ones.

Was I being really princessy? I've never struggled with not being able to eat anything offered to me before, I'll eat anything savoury. Has anyone else given up all things sweet?

NHS food is very high in carbs and there's not much point eliminating sugar without eliminating carbs.

Well there is 👍🏻 as I've lost over 6 stone by eliminating obvious sugars and still eating carbs.

I personally think it's rather unusual but they were wrong to make you feel like a pain, especially if you asked nicely. I gather you have a special health concerns which make sugar-free diet essential. But the majority of people I know don't have it. My husband stopped having sugar in his tea after the dentist recommendation and managed to live without it, but he'll eat a cake etc.
I have sugar in my drinks but have 1 coffee and max 2 cups of tea a day, and apart from morning coffee I don't eat anything sweet during the day. But I definitely wouldn't be avoiding it altogether, and salt as well.

LeftRightCentre that's not very kind is it. I think the direction of NHS funding streams is a whole new thread, feel free to start one and I'll come and add my opinions 🙂

It is probably not unusual to seek to avoid processed sugar. Not easy though.

But it is almost impossible to avoid it altogether as it is in so many things, including natural sugars in fruit and some vegetables and dairy.

furryleopard good luck, not long now 🍼

Does GD disappear after delivery? If so, I hope you have a delicious treat of whatever takes your fancy in your hospital bag

Are you slim bloodydisgrace? I always find its slim people that have sugar in their drinks! I think I'm missing a trick 😉

LeftRightCentre that's not very kind is it.

Unkind is the fact that people are going without life-saving treatment or being left in pain due to strain on resources whilst the NHS continues to pay out for optional procedures for people who can't control themselves.

Like I say Left feel free to start a thread about it, I'll come and contribute 🙂

Why should I start a thread about it? People are allowed to comment on whatever threads they please as long as they follow guidelines, regardless of whether you agree with their opinion or not.

Oh, and TAAT is actually against guidelines.

Like I say Left feel free to start a thread about it, I'll come and contribute
Wouldn't that get deleted as a TAAT?

I've spent periods in my adult life eating no sugar and I have to say that now is the easiest time of all.

The government and manufacturers have finally gotten on board with the lower sugar message and you can find no sugar added food everywhere. Including yogurts with only fruit.

Of course, all carbs will be treated the same in your body and will trigger an insulin response. So for anyone insulin resistant or diabetic, you only answer is to avoid all sweet foods and most carbs.

The NHS needs to get the message that people are gettingill and fat from eating so much processed and sugary food. Yet they continue to serve it. it makes little sense.

Wouldn't that get deleted as a TAAT?

Yes.

Well I wouldn't want to break any rules so please don't start a TAAT then.

I must have been feeling a little needled by your snarkiness 😉

Surely if you're off refined sugar, it's still extremely worthwhile, even if you're eating potatoes, sweet potatoes etc? I really need to ditch the processed sugars myself so thanks OP for this thread! Pp who said they're off processed sugar but use honey when baking - that's processed, assuming you've not got raw unprocessed honey to hand? And I agree with another pp re agave etc but medjool dates, are they worse or the same as say regular fruit? Surely it's at least unprocessed.

I'm incredibly needled at how many vital services are being cut by the NHS across the board but discover they're still paying out for procedures like this in private hospitals and then the patients get the strop when their voluntarily specialist diet isn't cared for on top of that. Something has gone really wrong in some trusts with regards to allocation of resources, IMO.

Oh and as pointed out, plenty of savoury foods and non-sweet foods contain sugar. And a lot of what's offered post-op is soft foods like yoghurt or ice cream as they can be less irritating to the digestive system that can be a bit sluggish after anaesthesia.

Eating tons of sugar is totally a British thing. In other countries they wouldn't even know what you mwant: in the sense that people just eat non processed food anyway

This is such crap. Have you eaten anywhere else? Take Italy, for example, Italian kids eat biscuits for breakfast, and chocolate cereal. The most common after school snack is nutella on bread. Adults eat sugary cornetti and a sugared cappucino for breakfast. Desserts are tooth achingly sweet. Italian mothers worry about fat, not sugar. French kids eat chocolate cereals, tartine with jam or honey, bowls of hot chocolate etc for breakfast and a milka bar in a baguette after school!
I could give many more.

Theres nothing wrong with eating sugar, or sugary foods. It's like anything else, moderation. And avoiding added sugars.

Just to clarify ... type 1 diabetics are not required to avoid 'sugar': the fast majority will administer 2 types of insulin to manage their condition. One is 'slow acting', and releases over the course of the day, and the other is 'fast acting' and is administered just before meals, in proportion to the meal's carbohydrate content (which includes, but is not limited to, sugars). My 9-year-old daughter is a type 1 diabetic and a great number of people seem to believe she cannot eat any sugar.

Having said that, we work on teaching DD to eat a varied and healthy diet, and as a pp said (about GD) combining fats and proteins with carbs (preferably slow release) is a great way to limit the amount of insulin we have to give DD. Occasional sweet things are not off the table though.

In my experience, hospital food is rubbish for achieving good blood sugar control ... DD is also a coeliac, and all gluten free food in hospital seems to be based around refined carbohydrates and to include added sugar e.g. stuff like gluten-free white bread. We just bring our own food in when she is admitted to save the need to discuss it with staff.

I have been eating high protein and low carb for over 20 years now as I used to have PCOS. It is a way of life that I don't even think about until faced with what other people eat - huge portions of carbs with very little protein.

Breakfast is the worst. A slice of toast with a low fat spread, yoghurt, fruit, breakfast cereal etc make me recoil in horror but others look at me in horror when I happily tuck into 6 thick rashers of bacon and scrambled eggs made with 4 eggs, butter and cream. They can't understand why I weigh 8 st when I am such a pig but despite being virtuous they weigh so much more. It's not even about weight but the over-production of insulin and effect on other hormones and the blood sugar spikes with fatigue, cravings, palpitations etc.

I always take my own food into hospital. NHS feed high carb and low protein for cost rather than health reasons.

Twartyvajitus
Are you slim bloodydisgrace? I always find its slim people that have sugar in their drinks! I think I'm missing a trick 😉
yes, guilty, I admit. (Quite unhealthy on the inside though, as, sadly, I still smoke and drink more subsequently)

Some years back I cut processed sugar down drastically. Very quickly I found I was much more able to control my appetite. Giving up my ready meal habit and cooking more from scratch really helped my mood and general wellbeing.

Moderation in all things, including moderation. I do still have sweet things but I will buy, say, a single cake or a small chocolate bar rather than a packet of biscuits. Eating a lot of sweet stuff now has much the same effect as eating something ultra salty, it's not palatable.

To the people saying just eat the yogurt you clearly don't understand addiction. Sugar is more addictive than cocaine. The op is off sugar/sweet things therefore a simple few tastes of such a sweet food could be enough to send her on a spiral back to unhealthy eating.
Op...i have done several year stints of being sugar free. currently I'm on and binging like crazy. If I get clean of it again you can be sure there will be ful fat natural yogurt in my fridge not processed shite.

@TheWinterofOurDiscountTentsMk2
I agree but I can’t believe you didn’t mention... America!

Sugar is more addictive than cocaine

Nonsense