If you have given up sugar - do you feel better - have you got more energy (which I badly need)?

[twiddletwaddle]

I read about refined sugar being bad for you and people making claims that they feel so much better for having given it up. I have coeliac disease (so cannot eat gluten) so already have a restricted diet and on top of that my cholesterol is not good (even though I am underweight) so giving up sugar as well could be a challenge.

However I feel so tired a lot of the time - the children are finally sleeping through the night so I cannot blame that now and I am a not very mentally stimulated SAHM. Nevertheless I have never felt like someone with much energy and don't want to feel like this always. I am exercising now but also looking at other ways to boost my energy levels.

Gave up sweets , chocolate, cakes amd biscuits for Lent- didn't notice any difference in energy levels. Ate (loads of) sugary stuff yesterday but it did make me feel a tad ill so will try and remember that feeling when i get the desire for 'rubbishy' things again. Am trying to lose a stone.

I low carb (partly because I have IBS & can't tolerate wheat) but also to lose weight & I don't eat any sugar at all. I definitely feel better for it. However, I also take an iron supplement too! Not sure which helps the most - but I feel better.

I follow a paleo lifestyle which is, in essence, eating as our ancestors did. No, I don't hunt my own meat but my diet consists of grass-fed meat, cold water fish, vegetables (not potatoes because they cause a problem for me), fruit and nuts. Fats are covered by animal fats, olive oil and coconut butter.

I am gluten intolerant and therefore don't eat wheat. I have suffered from headaches, ibs and brain fog for years and found that giving up anything with gluten in it works for me. I also do not eat dairy as it causes massive congestion in my sinuses and a feeling of foggy head and headaches. Sugar is completely out of bounds - it is a poison.

Since eating this way I have noticed a huge increase in my energy levels. I don't get ill so often and when I do I recover much quicker. If anything sneaks in I feel it almost immediately.

If you are interested read the books The Paleo Solution (Robb Wolf) or The Paleo Diet (Loren Cordain) - neither are 'diet' books, the term is used because they deal with what we eat.

Most people approach any change in their diet from a weightloss point of view and that is still true for many who take up the paleo lifestyle - however, it has had huge benefits to many who suffer from other conditions and fits right in with how a coeliac sufferer has to eat anyway.

Robb Wolf's website might be worth a look: www.robbwolf.com

I recently gave up all sugar and I can't honestly say I feel a whole lot better for it! But..........I have had lots of irritating skin problems (psoriasis and other revolting things!) for a few years now and the difference is astonishing - they're clearing up before my eyes! I've been doing a bit of googling about this and it's not an unknown theory that sugar can cause this kind of problem.

I've always had low energy, and am so brain-fogged I can hardly stand it. Interesting to think it might be diet.

I gave up sugar for six weeks a few years ago, and it didn't make an iota of difference to anything - not energy levels, not skin, not nothing. I was hugely disappointed! But ymmv and it's always worth a try!

I have scalp psoriosis but giving up sugar, sweets , choc ,cakes etc made no difference- mine must be stress related

I notice that when I stop eating a lot of sugar that, while I cannot say that I'm bursting with energy, I definitely stop feeling sleepy in the afternoon and am able to get through a day easily.

Also it seems that it's good for my mood-much more stable iyswim.

Perhaps weightloss that follows also helps as I feel lighter, more energetic. Once you stop eating sweets/lots of bread and pasta for few days, the cravings go away, I found. Lots of good protein and fats keep you full- eggs, lean meat, veg, avocado, cheese, fish, nuts, cereals like roasted buckwheat groats etc.

Roguepixie, I'm interested in the paleo diet, but which paleo population is it based on? eg those from Northern Siberia had a very very different diet to those from West Africa. Proportions of fish/meat/veg matter would have varied so much, how do we know what's 'best'?

If you have low energy, it's worth trying a multi vitamin and iron tablet. You could be feeling better in just a few days. Avoid taking iron with a cup of tea, as the tannins inhibit absorption. Take with OJ as the vit C aids it.

Apparently vitamin supplements are a big con, though. I've read a few articles where they quoted research where they did nothing beneficial or were downright harmful (like betacaroten or vit.A for smokers etc).

In theory you should be able to get all you need from your diet.

If you're feeling really sluggish, though, perhaps a blood test would be a thing to do? Plus get your thyroid checked.

I have given up/cut back sugary foods in the past, and can't say it really makes a difference to how I feel. It's surprising though just how little you miss sweets once you get out of the habit of eating them.

Sugar addict here, reading with interest.

OP iron levels can make a HUGE difference to how you feel. I echo those urging you to get your iron and thyroid checked as a starting point for tackling tiredness.

Anxious, proportions would have varied with the season too, regardless of where you lived. The key thing is that it is based on ingredients that our ancestors would also have eaten. So, it is meat, fish, vegetables, seeds, nuts, berries, herbs etc. You don't have to focus on one particular type of ancestor - just stick with simple, unprocessed foods.
That is a very, very basic guide. There are lots of good websites about eating paleo or stoneage - have a google.

anxious - I don't think they separate out the different populations although they do make mention that coastal populations would have had a diet higher in fish than those inland. I think what they are trying to get across is that today's modern diets, which are heavy on carbs, grains etc, are not suitable for us.

Nowadays, where things such as transport and locality are not inhibitors of what we can consume, we have the option to eat fish, meat, game whenever we like. It is not dependent on what we hunt or catch any more - so the premise of the paleo diet is to eat lots of high quality protein whether that be fish, meat or both. Eat lots of veggies - avoiding the starchy ones and limiting the nightshade veggies such as peppers, aubergines etc for those with inflammation/autoimmune problems. Eat some fruit - not masses. Eat seasonally and, wherever possible, locally grown/produced foods. Eat nuts and fats in the form of avocado's, olive oil, coconut butter and ghee (if you want). You also consume fats from the meats/fish and nuts.

If you have a look at the website I linked to and read the book it should answer any questions. It is a great way of living.

Thanks - I had a good google and a lot fo it chimes with what I feel about food anyway. I'm keen to cut out gluten as I've read a few times that people clear their heads somehow by doing so - sugar I need to cut out anyway, I'm addicted.
Am having a bowl of nuts and seeds as a snack... (it's a start)

I gave up sugar as part of a diet 3 months ago and have also taken up exercise - the combination of no sugar/rubbish in my diet, exercise and some weight loss have all hugely improved my energy levels. No more afternoon slump as someone else mentioned.

Have a look at the GAPS diet book by dr Natasha Campbell-mcbride. My sisters family went on it to help her ASD son (which it has exponentially) but the other effects on the rest of the family were astonishing. To such a degree that my whole family are now following it too. Detox was a bitch but we all feel amazing now. I haven't used a face product or moisturiser in weeks. Replacing sugar with fats has just taken years off. Energy levels I can't answer honestly because I'm 37 wks pregnant and partial to an afternoon nap, but everyone else seems perkier. My sister has eliminated all symptoms of ME so her energy levels have rocketed.

I've spent quite a lot of time over the last 7 years on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (due to bowel disease, works brilliantly btw), which is similar to the Paleo approach.

The effects are unbelievable - more energy, far fewer colds, better mood - but it is very hard to stick to because you can't have bread, chocolate, pasta, ice cream, etc etc. The list is endless.

If I had enough willpower to stick to it, I wouldn't think twice.

Forgot to say, on the SCD you can't have sugar (although you can have honey)

LentillyFart ( I love your name ) me too! Gave up sugar last summer, may or not not be connected but I do have a lot more energy now. I don't miss sugar, and if I do have something with sugar ( yesterday out of boredom, long wait in the rain for DH so punished him by having a couple of squares of his chocolate ) it seems unbearably sweet and I can only have a mouthful or so max. I have recently started to have breakfast cereal ( usually only have a bolied egg) and have struggled to find one that is not too sweet - even shredded wheet and weetabix now taste sweet to me..) Best I can find is M&S unsweetened muesli, (tho have to pick out the dried fruit or again it tastes too sweet...)
And this is a person who could a few years ago happily eat 6 ( yes 6 gulp!) creme eggs in one day...
what helped me hwen I was giving up was to drink lots of coffee ( which is bitter and makes me very slightly nauseous so a deterret to eat) and diluted grapefruit juice - again slightly bitter - reduces the urge for sugar...

*MrsGuy - you're absolutely right about the incredible sweetness of sugary stuff - I find that even after so short a while.
I was acting like a maniac in Waitrose this afternoon trying to find a no added sugar granola or muesli - it's not easy!! I eventually chose the Dorset Cereals one and will report back on what it's like. If you have to give up sugar for health reasons it's a good idea to avoid dried fruit - apparently especially dates. Not a problem for me as IMO they taste like honey coated monkey droppings!