has anyone ever managed to kick the sugar habit?

heuchera

greenbee wrote: »

OP - if you are trying to give up refined sugars and reducae your taste buds, it's worth thinking about when you have sweet things. So cut out fruit juice in the mornings (I gradually worked over to green juices with no fruit by adding more greens to my fruit juices, then replacing with carrot/beetroot, then with courgette/cucumber). If you do need something sweet to deal with a craving, then try fruit or dried fruit (dates are particularly helpful as they are very sweet).

I have sugar mid morning (usually a slice of cake with a coffee) and after lunch, to get my energy levels back up.

But if I have chocolate biscuits in the house I tend to just scoff them as and when, throughout the afternoon.

focus888 wrote: »

Do you bake? This year i wanted to make healthier foods. I love my sweet and desserts but have been looking at alternative to the normal. Ive been substituting sugar with honey. Also have you ever used dates in your sweet baking, it is so naturally sweet you might even fool yourself that it taste too good to be healthier.

Yes I do bake, I'm not bad at cake-making . I use good quality unbleached flour. I just need to look for some less sugary recipes.

heuchera

brook2jack wrote: »

A date is 60% sugar and honey is 55% fructose. The sugar in honey is used by the body exactly the same way "white" sugar is. It is no better for you than white sugar as it is only very slightly lower GI. It is still sugar. Indeed the WHO recommends we limit our sugar intake , including honey, to no more than 6 teaspoons a day.

All dried fruit is high in sugar. A small box of raisins has the same amount of sugar (7 1/2 cubes ) http://www.sugarstacks.com/snacks.htm
as a regular sized snickers bar!!! http://www.sugarstacks.com/candy.htm

Yes I think dates are the sweetest natural fruit. It's amazing some manufacturers even sweeten them with a sugary glaze.

I have never got addicted to dates though :rotfl: they're nowhere near as more-ish as chocolate biscuit pick-me-ups. I can have 1 or 2 and then stop.

suki1964

The dates whilst still full of sugar would be better for you ( if you can stop at two) for the fibre and potassium they contain

brook2jack

True but a poster was suggesting "substituting " dates and honey for sugar when baking. All it means is you are substituting sugar from beet or sugar cane for sugar from fruit and honey. The body uses this sugar in exactly the same way so you are not actually eating any less sugar!

Eating dates or raisins as a snack is worse for your teeth than a biscuit as the date sticks to your teeth and hangs around for a lot longer.

prosaver

when I was on a diet, I use to buy dark chocolate and
1 break a small square off chocolate.
2 Put the chocolate in the mouth and let the chocolate melt slowly, on the tongue.
3 When gone, drink with a mouthful of hot, strong, rich coffee.
4 Go back to.. 1


delish izzy ohso:)

izzybella16

heuchera I'll inbox you

lindens

I am doing it now. I was/am addicted to sugar - always eating crisps and chocolate and sweets and cake.
I decided I had to do it cold turkey and I am almost 2 weeks in.
I am currently doing the detox stage so very low carbs - no bread pasta or rice at all, no potatoes, the only fruit is berries, no alcohol.
I am eating 3 good meals a day and snacking on plain nuts, a cube of cheese, hummus.


its been hard but in some way not as hard as I thought, I thought the physical symptoms would hit me but I've had few, no headaches etc, Yes I'm getting cravings but more than anything it's breaking habits which is the hardest.


I used to treat myself with food, that's the hardest one to break. The other thing that's hard is you are surrounded by sugar and sweeteners. When I tell people I can't eat XXX they say - oh this is sugar free, they don't realise sweeteners are just as bad if not worse!


Have a look at Sarah Wilson, I found her blogs and articles very helpful, they really struck a cord with me

lindens

heuchera wrote: »

Thanks, I would really like to stop before it gets to that stage :eek:
We don't have diabetes in our family, thankfully, though many of us eat a lot of sweet things.

.

Type 2 is not hereditary, so don't fool yourself into thinking this, it won't stop you getting it.
And even type 1 which is hereditary, doesn't stop you losing your feet or legs!

GwylimT

Of course our body reacts to any sugar in the same way, however fructose is much sweeter than glucose, so you need less of it for something to taste sweet and you gain the benefits of the actual fruit.

Where non-dried fruit is concerned you also don't get a sugar rush as it is slowly released as your body breaks down the fruit, so you don't then end up feeling tired or hungry once the rush is over. I'm diabetic and its perfectly fine for me to eat a whole orange.

If you want to make a cake you can exchange the sugar for mashed banana, reduce the egg as well otherwise the mix will be too wet.

GwylimT

lindens wrote: »

Type 2 is not hereditary, so don't fool yourself into thinking this, it won't stop you getting it.
And even type 1 which is hereditary, doesn't stop you losing your feet or legs!

Type 2 most definitely can be hereditary.