Quitting sugar

[grouchiegrrl]

So I am reading this 'I quit sugar' book.

I have been thinking about trying it out. My doc was concerned with my sugar levels last blood test. It isn't awesome for someone with an autoimmune disease to eat this much sugar. I am overweight. I have a kid and I am trying to work out diet stuff for him… so why not for me too. Thought I might try the two month 'cleans' kind of program she advocates.

Anyway, I have only read through it, and I have a couple of thoughts/questions.

I think the woman who wrote this is also gluten intolerant (and dairy too) - but she doesn't particularly clearly make this link, and lots of her recipes using things that I think of as subs for dairy or gluten. Is there any reason I would use (much more expensive) ingredients such as coconut flour or buckwheat flour or almond milk if you don't have a gluten or dairy issue?

This book kind of seems to be including stuff that I don't need if the point is to cut out sugar. It also seems to be cutting out gluten, dairy and making everything organic and unprocessed. I get why she is going there, I think it is the market she is selling to… but anyone know if there is any reason I can't use plain flour (or at least wholemeal) or plain old milk or butter if the point is removing sugar? 

Comments

[lilysea]

Some milk products and some wheat products can raise your blood sugar levels rapidly in a way that promotes insulin resistance and inflammation.

eg, white bread, processed and refined white flour.

"Refined starches — white bread, white rice, white pasta, and anything made with white flour — act a lot like sugar once the body starts to digest them. Therefore, just like sugar, refined starches interfere with glucose control and should be avoided by those with diabetes. Whole grains are a better choice because they're richer in fiber and generally cause a slower, steadier rise in blood sugar."

Certainly if you are insulin resistant as I am, Drs will caution you on refined starch AND most milk products, as both can cause rapid rises in blood sugar.

So, it could be that.

But, my guess is that it is because she is aiming her cookbook at a market of people with a nebulous, undefined desire to "eat healthier", which at the moment is often defined as no sugar, dairy, wheat, and organic.

[fred_mouse]

Seconding this.

Also, grouchie, can you track physical responses to sugar? Or do you not notice changes? If the former, then deliberately having some amount of sugar (say, in a cup of tea) a couple of times to track the level of response, and then in the same circumstances having a glass of milk and seeing whether you get anything similar would give you some idea as to whether your body might be doing the same.

However, it might be that she has gone 'lactose=sugar", and cut it out. Is there a lot of fruit in the diet? Because if there isn't, the author might have been trying to drop a whole range of sugars, not just refined. If you have time/opportunity, have a look at the sugar content on milk and some of the substitutes - they can be quite high in sugar (most soy milks, for example). [which is a roundabout way of going 'I wonder if she thought about some of the subtle sources of sugar, but not all of them?]

[grouchiegrrl]

I'll bring the book with me in the morning. I have never noticed any reaction in me with sugar…. but when have I ever really been without it? So who knows. I am going to give this 8 week sugar-free thing a try to see, but I also know I am starting uni again in a week (oh hell, paper) and it is doubtful how much time I will have. But I will give it a go.

[grouchiegrrl]

actually the 4 hour body guy has some kind of lactose=sugar thing now that I think about it. I can't remember the reasoning, but it was why that diet cuts dairy too. hmmm.

[grouchiegrrl]

I think it is the marketing too. Certainly the person loaning me the book has gone the whole sugar/gluten/dairy free, activated nuts -hog. I might start the thing just cutting out sugar, and then worry about the others in the second part - see if I notice a difference.

I do know the refined white starches aren't great for most of us, and I had already started switching some stuff to wholemeal flour. But I hadn't thought about them in terms of sugar. Thanks for that lilysea.

[fred_mouse]

cutting one thing at a time is easier, but may not give you the desired results. Can you write a list of desired results, from simplest to least easy to obtain, and then see where on that dropping sugar get you to? That would give you a feel for the limitations, without requiring you to dramatically change where you are.