Sugar and Processed Foods (Read 393 times)


sugnim

    Has anyone here successfully given up sugar & processed foods?  I don't mean all sugars like the sugar in an apple, not all processed foods like cheese or bread.  What I mean is candy, soda, chips, crackers, etc, and overly-processed snack foods or ready-made type foods, also sugary yogurt, and other things that are processed to include a ton of added sugar.

     

    I tried to give up sugar last year, and I didn't get far at all.  I'm considering giving it another try.  I'm wondering if anyone else has done this and how your experience has been.

      I would really like to be able to but it's pretty difficult.  However, I drink very little soda, unless it's accompanied by a little captain morgans.

       

      I've been trying to adopt more of the diet discused and promoted by Dr. Fuhrman but there's no way I could switch cold-turkey.

       

      Good luck in your quest to be/eat healthier.


      #artbydmcbride

        I try it every Lent.  I have more luck with focused denial.  I gave up all forms of candy last year.  This year I will try to add all cookies and cake to the list.   

         

        Runners run

          I've gone 7 weeks without eating anything with flour in it.  No added sugar either except in small amounts (some low carb sauces here and there).  I've also not had a single chip, cracker, spoon of cereal, piece of candy, or sugary yogurt.  I also have no cravings for that stuff.

           

          While this may not be your goal... I've lost 17 pounds in 7 weeks.  I am now adding back in things like blueberries, strawberries, and apples.  The weight loss will slow down.  But I have no desire for the sugary food at this point.  Perhaps when I am no longer burning fat for fuel it may be a bigger challenge.  But for now a slice of cheese is enough "treat" for me.

           

           

           

           

            I try it every Lent.  I have more luck with focused denial.  I gave up all forms of candy last year.  This year I will try to add all cookies and cake to the list.   

             

            Well then I hope you didn't just get 6 boxes of Girl Scout cookies delivered to your house like we did yesterday.

            Although if you did, I bet they could easily be gone before Lent.

            Dave


            #artbydmcbride

               

              Well then I hope you didn't just get 6 boxes of Girl Scout cookies delivered to your house like we did yesterday.

              Although if you did, I bet they could easily be gone before Lent.

               

              Only 2 boxes!  

               

              Runners run

                Eat Food. Not too much. Mostly plants.

                 

                FWIW, that's the essense of what Dr. Fuhrman advocates.  He stresses eating lots of veggies, especially the green leafy ones.

                 

                ah, oh, Trent's back! All it took was a post about food!


                sugnim

                  Doug: Nice job!  I don't plan to eliminate whole grain flour or whole fruit, but kicking chips, cereal, candy etc. is exactly what I was thinking.  Good for you for making some healthy changes!

                   

                  Ilene: I think if I gave something up for Lent or another temporary time period, I would gorge at the end--especially on the Easter candy that will be so ubiquitous at that time of year.  Good luck to you, though!

                   

                  Dave:  Mmmm . . . Girl Scout cookies . . . oh, wait, those are out too.  D'oh!

                   

                  Trent: Yeah, that mostly works.

                   

                  Tom: Maybe you could go cold penguin if you can't do cold turkey!

                    I lost upwards of 50 pounds after giving up processed and sugary foods and remaining vigilant about avoiding them.  Unquestionably, running more  helped too!

                       

                      Tom: Maybe you could go cold penguin if you can't do cold turkey!

                       

                      They're too cute to eat. Other than the one that likes to slap.

                       

                      BeeRunB


                        Sugar's a tough one to kick. It's like a hard drug.

                        I have kicked the beast out the back door many times,

                        but it always finds a crack and sneaks back in. And

                        I find myself waking up with chocolate cake all over me,

                        and Kit Kat wrappers strewn around the room, feeling

                        ashamed and beaten and lower than a worm's belly

                        in a wagon wheel rut. 

                        NikoRosa


                        Funky Kicks 2019

                          I think I do a pretty good job of avoiding processed sugary foods by making most of the ingredients of my meals from scratch.  But I add sugar to my pizza sauce, and I add sugar to my bread dough... Smile I like sugar.  I *really* like chocolate.  And when I buy non-fat, sugar free plain yogurt, I always end up adding something sweet to it like homemade jam (made with low sugar pectin, but it still has sugar in it).

                           

                          I figure sugar is less of a demon than saturated fats.  I just try to do everything in moderation.  I know I could never cut out sugar completely, and don't really want to.

                          Leah, mother of dogs

                             I like sugar.  I *really* like chocolate.  And when I buy non-fat, sugar free plain yogurt, I always end up adding something sweet to it like homemade jam (made with low sugar pectin, but it still has sugar in it).

                             

                            I figure sugar is less of a demon than saturated fats.  I just try to do everything in moderation.  I know I could never cut out sugar completely, and don't really want to.

                             

                            I am in this camp. I try to eat pretty healthy & avoid too much crap in general, but I don't worry too much about sugar. I don't see any problems it causes other than added calories, which running burns off. (Isn't that why we run? ) Of course it you're trying to lose weight it's a different story, but I'm not. I do limit fat intake due to borderline high cholesterol & family history of heart disease.

                            Dave


                            sugnim

                              Dave, nah, it's not a weight thing.  I'm happy with my weight.  It's a heath thing.  Sugar does some pretty bad stuff to your body, especially the way it is added to so many processed foods.  And anyway, I run for fun, not for chocolate.  

                               

                              (If you like watching wonky lectures, Robert Lustig from UCSF explains what sugar does to your body, even if you are at a healthy weight: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM)