Sugar - how to avoid

[cotmfk]

Hey all - been watching some documentaries on sugar lately, and how bad it is for you in many ways (i.e., it's more than just making you fat). I'm living in the US, and it seems to be injected into everything. Added sugar in things that don't even need sugar at all, etc.

So, the question I have for people - give me some good strategies for reducing sugar intake. I'm not talking complete elimination, but significant reduction. Obviously, I'm quitting the soda... whether it's "regular" (tons of sugar) or "diet" (cancer-causing fake sugar) - it's bad for you. Quitting candy, cake, ice cream, etc. Those are the first steps.

But, give me some brands, stores, etc. that focus on less sugar in products. For example, how is Subway healthy when their bread is legally classified as a pastry in some countries because it has so much damn sugar added to it?

Any grocery store strategies? I'm starting by trying to "stick to the outside of the store," meaning trying not to buy the pre-packaged, pre-made, boxed stuff.

Thanks in advance...

[tranquility]

Good thread, I'm trying to cut back too. I'm not worried about the fattening part and in fact want more muscle/wt but apparently sugar is bad for many things, e.g. it bloats parts of your body, even the brain?, so that can't be good.

I've cut soda for ages as it's just NASTY, I imagine pouring a cup full of sugar and then adding cold water, it's the same thing yuck. Even stuff like 'natural' juices is full of it, so devious.

I'm glad that the companies have gotten cheap, trying to save $$$ making chocolate bars using cheaper and inferior ingredients, so virtually all of them taste a lot worse than before, making it easier for me to quit that.

[c1pher]

Agree, almost everything has sugar added, even things you’d think don’t have sugar or sweeteners added. I have been trying to eat cleaner overall, fewer processed foods etc. I do have butter, yogurt and bacon but other than that I try to stay away from everything else.

[chassis]

Brand names not strictly needed (I know this is not what you asked for). There is no secret, it's just good dietary habits.

Fresh fruit is a source of natural (sugar) sweetness and is a good part of any diet:
raisin
banana
mango
strawberry
orange
etc etc

Avoid packaged goods: protein bars, granola bars, etc. Anything wrapped in plastic with brightly-colored labels should be considered "bad".

Don't drink calories: coffee with "creamer" and sugar, soda, sports drinks, alcohol (hot topic with some people).

Cooked vegetables when caramelized have natural sweetness:
onions
carrots
squash

Natural sweeteners such as maple syrup and honey are better than cane and beet sugar, and far better than artificial sweeteners like aspartame.

Sugar is not bad. Quantity of sugar might be bad. It's up to you to decide what works best for you. I have a sweet tooth and on many health/fitness KPIs I am well into the "good" zone. Weight and blood labs are good.

[DocL]

Read the labels of everything you buy and know what the hidden sugars are. There are good sugars that are naturally in fruits, but I always eat a fruit that is high in fiber to reduce the impact the sugar has on my body. And then there are sugars that form as a result of eating starchy carbohydrates.

Even if you aren't a diabetic, read about diabetic nutrition and that will help you avoid all of the bad shit.

[eleven11]

Salt.
Check out The Salt Fix by Dr. James DiNicolantonio.

Also read any of Dr. Mark Hyman's books.

[overcoil]

my gf and I never go to restaurants. and never buy packaged cookies, breads or ice-cream.

we pretty much stick with the Wholefoods, Trader Joe's - for produce and nuts, Mom"s Organic.

packed lunches are typical Bento Boxes, using; veggies, eggs, rice, beans. Some days a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
My favorite lunch is lettuce and tomato sandwich with ground pepper and mayo.

Even I can whip up a loaf of sandwich bread in a few minutes. it's the two-hours of letting it rise that is time consuming.

I find fresh home brewed coffee is a good appetite suppressor.

we often eat desserts but always cut down on amount of sugar in recipe. Graham cracker crust no butter with home made cannoli filling topped with mango and strawberry - chilled in the freezer. Frozen cherries, mango in the summer.

Oatmeal for breakfast or yoghurt and fruit maybe honeys for sweetness. Never boxed cereal.

[cotmfk]

Some great replies in this thread already - thank you all! I'm going to pick out a couple statements and ask some questions:

Originally Posted by DocL

Even if you aren't a diabetic, read about diabetic nutrition and that will help you avoid all of the bad shit.

I hadn't thought about that, but it's a good idea. I'll peruse some diabetic diet guides and see what I can grab from that.

Originally Posted by eleven11

Salt.
Check out The Salt Fix by Dr. James DiNicolantonio.

Also read any of Dr. Mark Hyman's books.

Maybe something I will work on in the future -thank you - I usually try to work on one thing at a time. Theory of continuous improvement.

Originally Posted by overcoil

my gf and I never go to restaurants.

Even I can whip up a loaf of sandwich bread in a few minutes. it's the two-hours of letting it rise that is time consuming.

Restaurants would be great for me to cut down on - in a few ways. Money savings, waistline savings, etc. It is something I'm working on. I used to eat out 5 - 7 times per week. Now, I'm down to 1 - 2 times per week.

Also, care to share which bread recipe you enjoy? My wife makes one bread, but it's really more of a savory treat than a healthy substitute for the bread in the stores (she makes a bacon beer bread).

[chassis]

My daily breakfast bread:

600g whole rye flour
600g unbleached white all purpose flour
24g salt
1 pkg (envelope) commercial yeast
825g water

Whisk to combine dry ingredients. Add water and knead approx 15 minutes until smooth. Rye doughs are sticky, expect this. Form into a ball, place in a bowl and cover with plastic and let ferment for 2-3 hrs in a warm place or overnight in the fridge.

On a lightly floured surface, degas (flatten) then shape into the desired shape, place on silicone mat or parchment on a baking sheet. Place in warm moist place for one hour. Preheat oven to 450 deg F.

Slash and place in oven, reduce temp to 425 deg F. Bake for 55 minutes or until well-browned. Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack for 4 hours minimum. Slice and enjoy.

[DocL]

Another thing to remember is the order in which you eat your meals. It's always best to start with the fiber, then protein & fats, then the carbs last.

If you enjoy alcohol with your meal, beer is the worst. Hard liquor has no effect on blood sugar, in fact it may even temporarily reduce your sugar levels, but the offset is that it contains a lot of calories. I prefer to eat my calories, so I will add some extra fat into my meal such as avacado.

[///MPhatic]

From what I'm reading you already know the answer to your question, and it usually comes down to one word; moderation.

Additionally, any time you can avoid processed foods, overt sugar (cookies, candy, ice cream, etc), and fast food you're ahead of the game (but you knew that already).

You're not going to escape sugar, but unless you have some sort of pre-disposition where it causes you an issue, you won't have to avoid it entirely.

[cotmfk]

While I was grocery shopping, I was looking for a sugar free snack. Beef jerky, I thought! Nope - 6 or 7 grams of sugar added per serving! Crazy! No wonder Americans average 41 grams of sugar per day.

[overcoil]

Originally Posted by cotmfk

Some great replies in this thread already - thank you all! I'm going to pick out a couple statements and ask some questions:

Also, care to share which bread recipe you enjoy? My wife makes one bread, but it's really more of a savory treat than a healthy substitute for the bread in the stores (she makes a bacon beer bread).

King Arthur 'FAVORITE SANDWICH BREAD' on their web site.
I use parchment paper lightly oiled in the bread pan. Once it's cooled in a few hours I slice it. Within 24 hours of making it I wrap and put in freezer.

https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/rec...h-bread-recipe

[Oldgixxer]

This is why I avoid restaurants,fast food,processed meats,snacks etc in general....

[Ric in RVA]

Look at intermittent fasting to get your insulin response back in line.

Every bite you eat is an insulin dump. Eat breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, snack...6 different times you dumped insulin.

You acclimatize to it and develop resistance to what it is supposed to be doing. (just like any other drug you OD'd on daily) This is diabetes...the failure of a proper insulin response.

Don't eat for 12 hours and no insulin dumps. Let those insulin receptors become sensitive again and work properly.

Love Dr Jason Fungs work with the obesity code and diabetes code. Lots of YT videos too.

Get off the sugar...get your insulin system working again...you wont have any issues.

[erickonphoenix]

I've followed a 321zero diet for decades and never had weight or fitness issues.

3 parts veggies,
2 parts protein,
1 part carb and
zero sugars.

I still drink too much alcohol but tend to avoid a lot of beer and stick to clear liquors with water as a mixer.

FYI: Interesting now that I'm pushing 60, my BP, heart rate, blood work is better than average but arthritis will probably be the thing that ends my alcohol consumption.

[Mason Hatcher]

Originally Posted by erickonphoenix

I've followed a 321zero diet for decades and never had weight or fitness issues.

3 parts veggies,
2 parts protein,
1 part carb and
zero sugars.

I still drink too much alcohol but tend to avoid a lot of beer and stick to clear liquors with water as a mixer.

FYI: Interesting now that I'm pushing 60, my BP, heart rate, blood work is better than average but arthritis will probably be the thing that ends my alcohol consumption.

Umm, Veggies are carbs.

[Oldgixxer]

Originally Posted by Mason Hatcher

Umm, Veggies are carbs.

I'm thinking when he posted "3 parts veggies" he meant fibrous carbs and "1 part carbs" consisted of a complex carbohydrate

[srybicki]

Eat just meat...

[floridaorange]

Originally Posted by srybicki

Eat just meat...

I'm gonna go with Arnold's sources.

https://fitnessvolt.com/arnold-schwa...er-on-protein/

[TTV8M]

I've been drinking pure leaf tea for a long time. They have a unsweetened version that has 0 sugar and no fake Splenda added crap. They also have a green tea unsweetened version that's decent, but depends on your taste buds.

I've noticed the wording on stuff is deceptive...... Drinks that say "no added sugar" are fake, still has. And drinks that say "zero sugar" have the fake cancer shit in it.

Do your best to count the numbers on your intake of sugar and calories. Minimize as best you can.

Also, to flavor water, I've been using a dried/powdered lemon packet called True Lemon. Look on Amazon. No artificial stuff in their either. It's good in a pinch if your on the move and don't have an actual lemon handy to cut and serve. They also make lime and orange

[TTV8M]

What about plain granola or plain oatmeal. I think the natural versions have little to no sugar in them