some questions about sugar

[geegee]

Since DH has been deployed,I have been craving sugar.Could this have anything to do with stress?Since Ive been craveing,I have been eating alot of candy,cookies etc.Then I have trouble sleeping.Is this the sugar?I have also been pmsing really bad{sick to my stomache,bad cramps etc].Is this sugar?Any ideas about eating less?Thanks for the help :heart

[Cindy]

I often crave sugar when I am actually thirsty. Are you drinking plenty of water?

[geegee]

Ill up my water just in case.

[inesperada]

The trouble sleeping and the PMS could both be related to the sugar. Eating refined sugar, especially a lot of it, makes your blood sugar go through a lot of peaks and valleys that really can mess with your system. :hug2

Can you find sweet alternatives that don't have refined sugar in them?

[geegee]

You said refined sugars.What kind of sugars should I eat?

[inesperada]

That's up to you. For me, the non-refined sugars I am willing to eat include:

Evaporated Cane Juice
Honey
Molasses
100% Pure Maple Syrup
Beet sugar

Most of the foods that I eat that are substitutes for my old favorites are made with Evaporated Cane Juice. I use mostly honey for baking, but sometimes Maple Syrup.

You can also try starting by just cutting out high fructose corn syrup, as that is the one that typically causes the most problems.

[Cindy]

:yes

What she said. Also watch out for the artificial sweeteners. They can make you crave sweets also. Better to stick with moderate amounts of unrefined sugars.

[ArmsOfLove]

Xylitol is wonderful, though. It's a sugar alternative that is all natural and tastes just like sugar! It's wonderful--but a bit pricey.

[geegee]

So,what is the difference if I eat white sugar or if I eat honey?Is it processed in my body differently?

[ArmsOfLove]

very differently. Honey, succanat, raw sugars all have minerals and vitamins to digest so they go into your blood stream more slowly. white sugar (one of the 5 white deaths) just hits your blood stream full force and leaves as quickly resulting in crashes in energy

[Tami]

I'm not an expert in nutriton, by any means.(i'm a bit of a chocoholic :blush).but what has helped me when I get CRAZY sweet cravings is munching on a big juicy Fuji apple...sometimes I bake a yam-just like a potato- and eat it with a little bit of butter...
I have no idea why this works for me, but it's worth a shot..

[geegee]

I bought a big bag of fructose.I hope this is not refined.Do you know?Tell me more about these 5 white deaths.