What's wrong with Sugar? Convince me it's poison, please?

[Rbonmom]

ITU because I also have a hard time being convinced that its worth the stress of fighting my sugar addiction I just read a great book that has motivated me to work harder at getting off sugar It's called the "fat flush plan" I know it sounds gimmicky, but it's really not. The author's premise is that so many women are having major health issues like PCOS, thyroid problems, weight that is so hard to take off, and so on because of the insane amount of sugar/bad carbs we ingest. She goes into a lot of detail about your liver and endocrine system and how it struggles to function properly because of sugar/bad carbs and her whole premise is that if you eliminate the sugar and detox your liver and kidneys the excess wt will drop off. It made so much sense in terms of how things work from a biological perspective and it is really motivating me to change for my health.
That and the fact that every week in clinicals I'm taking care of pts. who are young and have already lost toes, feet, limbs because of uncontrolled diabetes not to mention kidney failure, liver failure, heart disease and so on... It just destroys your body and something like 75% of overweight people are insulin resistant which is basically pre-diabetic. I'm seeing these pts, knowing that I have a family history of diabetes, I'm obese and already starting to see the effects of it, and I just know I need to do something NOW!
It's still been so hard. I have withdrawl symptoms when I come off sugar: headache, nausea, dizziness, shakes, and so on but that is just convincing me all the more that I NEED to get off sugar and revamp my diet In the past, when I feel off the wagon I'd have just thrown in the towel, but I know I have to do this for my health and my body, so I'm continuing to work at it. Even the days when I have less sugar is better on my body than not trying, kwim?

Originally Posted by organiquegal

I would post a wanted on freecycle. It's one of those items people sometimes buy with good intentions but don't end up using much (like juicers and cappuccino machines).

great idea, thanks!!

[crunchymum]

yes, great idea!

Sugar causes your blood sugar to rise rapidly. This in turn causes your pancreas to produce insulin in order to regulate the amount of sugar in your blood. Your brain has a very low tolerance for out of whack blood sugar levels. Insulin also encourages all of your cells to store fat - especially the dreaded "belly fat". The more sugar you put in your veins, the more insulin necessary to regulate the levels. Then, your sugar levels crash and you get sugar cravings - vicious cycle and all. The more you tax your pancreas, the closer you are to diabetes. Most breads do the same thing - even "whole" wheat. Sugar is a bad dude.
jamie

[April G]

I've been sugar free since Thursday, and have had the WORST headaches this week. It could be partly the new glasses and the weird weather, but whatever it is... owie! I'd be surprised if it's from going off sugar, cause I'm still eating natural sweeteners (just no white sugar, no white flour and no white rice).

[Maggie]

Originally Posted by jrflutist

Sugar causes your blood sugar to rise rapidly. This in turn causes your pancreas to produce insulin in order to regulate the amount of sugar in your blood. Your brain has a very low tolerance for out of whack blood sugar levels. Insulin also encourages all of your cells to store fat - especially the dreaded "belly fat". The more sugar you put in your veins, the more insulin necessary to regulate the levels. Then, your sugar levels crash and you get sugar cravings - vicious cycle and all. The more you tax your pancreas, the closer you are to diabetes. Most breads do the same thing - even "whole" wheat. Sugar is a bad dude.
jamie

This is so true. That's why my DH and I are doing the nutrition plan we are through our chiro. We basically avoid all grains and sweeten with stevia, xylitol, erythritol, very occasionally sorghum. I keep meaning to start a thread about this, but the book is The 7 Principles of Fat-Burning, here on Amazon.com.

[Tuesdayschild]

Originally Posted by organiquegal

I've been sugar free since Thursday, and have had the WORST headaches this week. It could be partly the new glasses and the weird weather, but whatever it is... owie! I'd be surprised if it's from going off sugar, cause I'm still eating natural sweeteners (just no white sugar, no white flour and no white rice).

I'm sure DesMaisons says something about headaches, but I can't remember what. Do you have the total recovery book?

Originally Posted by Maggie

This is so true. That's why my DH and I are doing the nutrition plan we are through our chiro. We basically avoid all grains and sweeten with stevia, xylitol, erythritol, very occasionally sorghum. I keep meaning to start a thread about this, but the book is The 7 Principles of Fat-Burning, here on Amazon.com.

Not to argue, but we also have to remember that all foods are not created equal. When you are talking main-stream grocery items, yes, that's true, say, about the wheat. But, fresh-milled whole wheat is a completely different story. It will *not* cause sugar spikes. The reason that grocery store "whole" wheat breads (and flour) do is because they are missing key components of the wheat. If milled in commercial mills, the high heat has changed the wheat (by killing off heat-sensitive components). If whole wheat flour has been sitting on the grocery shelf for 48 hours, it's oxidized already. It's a completely different story when speaking of *real* whole foods. Even natural animal fats (from clean, organically fed animals), whether saturated or unsaturated, are actually nutritious (and you don't eat a whole lot). It's the processed, artificial, man-made fats that are dangerous. Even diabetics can have tupelo or sage honey, due to the balance of different sugars in the honey. Raw honey was meant to be eaten. And, you cannot over-consume it. . . . .you will actually vomit if your body gets too much. Food the way God made it and intended it is the safest food. *Anytime* you isolate components and take them away from their complementary components, you are taking a risk.

[crunchymum]

(((april))) are you drinking LOTS of water? lots? i think that can help with the headaches/detox process.

[April G]

Originally Posted by crunchymum

(((april))) are you drinking LOTS of water? lots? i think that can help with the headaches/detox process.

Tons... and lots of herbal tea...

[Tuesdayschild]

Totally OT but I your glasses!

[April G]

Originally Posted by Tuesdayschild

Totally OT but I your glasses!

Totally OT but

[newday]

Originally Posted by Chris3jam

Not to argue, but we also have to remember that all foods are not created equal. When you are talking main-stream grocery items, yes, that's true, say, about the wheat. But, fresh-milled whole wheat is a completely different story. It will *not* cause sugar spikes. The reason that grocery store "whole" wheat breads (and flour) do is because they are missing key components of the wheat. If milled in commercial mills, the high heat has changed the wheat (by killing off heat-sensitive components). If whole wheat flour has been sitting on the grocery shelf for 48 hours, it's oxidized already. It's a completely different story when speaking of *real* whole foods. Even natural animal fats (from clean, organically fed animals), whether saturated or unsaturated, are actually nutritious (and you don't eat a whole lot). It's the processed, artificial, man-made fats that are dangerous. Even diabetics can have tupelo or sage honey, due to the balance of different sugars in the honey. Raw honey was meant to be eaten. And, you cannot over-consume it. . . . .you will actually vomit if your body gets too much. Food the way God made it and intended it is the safest food. *Anytime* you isolate components and take them away from their complementary components, you are taking a risk.

I think that this last statement is very well put. I concur.
I would also add, (although someone may have already mentioned it) that the Glycemic Index often has a more relevant impact on our blood sugar and metabolism than actual sugar content. This is why we eschew almost all breakfast cereals, whether they contain refined sugars or not. Most of them are so heavily processed that it affects blood sugar levels too dramatically. Or when we do eat them we are sure to try to counter the affects by eating balancing foods with the cereals...

Although I think my chiro. is gifted in her field, I don't agree with some of her nutritional ideas...

My 2 cents.

[OT but, I am also a fan of your new glasses. Snappy.]

[Maggie]

Chris, that's interesting! I didn't know that about freshly-milled WW. I'll have to look into that. We do have raw honey, too. I forgot to mention that. But I don't eat a lot of it.

Originally Posted by Maggie

Chris, that's interesting! I didn't know that about freshly-milled WW. I'll have to look into that. We do have raw honey, too. I forgot to mention that. But I don't eat a lot of it.

This is why it rarely causes problems with people pre-disposed to gluten intolerance. (Anything, of course, with gluten will irritate someone with a long established gluten intolerance). An inordinately large intake of gluten will and can cause problems in the gut . . . with freshly milled WW flour, you have *all* the necessary components in balance, so you don't get a glut of gluten. ( ).. White flour is only the starchy endosperm. Waaaaaaaaaaaaay off-balance.

It also makes research a very dicey thing. . . . . . since most people don't use "real" food for their research, but only those that would appear on grocery shelves (the mainstream foods that are the usual items available to all people). You have to be very careful and selective on where to look for info., since, for instance, fresh-milled WW isn't even close to commercially milled WW flour you find on grocery shelves (including "health food" stores), and raw honey differs greatly from processed honey.