Sugar

Has anyone seen any improvement giving up sugar? I have leaky gut and obviously should be cutting down but I am addicted. I find that a cuppa and a bar of chocolate always lift my mood, albeit temporarily.
However, my health is continuing to decline. And I feel maybe I should give it up to see if I notice any difference.
Anyone see any improvements by doing this? I am so reluctant....shows the power of sugar, I should be trying anything to improve but chocolate/cake are things I continue to justify (it's everyday, not just at w.ends) Lifelong habit, so comforting! Thanks

 

Yes - I have things sweetened with xylitol, which to me tastes just the same, but it has many fewer calories. You can use it in drinks, and get chocolate and peppermints sweetened with it, among other things. It's natural.

 

Xylitol is really good, it even works well for baking which isn’t always the case with sugar alternatives. Just a word of warning for anyone trying it though, it can cause digestive issues so start slow!

I personally didn’t feel any better being off sugar so I just try to not to have too much these days.

 

If you really need 'something' to go with coffee (I know I do!), you could grate some fresh cinnamon on a slice of buttered sprouted toasted bread. It's quite satisfying and takes away that craving for a sugary snack.

 

I thought artificial sweeteners were also supposed to be bad for you (and your microbiome)?

 

It's not artificial.

 

What's sprouted bread?

 

I still wonder if its safe, though...

 

Bread made with sprouted grains, probably.

 

In my case I am moderately allergic to cane sugar, so I defo feel better when avoiding it.

I don't know what the current standards are in Europe/UK, but in the US sugar is one of the crops that is dessicated with glyphosate to make harvesting easier. This means the plant is drenched w herbicide in high enough measure to kill the plant.. Glyphosate has been proven to cause gut permeability, so I try not to eat cane sugar unless it is organic, if I do eat it.

White sugar gives me a sore throat almost immediately; but I can eat this chocolate without any issue, as it is sweetened with coconut sugar, which for whatever reason is perfectly fine for me if I don't overdo. If I bake, I use coconut sugar or maple syrup.

Note that sugar beets are also highly sprayed with glyphosate, so best to avoid products that are sweetened with that as well.

 

My diet wasn't spectacularly high in sugar and I had IBS for years before getting ME.

I ended up being advised to go on a complete sugar free and yeast free diet. It was incredibly difficult.

The justification was it would improve my ME. It didn't. It really helped my IBS though.

I didn't substitute anything else in terms of sweetener for sugar & anything I was allowed tasted vile to me.

I still have to be very careful, but can now have a little. I also have to be careful with my refined carb intake.

PM me if you want to have a chat about it @Sunshine3. Though I won't be around much over the next week so may be a little delay in replying.

 

Is it safe to eat? Probably, in limited qualities, I do about a kilo every six months and....I'm......erm......possibly not the best example

When added to cornflakes it seems less toxic than the cornflakes anyway. Although over consumption can have definite negative effects, let's just say don't eat a whole box of chocolates made with it in one sitting, even a small one lol.

Few things are absolutely safe.

Air, almost everyone exposed to air dies, waters just as bad, and as for hedgehogs, everyone who has even heard of a hedgehog, let alone consumed or even seen one, is doomed......safe? What's safe?

 

@MeSci

This bread is found in the freezer section.

Sprouting (allowing grains/seeds to germinate) releases nutrients and makes them readily available and easily digested.

"Enzymes are released during the sprouting process, which break down proteins and carbohydrates. This process helps make sprouted grain food low glycemic and easier to digest. Traditional grain breads are harder to digest, and the body loses a good portion of the nutrients because it is unable to digest them."

 

I cut down on sugar and refined carbs (they are effectively the same thing once they reach the stomach). I don’t see any carbs as bad. This is nonsense peddled by people who don’t really know what they are talking about.

I went ketogenic for 8 weeks and then slowly introduced carbs back over 3-6 months to a maximum of 150g per day ..with the odd falling off the wagon at 200g. Before that I was eating around 350g of carbs.

Like others this eventually cleared up my constant daily IBS symptoms so that it’s very rare now and when it is it’s quite mild, but no change in any other symptoms. This took around a year to sort itself out. Generally I consume around 60-80g per day of sugars from fruit, salad dressings, dark chocolate etc and of course my d ribose.

 

Exactly. Any food can be bad in excess. Like you, I keep my carbs low-ish, but I enjoy dark chocolate, the odd drizzle of honey, and a spoonful or two of muesli in my coconut yoghurt. I can still maintain the cognitive perks of ketosis (for me, it reduces brain fog and stops the huge swings in blood sugar), but I get to eat most things without trouble.

Xylitol and stevia are natural and relatively safe, unless you take bucketloads (any sweetner can potentially cause diarrhoea or whatever).

 

Well thanks for that. Until your post I had never even heard of hedgehogs. Now I'm doomed

 

I hadn't heard of this, but did a search of where I get much of my food from and found sprouted wheat bread and sprouted rye bread. I avoid wheat, rye and other gluten-containing grains, except for Fria which is supposedly gluten-free.

I wonder if sprouting makes gluten tolerable for sensitive people?

Don't know if I fancy the yeast-free nature of it though.

 

@MeSci

I'm not gluten sensitive but from what I've read it is not recommended for gluten sensitive people.

 

I agree.

Having said that, in my own case, I couldn't do it.

At one point I had two different "experts" advising me slightly differently . Honestly, like buses - nothing for ages then two of 'em show up .

The diet recommended by the first one was much, much stricter. The second person thought it didn't need to be quite so strict.

After the initial nightmare and it really was a nightmare, rashes and everything, cravings as bad as when I gave up the fags, the stricter diet was actually much easier. Allowing myself the occasional, little bit of sugar drove me crazy and put me back in the inital withdrawal state.