This week, I have read David Gillespie’s The Sweet Poison Quit Plan and discovering the impact of sugar on the body. Research has shown that sugar, or more importantly the fructose in sugar effects us because it’s:
- Converted to fat by our liver
- Interferes with our appetite control hormones
I like everyone else thought my diet was reasonably balanced however what I didn’t realise is how much hidden sugar is in the healthy everyday foods we eat. So as a challenge, between now and the end of the year I plan to watch my daily intake of sugar attempting to keep it down to the recommended 6 teaspoons a day for women. This is actually 24 grams of sugar as 1 teaspoon of sugar equals 4 grams of sugar. It won’t be easy but I think the improved health of my body will make it worth it. Let me know what you think and if you are up for the challenge too.
try to watch That Sugar Film, how sugar can change the generations..
Count me in for a sugar challenge. I need this! Fairly certain I’m addicted. I’m afraid to count grams/day.
I am only counting them from now on. Its easy if you look before you eat the food. If you eat a lot of sugar they say the withdrawals are huge. I feel better already so I think it will be worth it. We’ll support each other.
I did consume a lot of sugar based food but I didn’t find the withdrawals that bad…I was still getting a sweety fix but more through increasing fruit intake…
I started this journey last year after one of my girls put me onto, first, Cowspiracy, which I thought was poorly-assembled scaremongering; and That Sugar Movie which I thought made some good points, even if his logic and process were a little thin in places. The proof is in the pudding (in this case, perhaps the lack of it) and I shed 20kg in six months and am keeping it off even through winter.
I don’t think you need to worry too much about counting anything as opposed to just making some simple changes to achieve the same effect. If I could suggest three such changes, they would be:
Reduce dairy – you can make a good non-dairy latte, yoghurt, cheese and ice-cream (the loss of which were my initial objections to this when Bubble proposed it to me).
Reduce ‘white stuff’: white sugar, white bread (especially store-bought), white salt, white flour, etc.
Absolutely avoid anything in a wrapper that says it’s healthy: it’s probably not and most likely full of sugar.
You can take it further by removing the middlemen and layers of processing by making more yourself e.g. non-dairy milks are so easy to make yourself without all the additives and packaging of the store-bought products and you can do cool stuff with the leftover meal; make your own bread; etc…
I find it’s not just healthy but a lot of fun exploring this world…
Wow! That’s impressive. I know I need to cut back on sugar and do some other changes in my life. Right now I’m trying to cut back on milk. I started using almond milk in my protein shakes and actually felt a lot better. I drank a couple glasses of regular milk today and I feel congested and tired. So, I’ll tackle this one first. Looking forward to hearing how it continues to go for you.
All my life I have had sugar in my tea, and one of my love has been jam donoughts. However two years ago my doctor advised that I cut on my sugar intake. First were the donoughts then sugar in my tea. I admit it has not been easy. I have managed to lose 1 stone I still need to shade of two more stones.
I would have loved to take up your challenge but there are things I am currently working on.
I like the challenge as it is doable so I wish you and those who will join you all the best. I hope we will hear of how you are getting on.