Quitting Sugar

[Lois Wickstrom]

All my life, I’ve known people who quit sugar – not forever, in most cases, but they were going to try.  They wanted to lose weight.   They wanted to get rid of pimples.  But I didn’t want to lose weight and I didn’t care about my pimples. I thought I had a free pass on sugar. I could have dessert any night I wanted. I could make cookies whenever I wanted.

 

About 4 years ago, I noticed my knuckles bulging.  But they didn’t hurt. They just looked funny. I didn’t think it mattered.  About 4 months ago, they started hurting.  I bought cat’s claw and drank some every morning.  And again during the day if my knuckles stabbed me.

 

About 1 month ago, I read my AARP email newsletter. In it an article said that most of arthritis pain is from sugar inflammation.  The article said it would take 6 weeks of no sugar to notice an effect.  I immediately quit sugar, honey, agave, anything except fresh fruit that tasted at all sweet. Within 2 weeks, I was in less pain.  At 3 weeks my hands felt almost normal.  I was still taking one dose of cat’s claw every morning, but never during the day or evening.

 

A few days ago, I didn’t read the label. I used an old jar of pad thai sauce.  Pad Thai doesn’t taste sweet to me. I didn’t think it could have sugar in it.  Within 2 hours, my hands were in pain.  I drank a glass of water with 18 drops cat’s claw extract.  My hands calmed down.  The label said this sauce was 38% sugar.  Yipes!  I only put a few spoonfuls of the sauce into the pad thai. I had made enough for 4 people.  So half a spoonful of a sauce that is 38% sugar is enough to cause pain.

 

Years ago, I went through all my cookie recipes and removed 1/3 of the sugar.  My husband wanted some gingerbread cookies.  I cut the sugar in half again, and substituted honey for the sugar.  Honey is not sucrose.  It’s a combination of glucose and fructose.  I used my small cookie cutters. I ate one cookie.  The pain was minor.  Honey is not sugar.  I used to eat two cookies. I used to use the big cookie cutters – the mermaid, the two-headed gingerbread man, the big rabbit.  Now one small cookie with 1/3 the original amount of sweetening is pushing my limits. It’s not something I’d eat every day, or even every week.

 

But I have discovered that fruit smoothies fill my urge for something sweet. I make those every day. I don’t crave cookies or other desserts.  They are no longer part of my regular diet.  My husband, the alien, has taken to buying extra candy bars for himself.  I can look at them in the fridge and not want even a nibble.  It’s not the fear of pain – it’s that they truly don’t appeal to me any more.   

 

I thought quitting sugar would be hard.  Thanks to fruit smoothies, it feels like I’m eating what I crave.  Yay for my blender!

[Zanelle]

I am so glad to read this!   I seem to have quit my lifelong obsession with sugar too.  I thought I could never do it.  It had a hold on me that was making me crazy, dependent and shooting my cholesterol level up.  A package of cookies a day and my candy was like cocaine.  I had to have it.  I would get in the car and go get some if it wasn't in the house.  When my doctor said my cholesterol level was up twenty points in one year I had to stop.  Plus I rented a room to a man with diabetes who shot up insulin but continued to eat SUGAR.   Crazy.  He has no energy.   Plus I get some kisses from a guy who likes to take care of himself and that helped.  Plus I just wanted to stop feeling BAD.  I hate to admit that I was an addict and I am very wary that this is just a pause in my addiction. I always thought my eating was a rebellion against my mom and it is but I guess I am finally growing up at 66.  I bought a pretty little ring for myself today symbolizing that I too can be pretty and little and under control because I really hate pain and discomfort.  Thanks!

[JMac1949 Today]

Thanks for the tip, wonder if if works for osteoarthritis. Since I have diabetes II and have already cut way back on sugar, maybe I'll try going completely sugar free, but I'll have a really hard time giving up my favorite desert: Warm French bread with butter.  Not sure I can get through the day without it.  R&L ;-)

[Phyllis]

Congrats on figuring out what was causing your pain. It really is amazing what food can do.

I gave up sugar one year for lent and went completely bonkers. I let myself eat fructose, honey, maple syrup, anything to keep from going homicidal. This coming week, while on vacation, I plan to ditch my soda habit. I plan to not eat anything but whole foods. I need to get a handle on things, too, before I really get sick. (As if high BP and cholesterol weren't sick enough.)

[Lois Wickstrom]

Zanelle, congratulations!  I'm finding it amazing that I don't even crave honey -- fruit is enough.  I eat a small cookie to be polite.

JMac1949, I doubt french bread with butter has enough sugar to cause you pain.  I've made french bread from scratch -- it has barely enough honey to keep the yeast alive.

Phyllis, try fruit smoothies.  Fruit and even some kale with water. I like them best with a slice of pineapple and an orange, plus anything else that calls out to me.  Fruit smoothies have totally wiped out my sweet tooth.  I'm amazed. 

[Phyllis]

Would you believe I don't own a blender. This might be my incentive to finally acquire one.

[Lois Wickstrom]

I have an Osterizer Beehive.  That model has 600 watts.  I think that level of power is worth the extra money.  I'm sure there are other brands that also have at least 600 watts. Be sure to get a tempered glass mixing compartment.  

[Phyllis]

It's the buttons that throw me off. So many choices.

[Lois Wickstrom]

The beehive has two positions:  On and pulse.  So, you choose between constant whirring and having to hold the lever down.

[Jenny]

I don't eat a lot of sugar but I didn't realize the connection with inflammation. 

I try for a daily smoothie and find my body truly misses it when I don't make one. Which reminds me...  *pads off to kitchen*