Cutting back on sugar?

I know it is a pretty obvious thing to consume less sugar, but I have been focusing on all things except this one. I am curious the others who have done this-- how much did you cut down, how did it make you feel? Did you replace sugar with other things? Did it give you more energy?

Tue. Aug 22, 10:14am

i tried very hard to avoid refined sugar for about 6 years. that was in the 80's, and the food world in my area hadn't really opened up yet, so to speak. i found that many foods that one would not suspect of having added sugar actually did. i felt less weighed-down and ate far fewer high-fat treats. it was great! but then i started college and kind of stopped paying attention for a while. i did not replace the sugar that i cut out, but i did eat more fruit, so that technically replaced a lot of it-but it wasn't refined so i think it was not as bad.

Tuesday, August 22, 2006, 10:21 AM

I have pretty much cut out most refined sugar (i do treat myself to dessert now and then). Trader Joe's and Whole Foods are great places to find sugar-free sauces, condiments and dressings. Since those make up almost the entire extent of the packaged food that I eat that's a huge help. For the rest I simply don't eat much pre-prepared food - I buy ~80 percent of my groceries in the produce and meat sections and use (sparingly) whole-wheat pasta and brown rice. I definitely still eat fruit, but usually only for luch - sometimes I'll have a piece for dessert if I need something sweet (and Whole foods has sugar-free dried fruit). Alternately I sparingly consume artificial sweeteners so I really need a chocolate fix I may also make hot cocoa out of Droste cocao powder, splenda, suger-free flavored syrup and skim milk.

It's a big change from the way I used to eat and it has helped me lose weight without 'dieting'. I do still get some sugar, but not nearly the amount I used to consume. I most definitely have more energy, need less sleep, enjoy the sleep I get more, have fewer cravings and am more 'balanced' during the day (don't seem to have periods where my energy flags and then rises).

Tuesday, August 22, 2006, 12:23 PM

Stevia is a natural herb extract that I find to be a great sugar replacement in tea and coffee.

Tuesday, August 22, 2006, 2:18 PM

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