Sweet Poison - going sugar (fructose) free, anyone?

OK, so I heard David Gillespie on the conversation hour (ABC local radio) and have read The Sweet Poison Quit Plan (Google Sweet Poison). He presents a compelling case and we (well, just me really, but I’m in charge of these things in our family so it’s the royal “we”) have decided that we’re going to give it a go.

So... limiting fructose to less than 10g per day. Today was day 1 and we all survived! :hooray: I felt like crap all day but I did it!

Anyone else done it, doing it, thinking about it? :D Would love some sugar free buddies. :hug:

Oh. :hug:

:lol: Thanks MadB. :lol:

ETA: I can still eat cheese and drink champagne though....

I have had reoccuring breast and nipple thrush since having ds and am on the anticandida diet, which is no sugar wheat yeast or dairy. It has been 6 weeks and i find it pretty easy. The hardest thing has been fruit though...the apples look so good at the moment.

I have been using Stevia as a sugar substitute and have even made a cake or two for family birthdays.

Can you eat substitutes? Also what about certain berries since they have a relative low sugar level?

Epacris I want to do it!!! Help!!!
I bought some stevia at coles, it's an all natural sugar substitute I've been using that in my tea. I think I'm a little addicted to sugar & I'll struggle to eliminate it but I've done it before and lost the spare tyre & 5kgs.
Any hints? Good luck!!!

ok. I'm looking at this.
I had no idea I was an addict. I feel so dirty. Oh sugar, you have led me far astray.

I am interested too! My name is Jo and I am a dirty addict tooo, oh the shame :(
Ok off to google more about what I can and can't have!

It’s kind of complicated, you really need to read the book/s to “get it” properly (I’ve read the book and I’m still trying to “get it” I keep having to re-read sections). Basically he breaks sugar into good sugars (mostly glucose and lactose) and bad sugars (mostly fructose). You can eat whatever you want, you just have to limit fructose to approximately less than 10g per day.

OUT:
Anything with sugar (sucrose, which is half fructose).
Juice and dried fruit (I still haven’t quite managed to comprehend me giving up fruitcake, that bit just can’t be true, totally in denial about that one).
Honey and Maple syrup

You can use some sweeteners, he explains which ones and why in the book.
You can have fruit but you need to limit it to no more than two pieces per day and try to stick to low fructose/high fibre fruit like pears and berries (grapes are bad).

That’s all I can think of for now. :think:

:

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Basically he breaks sugar into good sugars (mostly glucose) and bad sugars (mostly fructose).

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That doesn't sound quite right???
Fructose is the natural sugars you find in things like fruit. Glucose is the sugar which is derived from things - ie, your white sugar, etc - which are added to processed foods (along with surcrose).

To me it would make more sense to avoid the glucose and surcrose and try to make sure any sugar intake consists of those healthier sugars like fructose.

Yeah Misty, his argument is almost completely the opposite of that (what you just said) and he does back it up with quite a bit of scientific research, as well as lots of compelling (although anecdotal, which he freely admits) case studies. Like I said, you really need to read the book, I can‘t possibly explain all the technicalities of it all here.

hhhmmmm....

Well good luck with it, anyway. :)

I did it! I gave up sugar in October last year and it was liberating! I finally shifted the excess weight from 2 pregnancies and got back into my pre-preg clothes, ditched the sugar induced mood swings and high/low sugar cravings and felt generally healthier and more energetic.

I highly recommend giving it a go. I had always tried to keep away from sugar with the idea that it was generally not very good for health but slipped into some pretty sad habits with babies and kids (pretty common story I imagine). I found it hard to find the motivation to stick at being 'good' with food but after reading the book I had a new understanding of the hidden sugars which would undo any efforts I might make in getting off sugar. My new enthusiasm made it easy to avoid temptation although I didn't go cold turkey as the book recommends, just gradually reduced my intake and changed brands where necessary to avoid products with too much added sugar. Pretty soon I was happily passing up cake with my coffee, mayo on my sandwich and ice cream with the family without even a hint of second thought. Liberating!

I have relaxed my stance since but I still don't have any sugar in my tea (a weak point previously) I can't stand products with sugar added and can still turn down dessert without a problem. I guess I just enjoy the food I want to eat now without being attracted to the stuff over sweetened so my palate has changed for the better. I don't think about it much anymore and am so glad I gave the theory a go.

I say go for it Epacris, I will be cheering you on from the sidelines!

Ahhh jackrose... that’s what I want to hear! :cheer:

Actually in the book he says women do better cutting down the sugar and men to better going cold turkey. Interesting to hear your experience with that. And your “before” story sounds just like me too, hopefully (for me) our “after” stories will match as well. :thumbsup:

And for anyone interested but not up to ploughing through a book or two just at the moment, the conversation hour interview is a great place to start. David Gillespie - ABC Conversations with Richard Fidler

Fructose can be more harmful than glucose for a couple of reasons...
When glucose enters the bloodstream it is regulated by insulin but fructose is processed by the liver. The liver can't process too much so it turns it to fat and sends it into the bloodstream as a trigylceride. This in turn can result in liver disease, heart disease, insulin resistance and type two diabetes.
High fructose diets also contribute to weight gain because they bypass hormonal controls which tell your body you are satisfied when eating.

Excellent! I think that approaching it with a strong motivation is helpful as sugar is a pretty hard habit to crack. It is also nice to know that being militant in the short term is worthwhile as you can relax a little later and still benefit. (Of course I am not talking eat a packet of tim tams relax ;))

I just remembered there was a thread about this earlier, you may find some more support here.

can someone give me a quick idea of what is no good?

and OMG at no fruit cake! Epacris, big, big :hug: because your fruit cake is the best. Maybe you could save up your 10g a day for an annual blowout...?

Oops :redface: Thanks for that thread jackrose, I should have done a search before posting this one. Lots of reading for me there. :D

MadB – just anything with sugar, but sooooooooo much stuff has sugar in it. :wall:

Yeah, fruitcake, I can't give that up, no way. :shakehead: I’m cooking my birthday fruitcake this week, the fruit is soaking in brandy right now. I wonder if I’ll actually want to eat it come my birthday (in September).

i was raised in a high sugar household, and my grandparents were even worse (i think they were raised before refridgeration was common, so back when salt and sugar were commonly used (overused) to extend the life of fresh food). Even though i realised my mother used alot LESS sugar than my grandma, i still ended up with a huge sweet tooth. I use less sugar than my mother, so three generations on, RELATIVE to how i was raised, i'm using less, but still, for what is healthy, i'm sure i use way too much.

In the last year, my progress has been
- to give up Iced Coffee (used to drink a 600ml every time i left the house, used to have the 3L bottles in my fridge in newborn baby days, lived on the stuff). so going cold turkey, this is one thing i'm very pleased to have accomplished

- using yogurt instead of cream, in layered birthday cakes, in butterfly little cakes
- using yogurt instead of icecream
(but i'm not using Greek yogurt, this is still the fruit flavoured yogurt, so some progress, but more to go)

- using icing mainly as feature details, instead of covering whole cake (birthdays)

- using honey on weetbix, to replace sugar

- when making baked goods, reducing sugar component, subbing part of sugar for sultanas, dates (fruit).
There are many substitutes, like apple sauce, corn syrup, stevia etc. I either haven't understood how to sub them, or worried about the expense - so haven't used these.

- using raw sugar, as opposed to white sugar (less processed).

I'm trying to get more fruit and veg into our diets, so the thought of restricting fruit, not sure about that. Esp with bilby, she eats so little of anything already, if i have to cut out the tinned pears she DOES eat, i cannot contemplate her eating zero fruit.

i must go and listen to the link (is Richard Fidler, the guy who used to be in the Doug Anthony Allstars?)

Have never gone and seen a naturopath, as i'm scared i will get told to give up everything i enjoy (sugar, coffee, choc). i know the more i'm told i CAN"T have something, the more i will crave it. I try to limit what i eat, by telling myself, i can have whatever, so that takes away my desire for it.

Maybe reading a few "things to avoid", will help me make healthier choices in the supermarket.

thanks for posting this Ecapris, it's exactly what i need, ways to cut out sugar.

PS can you think of fruitcake as a birthday, xmas, celebration thing? or are you used to having it weekly? If you make it really well, it would be harsh to go without it forever Ecapris.

Gigi, yes, that's the same Richard. I am a HUGE DAAS fan. Sooooooooooo weird listening to Richard being all smart and sensible now. :lol:

Gigi, you are going to HATE me for telling you this..... :hide: but dried fruit and honey are both big no nos. So is raw sugar... You may as well eat whit sugar!! :hide:

I will shut up now.... (sorry! :( )

oh I was so hoping honey was ok.

so what about cereals? Are they ok - glucose, right?

Mad B – at the end of this article there’s a bit more info on what’s in and what's out (just go and get the book girl... you know you want to :D ). Almost all cereals are OUT!

Sugar cause of obesity says Sweet Poison author David Gillespie

Interesting. We're just starting the GAPS diet, which is basically the SCD. It is grain free, sugar free & lactose free but I can have honey & fruit as they are monosaccharides. Though the diet is supposed to be 85% savoury to cut down on these even though they are natural sugars.

I had a read through his websites (so not convinced on the fruit thing, I tend to be from the school of thought that says if it grows in the ground and goes off, it's good, but I'll try to keep an open mind).

So he's recommending avoiding:

Confectionary and Bikkies
Flavoured drinks
Breakfast cereals - but plain oats are okay
Condiments
Muesli Bars
Yoghurts - but plain yoghurt is okay
And anything you add table sugar/honey/fruit juice concentrate/ rice syrup/agave syrup etc to..........................tea, coffee, baking.

But I gather there's an allowable 'limit'.

Looking at my diet, since I try to eliminate processed foods and make everything from scratch, there isn't any of these things in my diet, with the exception of the occasional fruit juice (maybe once every couple of days). I add a small amount of sugar to the bread we make and obviously in baking, but again, I am pretty sure it would be within the allowable limits. I know I have the odd treat when I'm visiting for morning tea ;), but since I'm so time poor, that happens about once a month! We already use natural plain yoghurt and I only have oats when I have cereal.

So in the end, Epacris, even though I haven't read through all of his stuff, if you're taking processed foods out of your diet, you'll probably go a long way towards meeting what he's suggesting anyway, and you can still have the fruit cake! Maybe because I don't have any of those major no-nos there's no craving and the stuff I do have that's probably on his no list is not a big issue. :dunno: I don't actually like a lot of sugary things, I think it's how you train your palate.

I'm a fan of the Michael Pollan school of food thought. His Food Rules book is so simple.

I have been diagnosed with "fructose malabsorption", which basically means by body can't process the stuff.
(TMI warning) Basically, I get the runs BIG TIME just from eating just an apple!
The scary thing is when you find out just how many products have fructose or HFCS in them!
Giving up juice, and dried fruit was the most difficult for me tho!

There's lots of info on the net about what fruit and vegies to avoid and of course check labels on all your canned goods etc too.

Good luck with everything. :)

yes, alright alright, I'll buy the book.
DH is not going to be pleased about this though.... he's already insisted that he has to have honey (he keeps his own bees, so maybe it's a matter of pride)
But it says bread is 'largely ok'...

The more I read the social media stuff around Sweet Poison the more it seems less like a diet and more like a religion to me. :lol: Some people are absolutely fanatical about it, others want to aggressively discredit him, then there’s a whole bunch of moderates saying “well it worked for him, it might work for you, different diets work for different people, not everyone is addicted to sugar just like not everyone is addicted to heroin, alcohol or gambling”.

Jen, I have many, many, many more dirty little secrets associated with sugar than I care to reveal here. :lol: I definitely am addicted.

I just want to give it a go and see how I feel about it. I am really sick of feeling constantly, mildly hungry. This might be a way for me to get rid of that feeling and have other positive health benefits.

It's funny isn't it? The rabid defense of sugar... must be addicts :shakehead:

So after reading this thread I went and borrowed the book from the library. I had a quick look through last night and seems sensible enough to me. One thing from flicking I didn't get, maybe it wasn't in it) is there a recommended level sugar in a product to stick to. For example I have Bran Flakes for breakfast which have 7g per cup. Which I am not sure are suitable or not.

Epacris - how are you going??

Thanks for asking kts64s I am going great! :thumbsup: I baked a fruit cake yesterday (not my birthday one, a gift for someone ) and get this, I did not lick the beaters, I did not lick the bowl. Astounding! I did not even sneak one (or a few) glace cherries. :o We went visiting today and took a custard bun and I didn’t have any of that either. Tonight I had a little bit of tomato sauce with dinner (DH cooked sausages, how could I not) but I’m sure it would have been within the 10g of fructose per day limit.

Anything with more than 3% “sugar” 3g/100g is out (unless you only have a tiny amount, like the tomato sauce I had with dinner tonight).
One teaspoon sugar = 4.2g (I think that’s correct?).
“sugar” is 50% glucose 50% fructose, glucose is fine, fructose is evil (apparently).
You need to limit fructose to less than 10g per day.

So, I’m on day 4 now and I’m expecting to feel something (not quite sure what) at around the two week mark???

I crave sugar all the time and I’m mildly hungry all the time. When I can’t stand it anymore I have a teaspoon full of glucose syrup and a handful of raw nuts. But unfortunately I am still snacking a lot and most of my snacks now are much higher in salt that I’m used to. So my goal is after 2 or 3 weeks of no sugar, to really start ramping down my salt intake too.

I’ve never done anything like this before, i.e. been on a “diet” I am really surprised that I’ve lasted this long.

:cheer:
Well done resisting the cake temptation Ep!
I'm cutting back but not to that extent. will see how I go.

How is everyone here going with being sugar free?? I am about to embark and am really doubting myself but have to give it a try. I have a list of foods I can eat and will stock up on when shopping later today but DH is doubting I can do it and he thinks if Im not strong enough myself then I will fail - which is probably true but a bit of faith would help!!
;)