So, I followed a low carb, whole foods, vegan diet for 6 months, during which I ate 20-40 net grams of carbohydrate a day. It was low GI and had no added sugars.
I mostly ate plant based proteins, fats, seeds, nuts and green vegetables. I felt GREAT along the way, aches and pains and small irritations became less significant.
Recently, I changed my diet to include Summer fruits.
This lead to an "expansion" of the variety of foods I eat (which resulted in the first week ever maintaining and NOT losing, since I started this journey!).
I had bread a couple of times (good quality, artisan bread) and didn't experience any horrible cravings or after effects. Great, right?
Things have been going pretty well. I've still been eating healthy, whole foods, and much fewer carbohydrates than I did 6 months ago. I haven't had refined sugar or "junk".
Until last night.
I ate three Uncle Eddie's cookies with Silk Plus soymilk. Both have "evaporated cane juice" and the cookies are made with flour.
The results?
I felt like I had been DRUGGED last night. I literally began to feel as though I had taken a sleeping pill. My heart was pounding, my mouth was dry and I felt miserable.
This morning, I am now gassy and bloated, my belly hurts and my head aches. My BREASTS are swollen and tender, like they are during PMS (which went away while low carbing). I feel like I have a hangover.
Nothing else had been changed but the addition of refined sugary food, and I had such DRAMATIC (unpleasant) effects!!! 3 cookies??? Seriously???
I consider that experience to be a lesson learned. It may be a "sample of one", but I am the "one" who matters, in this case, and I got all the proof I needed that I do better without *any* sugary foods!