reducing the daily sugar intake

  • I brought the infomerical exercise dvd and i haved been using it for 1 wk. its for 20 min and its not to strenuous to follow.

    also I ran into someone that gave me a help hint in this diet situation. He suggested that I pay close attention to my sugar level. he said that if we are dieting and not conscious of our sugar level, it will cause mood swings on some occasions food binging. my friend recommended pay close attention to the daily amount of sugar intake. also we should have 5 small meals though out the day to maintain the bodys sugar level and avoid bings.. he told me to read all labels and pay attention to the portion size. ok he we go

    does anyone want to give it a try with me to see what happens? any suggestions?

    daily meal plan suggests?

    I am trying to space my small meals 3-4 hours apart, any suggestions?
  • i usually eat 3 squares and 1-2 snacks, but i do agree about the sugar levels. i think it helps to eat as many whole foods as possible.
  • Hi, I'm new here myself, but cutting sugar is also a part of what I do. As most will tell you, it depends on the individual how they react to sugar, but for the most part getting rid of processed anything is better for the human body.

    While it's not something I specifically worry about, some people also look at the combination of foods to determine what kind of impact, sugar or carbs in general will have on their body. For instance, having a piece of bread by itself is going to spike you higher and faster than if you were to eat it with some sort of protein. Proteins in general smooth out the spikes and supposedly keep you saited for longer periods. Along these lines i'm looking into what they call the GI (glycemic index) "load" of foods, kind of a "net effect" on the body of the carbs in the food.

    One suggestion, if you do find sugar to be a problem is to also stay away from the artificials. Some people find that the substitutes set them up to crave sugar as well. Personally, I don't make a habit of it, but once in a while if I want something sweet i'll use a natural sweetner like Stevia or use a fruit juice. I also understand that those with a chocolate craving go for the darker higher content cocoa bars. I found one that has 70% real cocoa and natural ingredients at Whole Foods Market.

    In general, I stay with whole foods, no flours, no sugar, no salt. I love the organic, sprouted grain, no salt, no sugar, no flour bread from Food for Life. I know it sounds like cardboard, but it's great to me.

    Again, everyone is different, but this is what works for me.

    Wishing you the best, and welcome!

    Karen
  • I am a Type II Diabetic. Not practicing mind you. But I have went to a nutrionist. She told me that it is all about balance. She told me to eat protein a size of a fist or the palm of your hand can also work. This works for serving sizes too. Not exactly sure the exact amounts and everybody is different, but the key is balance.

    She also told me that if I want something sweet or fattening, that I should go ahead and eat the regular thing, not low fat, low sugar, etc. Because it is usually worse for you. She just said to eat a small portion and not too often, but once in a while is okay.

    I know everybody here probably thinks "what does SHE know about this" because I am not a very good "dieter". I never have been. When I found out I was a diabetic I was devestated. I felt like my life as I knew it was over and I was in complete denial. At first I tried to do well and then I just gave up.

    But coming to this site has helped a lot and I am now back on my meds and going to try "Being Good". So my best advice to you is like my nutrionist said, "its all about balance". She also told me that she didn't want to me to do Atkins or some diet like that. But if you really want more info, I would really advise going to a nutrionist and speaking to one personally. It is very helpful and they can "Customize" a plan for you and work with you. I have tons of information I can go back and re-read, which I need to do.

    If your insurance doesn't pay for this or if you don't have insurance I know there are a lot of programs or free classes that you can go too to learn more. I would start with asking your family dr about it. That is where I started and am continuing now. It took a lot for me to go back to him and tell him I wanted to basically start over and that I wanted to lose this weight and be healthier. He never puts me down or anything, only gives me positive feedback. He feels if I really put in the effort, the weight will come off and by doing so, he feels a lot of my problems may go away. (Diabetes, PCOS, etc)

    Anywho, sorry I got on a little ramble there.............But hopefully you got a teeny tiny something out of it.

    and you can do it!