Let's Eat - Sweet Substitutes

Hi readers. Thanks for being patient with me as I haven't cranked these "Let's Eat" post out as quickly as I thought I would. After this one, I think I have two more posts. I have really enjoyed this series and, again, am very grateful for all of your support.

Today's post, like the last "Let's Eat" post, may be a bit of a difficult step initially. However, I consider this the pièce de résistance of the way I eat. While I can't gaurantee you will lose weight if you make this change in your diet, I would be shocked if you didn't. On top of that, I definitely think it will make you feel more energetic and healthy overall. So what is it?

Stop eating sugar and high fructose corn syrup.

Before you have a conniption fit, let me explain a few things. First, when I say "sugar" I don't mean ALL sugars in the scientific sense of the word. There are sugars that are ok such as the natural sugars found in fruit. I mean the refined sugar that is found in sodas, cereal, baked goods, etc. I also want to say that I do all my shopping at WinCo (the cheapest grocery store in Portland). So don't jump the gun and think you'll have to run off to health food stores in order to do this. Remember that our focus is to be practical and sustainable. Not eating sugar/HFCS may seem impossible to you now, but hopefully by the end of this blog you will see that it is very doable.

So what's so wrong with sugar/HFCS?

If you go to the grocery store and scan the ingredient lables on many of the products, you'll find that sugar/HFCS has crept into so many foods. Juices, peanut butter, canned fruit...all chalk full of this junk.  It is everywhere and I personally think that this is one of the main factors contributing to the obesity problem facing much of the western world.

Sugar/HFCS makes people fat in two ways. First, it is addicting. Sugar/HFCS is similar to drugs or alcohol in that you start to feel a need for it. Even though there is nothing nutritionally beneficial about sugar/HFCS, once your body is used to it, you start to crave it. This means that, even if you have eaten enough throughout the day, you may constantly feel unsatisfied until you eat sugar. How often do you find yourself feeling totally full from a meal but thinking, "I just need a little something sweet"? That is a good indicator that you are addicted to sugar.

I used to eat sugar all the time without realizing it. And even thought I felt "full" after meals, I remained unsatisfied. I still wanted to eat even though I wasn't hungry. It wasn't that my body actually needed more nutrients, it was that my body was craving more sugar. This caused me to spend long evenings fighting the urge to get a snack, reminding myself that I had already consumed enough, and, usually, breaking down and eating even though I wasn't hungry. Sound familiar?

Second sugar/HFCSs are  "empty calories." I am sure many of your are familiar with this term so I won't talk about it too much. I want to say, however, that eating more empty calories causes you to eat fewer nutritious calories. This not only adds inches to your waist line, but deprives your body of the healthy energy it needs to operate efficiently. Did you know that in the clinical setting many overweight people are actually considered "malnourished", not because they are eating too little but because they have deprived themselves of nutritious food in place for empty calories? These people often complain of feeling lethargic and fatigued, which makes sense considering their bodies are not getting the fuel they need. Thus, eating sugar/HFCS not only makes people fat, it can also make them feel lazy.

Unfortunately, the negative effects of sugar/HFCS go beyond simply making people fat and lethargic. Because of the way sugar/HFCS is metabolized, some scientists blame it for an increase in metabolic syndrome, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. Nutritionalists across the globe are beginning to call sugar/HFCS a "poison" or a "toxin" because of the multiplicity of negative effects it can have on the body (reference this article for an overview).

Phewww...that was a lot to say. Cutting out sugar/HFCS is a big change, but I hope with what I said above and any research that you do on your own, you will come to see that this change is so beneficial. And it really isn't as hard as it seems! Now let's talk about how to do it pracitally and sustainably.

The first thing that I want to say about this is that cutting out sugar doesn't mean cutting out sweet! The key to being successful at this is to learn how to replace sugar in a healthy way. There are many ways to sweeten your food that do not harm your body in the way that sugar/HFCS does. I'm not talking about artificial sweetners like splenda, however. I am talking about more natural sweetners such as:

Honey
Berries
Raisins
Organic dried fruit
Agave nectar
Cinnamon
Peanut butter

Let me give you some examples... Instead of buying sugary yogurt, I buy plain greek yogurt and sweeten it with honey and berries. Instead of putting brown sugar on my oatmeal, I put raisins, cinnamon, and peanut butter on it. Instead of baking with sugar, I use honey or agave nectar. I don't deprive myself of flavor, I just make my food taste good with natural, healthy, nutritious ingredients. As I have reduced my sugar intake, I have found that sugary foods that I used to find delicious now taste too sweet. I honestly prefer the more natural taste of things.

Which leads me to the idea that simply acquiring tastes for some items without sugar/HFCS is also an option. This may take a little time, but it could end up being worth it. For example, I now like my coffee and tea with cream only. I also have come to like taking shots or sipping bourbon instead of drinking super sugary mixed drinks. This is NOT a necessity for not eating sugar/HFCS, but it is helpful AND has provided me with some hobbies. Bryce and I (in a non-snobby way) have come to enjoy trying various coffees, liquors, wines, etc. This has allowed me to appreciate food in a healthy way, beyond simply liking it for the sugar "fix". Just an idea.

Finally, I want to say that there are a few items that you may have to dish out a TINY bit more money on to really stop eating sugar. Like I said, I still do all my shopping at WinCo. However, I spend a dollar more per loaf for Dave's Killer Bread and a dollar or so more for Adam's Peanut Butter. Sometimes I also spend a little more to get sugarless crackers and other grains. However, since I eat so little grain to begin with, this increase in cost is minuscule and the diet is still very practical and sustainable.

So, all of this is to say that I really encourage you to stop eating sugar/ HFCS in your home. I want to give a word of warning that as you make this change, you may go through a "withdrawal" period. This sounds extreme, but it is true. For example, I am coming to the close of a month full of vacationing in which I ate tons of sugar (remember our "exception scenarios"). Now, as I try to get back to my normal diet, I have had a headache off and on and have felt extra hungry. I've heard it said that it takes two full weeks to kick a sugar addiction, and that the first two days are particularly hard. However, once those two weeks are over, you won't miss it!

Stay strong and give it a shot! Like I said earlier, I can't make any guarantees, but I am sure that not eating sugar/HFCS will make you leaner and healthier. Why not try it out?

P.S.  I hope I don't sound like the annoying lady on this commercial, but I definitely don't believe the message the Corn Refiners Association is trying to send. :) This SNL parody of the commercial is hilarious. Be sure to watch it all the way to the end.