Sugar Freeks and the People Who Love Them
This month marked the end of the second year I have been free of refined sugar, and the first year for Papa. Also, Mama and Littlest Brother were inspired this month to greatly reduce the amount of refined sugar in their diets. I took this milestone as an opportunity to interview the “sugar-freeks”—and the skeptical family members who gave them their name. Please join us for an honest survey of how this health habit has affected both the individuals and the household.
First, the “sugar-freeks” have a voice. (“Sugar-freeks” is a—usually—fond appellation for those in the family who have made the decision to eliminate refined sugar from their diets.)
[What led to the decision to cut all refined sugars?]
I myself was utterly convinced by William Dufty’s book Sugar Blues. The night I finished the book, I said goodbye to sugar with a heaping serving of sherbet. The next day, I quit cold turkey. When I had to make a “politeness exception” a week later, the resulting symptoms were enough to reinforce my decision. [I wrote two posts about my decision the first year—”Goodbye, Sugar.” and “Sugar Free(k).”]
A year later, I was pleased to gain the company of my father. After watching his father (who has diabetes) suffer through a blood sugar episode that included dizziness and vision problems, Papa decided he needed to take initiative in his own health. In his interview he said, “[I thought], ‘I ought to do something to take care of my blood sugar.’”
Mama “jumped on the bandwagon” after watching Tom Naughton’s presentation “Big Fat Fiasco,” and learning about sugar’s role in inflammation and weight gain. “When you cut sugar,” she says, “it isn’t a simple loss of weight, you are healthier.” She cited benefits all the way from avoiding wrinkles to reducing the chances of cancer. Mama jokes, “You two were doing it, so it must be easy.”
[What was your process of elimination?]
In all cases, the sugar freeks adopted a cold turkey approach to eliminating refined sugar from their diets. “It’s the only way to do it,” says Papa, and the others agree. Making the decision to completely avoid refined sugar—from the start—excludes constant decision-making that can wear down your will. In a previous post I said it this way: “After I quit refined sugar, it simply was not an option anymore... Because of this determination, I seldom experienced the mental exertion of ‘choosing’ to eat or not eat something. If it had refined sugar, I couldn’t eat it. It was that simple, and that much easier.”
[Did you experience a detox or crash?]
Digestion of refined sugar and other high-glycemic foods causes a spike in blood sugar levels, causing a temporary feeling of increased energy (in part, due to increased heart and respiratory rate). Following an elimination of refined sugar from the diet, the body experiences adjustments in metabolism which may result in temporary changes in energy. Papa thought he might have experienced “a little bit of tiredness” for a day or two. Mama laughs and says, “I fell asleep the first day—for five hours. I was very tired.”
[What health benefits have you noticed?]
Some of the health benefits I have experienced after quitting refined sugar were almost immediately noticeable, and did much to encourage me. Chronic insomnia was resolved, and I enjoyed better quality of sleep. Unexplained headaches and muscular aches disappeared. My acne improved. My sugar-cravings disappeared, I was less hungry, and I had no more sudden mood swings between meals. Several months later, I suddenly noticed that I no longer had “morning mouth.” I thought that was weird, but was not surprised when I remembered that sugar impairs enzymes in the mouth that help break down food particles and keep bacteria at bay.
Papa says, “I lost twenty pounds.—I went from 177 to 157 without trying. I feel better, and I sleep better at night.” He laughs when he mentions that his bad breath has also gone away.
Because Mama began a new exercise routine at the time she changed her diet, she is not sure which of the benefits she experienced were due to the elimination of refined sugar.
[What has been the hardest part?]
It hasn’t always been easy. I still struggle sometimes with being polite at church functions and friends’ houses, knowing that even a small exception will result in a headache and an energy crash afterwards. (You can read my thoughts on eating out, in the comments in this previous post.) Mama agrees that the hardest part is “eating out or at other people’s houses—anywhere not at home.”
Papa missed Cuban coffee, until he learned to “buck up” and take it without sugar. “I used to have it with honey, but I don’t miss [the sweetening] now.”
[What food do you miss the most?]
The sugar freeks have found that after a short time, their sugar-cravings were actually reversed. “[I miss] coke every once in a while, but it’s mostly psychological,” Papa notes. Mama agrees, “Even if I have a craving for it, soda is gross.” She misses coke as “something very cold that isn’t water.” But Mama misses pizza most of all. Our homemade version doesn’t quite compare to a pie from the local pizzeria!
Sometimes I will regretfully remember, “I enjoyed eating that!” but remembering the actual taste erases the appeal.
[Do you ever cheat?]
“Fundamentally, no,” says Papa. He explains that a rare sip of coke or a taste of flan tastes terrible and makes him feel terrible—it gives him a stomach-ache and eye twitches.
“When I do cheat,” Mama says, “it’s not like I have twelve cookies. [I’ll have] just one. I am more easily satisfied.” She says that most “cheating” is not based on cravings but convenience when dining out of the house. “When I go out [to eat], I don’t go out of my way to find out if something has sugar. I avoid obvious sugar.”
I too will make “politeness exceptions” when eating out or at a friend’s house. Sometimes I will accidentally eat something with sugar (though, strangely enough, my sense of smell often warns me first). Always, I feel terrible afterwards—hyper and breathless and a little unbalanced. Then I crash with a headache.
[How do you counter temptation?]
When asked how he countered temptations, Papa claimed it was not an issue anymore. “If I’m hungry at work, I’ll eat plantain chips or nuts. If anything, there is an inconvenience factor.”
I agree that avoiding refined sugar doesn’t involve the constant struggle of will-power many people assume. “You’re so disciplined!” they say to me. But even after a short time without refined sugar, my body’s reaction to sugar was terrible. I honestly don’t need will-power to avoid something that makes me feel that bad. Temptation is virtually nil, and the times I did give in always remind me why it isn’t a good idea.
[What do you eat for your sweet tooth?]
Fruit or dark chocolate (86% cocoa) will quickly satiate my sweet tooth. Date bars are an occasional treat, and I will rarely enjoy something sweetened with honey, maple syrup, or—even more rarely—rapadura (unrefined cane sugar).
When Papa has a craving for sweets, he satisfies it with fresh or dried fruits, honey, or dark chocolate (86% cocoa). (He is enthusiastic over my chocolate mousse.) He decided to stop using rapadura in his morning coffee, after he noticed its connection to a general feeling of un-wellness.
Mama, who has always been a milk-chocolate addict, is learning to enjoy the darker varieties. “Dark, dark chocolate [72% cocoa] is not so bad,” she admitted.
What about special times? See my post “A Sugar ‘Freek’ Holiday.”
[Is this a life-long plan?]
I definitely plan this to be a life-long pattern. I recently noted that “health habits whose reasons are thoroughly understood ‘cannot be evaded without a sense of law-breaking...’ To continue to eat refined sugar would have been deliberate harm to my body, and I could not do it. The conviction holds two years later because the knowledge [of sugar’s injurious effects] remains.”
“That’s what it’s going to be,” says Papa. Mama says she too hopes this will be a life-long pattern, but says she will cheat on vacation. She’s not sure Starbucks has rapadura.
[What would you say to someone considering a similar plan?]
“I feel better!” says Papa. For him, there is no better encouragement than the many health benefits he and others have enjoyed after eliminating refined sugar from their diets.
I would encourage anyone considering this or any health decision, to thoroughly educate themselves. It is very easy to shrug off vague, unspecific knowledge of “unhealthiness.” It’s a lot harder to keep doing something when you know exactly how you are injuring your body. If you are interested in eliminating refined sugar in your diet, I recommend that you study the why and the wherefore. A resource that helped me is William Dufty’s classic book Sugar Blues (or this comparable article at Oasis Advanced Wellness). Also highly recommended are Tom Naughton’s documentary Fat Head and the complementary presentations Science for Smart People and Big Fat Fiasco (all available online for free viewing).
Mama has some practical advice. “It makes it easiest if [you have] a list of ‘junk’ that has no sugar. Determine your comfort food, and know what you can indulge in. If you’re a chip person, write a list of chips that have no sugar. When you have a craving for chips, you’ll already know which kind to get.” Mama goes on to warn that “You can increase junk food and calories if you’re only looking at added sugar. [Eliminating refined sugar is] only one component of a healthy diet.”
[Are there any other health habits you’d like to work on?]
I would like to continue decreasing my body’s glycemic load; my next step is to cut out all refined grains and potatoes. On the positive side, I would like to eat more vegetables and drink more water.
Papa readily replies, “To take afternoon naps!” More seriously, he notes that quitting refined sugar was not something he had planned to do.—It was a quick response to a sudden realization. Probably, any other health changes would be similarly inspired.
With a new exercise routine, Mama is well on her way to accomplishing her health goal of increasing her strength.
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Littlest Brother also decided to eliminate refined sugars from his diet. “Sugar makes you weaker and lazy,” he said. (The first he heard from his sister; the second is an original observation.) The greatest challenge ahead was eating soup and peas. He also missed ice cream. Littlest Brother acknowledged the importance of accountability and support. When asked how he planned to counter temptation, he replied, “They’re gonna to have to pull me back.” He planned this to be a life-long endeavor, and looked forward to a birthday treat of fresh strawberries and whipped cream sweetened with Rapadura.
Although Littlest Brother has changed his mind since this interview, his knowledge of sugar’s effect on the body, and the example of other family members, continues to influence which foods he chooses to eat.
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A year after I quit refined sugar, when Papa had just made the change, one of the boys drew a mural. A gigantic bag of sugar dominated the scene. A stick figure designated as myself was fleeing for her life, Papa was just starting on a sprint, and Biggest Brother looked thoughtful. “Going, going, gone” was the ominous inscription.
So how have other family members responded to the dietary choices? Do they find the idea intriguing or extreme?—harmless or threatening?
[What do you think about the sugar freeks?]
Responses to the sugar freeks have varied from “They’re crazy!” to “They’re normal, just like us.” When asked for his opinion, Third Brother readily replied, “They miss out on all the delicious food.” Some felt the sugar freeks were too extreme. “People eat too much sugar,” one interviewee agreed. “I would maybe limit, but, as it is now, I don’t eat a lot.”
[Is this something you’d ever consider trying?]
Would they consider adopting a similar diet any time? “Not on your life, if I could help it. I think it’s a crazy idea.” “It’s probably good for you,” Second Brother admitted. “I’m going to have to do it eventually, when I’m old.” He would like to change his diet sometime before getting diabetes.
“I might want to, I might not,” said Third Brother. “First of all, you wouldn’t have weak bones, and you wouldn’t be fat... But then I’ll miss out on blueberry pancakes and ice cream and a lot of other things.”
Many felt the diet would be too limiting. “There’s too many things you can’t eat,” said Biggest Brother, who considered the diet last year. Another elaborated: “First of all, supposedly, the smallest thing of sugar is bad for you, and everything has sugar, so there’s no variety.” Second Brother noted, “There’s sugar in everything, practically, that I’ve ever eaten.” He didn’t find the foods sugar freeks chose to be appetizing. “I won’t like it, but I’ll eat it,” he said.
Some felt they would consider the diet sometime in the future, but lacked will power or decision. “I can see myself doing it,” said Next Sister, and she admitted she understood the health benefits, “but I have no plans.”
[Has your own diet been affected by the others?]
In what ways has the dietary choices of some affected others in the household? “It is harder to make dinner,” noted one, “because you have to take consideration of all the sugar freeks in the house and ask yourself ‘Does this have sugar? Will it give them a heart attack?’ It’s become complicated.” Biggest Brother agreed. “It’s so hard to make dinner for... sugar freeks.” Potatoes, meatloaf, and tacos can no longer be flavored with convenient packaged seasoning.
Could the sugar freeks be shunning one health hazard to increase others? “I’ve noticed we’ve been eating a lot more junk food—not horrible stuff, but what was considered a rarity before.” Tortilla chips were mentioned more than once.
Some felt their diet had been unaffected by the others’ choices, while several noted a change in the food supply of the household. Getting certain foods has become something of a challenge: “If I want something that we normally had in the house before, we now have to make a special request. Not junk food, really—lunch meats and stuff like that.” When asked whether sugar freeks in the household have affected her own diet, Next Sister reported, “I eat more chips.”
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What do YOU think?
Is this something you have
ever tried or would consider?
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CHRISTIE B said...
Wow! I admire your dedication to being sugar free. I tried it for three weeks and was disappointed to say that I didn’t feel any better. The twenty-second day I ate M&M’s and drank a Dr. Pepper and was happy. Part of me was glad I didn’t feel so much better without it, or so much worse after having it again, because I didn’t want to give up my favorite foods. During the three weeks I found it a challenge to eat at other people’s houses and to go out to eat. I didn’t like how that made me feel isolated. I do think I should limit refined sugar for my health.
Saturday, June 23, 2012 09:09 PM
Tuesday, May 29, 2012