This post is part of the A-Z Blogging Challenge.
Yes folks. In the same month I write a post about the evils of dieting, and how important food is, I’m now writing a post about restricting a food group.
Bear with me.
First, ‘sugar’ is actually a misnomer. What we call sugar covers a range of different substances and combinations of substances. Here is an article with more information than you ever wanted to know about different types of sugar. It may be possible to cut all of these out, but it would be difficult and pretty stupid. Our cells require sugar to function, particularly our brain. Don’t deprive the brain of sugar! It will only end badly.
However, because sugar is required and we need a fair amount of it, we evolved to love sugar. And, in their attempts to make a profit, food companies have been adding more and more sugar to various foods and drinks. Eating this kind of food results in major energy spikes that are not really utilised in a sedentary lifestyle.
(Disclaimer: I am not a food expert, and I pretty much failed biology. I am keeping things lose here because I don’t really understand the science. I encourage you to read other articles as well.)
After the high, you crash, for various complex reasons relating to insulin. Some types of super-sweet sugar (e.g. high fructose corn syrup) also does other things, like turning off the feeling of being full. You can enter an addictive cycle of sugar spiking. Eventually you might end up with type-2 diabetes.
So much for that.
I’ve been slowly hooking into a sugar cycle over the past couple of years. Dessert used to be a treat; now it’s standard. I dump sugar on my porridge, buy a muffin to have with my lunch, and consume ice-cream at the end of the day. Alongside that, I stopped walking to and from work (around 6 miles a day) after I moved, with the result that all of that sugar-fuel is effectively just clogging me up and making me irritable.
So I have decided to take a step towards better health as it were, by ditching the ultra-sweet refined-sugar loaded desserts. Anything with added sugar is out. Natural sugar is a-okay (remember: sugar is essential!)
Low-sugar challenge – today’s tally:
Breakfast: organic energy drink (fruit juice + caffeine basically)
Lunch: Gammon, roast potatoes, parsnip and peas
Dinner: Chicken and dumpling stew
Pudding: A microwaved baked apple, vaguely based on this recipe. It was pretty good, but I think oven baked (or stewed?) would be tastier.
I’ll keep a tally over the next week… and a summary of the week at about the ‘U’ mark.
Got any naturally sweet recipes? One thing I’m expecting to find helpful is liquorice tea, which is super sweet!
