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I've cut down on sugar a lot but am having such a hard time! And until I finish up my prepackaged granolas and other store bought items it seems impossible to cut it out.
How do you guys cut out sugar from your diets? The sugar drug is a tough one to beat.
Hi Jessica - for me, I did it cold turkey. I read in the book "The Denim Diet" by Kami Gray that we say "no" to other things - like drugs, smoking etc. why not say "no" to sugar? And it is an addictive, nasty, evil thing! It seems so contrite but for me, it worked. Sugar is hidden in EVERYTHING. So, once you say "no", that means your whole pantry changes! That was August 2009. So, for one year, I have not had sugar! When I want something sweet, I have brown rice syrup or maple syrup or even agave nectar. I change it up. Of course a nice side effect is I have dropped 35lbs.
You are right - you can't have granola bars etc. around - it just makes it too hard. It's like having a little smoke when you want the whole cigarrette.
I know everyone says "take it one step at a time" but with sugar - I can't see how there are "steps". You have to leap over the edge!
Good luck and it is sooooooooo worth it!
Yeah I'll be good for a day or so but then I have some granola or cereal and the sugar in it has me tearing through the pantry looking for more sugary items so once all of that is out of the house it will be much easier for me.
Well maybe not... I LOVE to bake and am also used to having dessert after a meal and its been really really hard to break the habbit. A piece a fruit just doesn't do it for me when I want a brownie. I am also more addicted to chocolate than I realized. Its funny because when I ate the standard american diet I never though I was a sweets person, because I didn't want a big slice of nasty store bought birthday cake but little did I know I was getting sugar in everything else I ate.
Oh goodness this is so hard for me! But I never thought I would be able to give up cheese and I did that with ease so maybe I can do this too!
Bake some cookies or loaf or cakes with a sweet syrup - there are some recipes in TKD and tons on the internet. Buy squares of really dark chocolate. Make versions of "sweets" that do not have white sugar or flour in them.
Yes, I too could not get enough "sweets" when I went off sugar. But I substituted the sugar with brown rice syrup etc. and then things like sweet potatoes and rice and twig tea seemed sweet! It seems strange and "hard" but if you did cheese and you are determined to cut out sugar - you can do it! Sounds like you are on the right journey because you are aware of sugar all around you.
Go for it Jennifer!
What I found helped me is to get rid of all processed sugar, but I would allow myself a bit of dark chocolate, and I mean DARK, like 72%, or I would have some St Dalfour (sweetened with fruit juice, not cane sugar) on a whole grain cracker. This helped me beat it, and now I only ocassionally crave sweets other than fruit. I never used to like really dark chocolate, either, but that really changed after going vegan, my taste buds totally appreciated the dark, and I'm satiated after one or two squares.
Good news for our sweet tooth!
I have found an excellent substitue for sugar, thanks to Christina Pirello. She has quite a few cookbooks, 2 that I have used are "Christina Cooks" and "This Crazy Vegan Life". She recommends ERYTHRITOL. It is a natural sugar. It is fermented sugar alcohol. And one of the best things ever is, you won't believe it, but it is CALORIE FREE! It is 70 to 80% as sweet as sugar, works like sugar and is granulated. The brand I found is NOW and it cost me $8.99 for a pound. It also won't rot yours or your chldrens teeth and can also be used by diabetics. I used it in the Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups and had excellent results. I have also used it in Mini Pumpkin Cakes from Christina's This Crazy Vegan Life. Someday I am going to try the maple sugar. Happy Baking!!!
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