Zero sugar diet | ||
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Not a
dietician
Rachel is not a nutritionist or a
dietician, but she does have a very serious interest in what she eats.
By researching food, diet, nutrition and reading books such as How Not To Die
and The Okinawa Program et al, Rachel has been able to develop a more
mindful
diet for both herself and Sifu Waller.
The sugar train
One problem that Rachel encountered was sugar.
Sugar seemed to be in everything. For example yogurt. Most yogurts have added
sugar. 0% fat Greek yogurt does not.
In addition to the obvious added sugars, there was fruit sugar and
carbohydrates. The presence of sugar in your diet creates instability in the
body and adversely affects your health.
Yo-yo
Sugar creates a yo-yo effect on your blood stream.
You go through highs and lows continuously. This is mistaken for hunger.
Only by cutting out sugar (and any food that might remotely have sugar in
it) can you stabilise your body and find
equilibrium.
Once you have operated without sugar for a few days you will discover that
you are no longer as hungry as you once were and that you do not need to eat
as much food.
Why bother?
If your aim is to burn off the belly fat, gain lean
muscle mass and eat a healthy, balanced, nutritious diet, then cutting out
added sugar is a great starting place.
It isn't as hard as it sounds and the process
itself is pretty interesting.
The benefits are enormous: less risk of cancer, obesity, high blood pressure,
diabetes, balanced moods, better
sleep, less likely to have
Alzheimer's and dementia, better skin, better teeth, sustained energy levels...
1200
In addition to cutting out sugar, Rachel and Sifu Waller wanted to lose more
body fat, particularly 'belly fat' as this is known to cause many
medical problems.
The lowest recommended daily calorie intake for a woman was 1200-1500 and 1500-1800
for a man.
Keeping track
Every day Rachel and Sifu Waller started by weighing themselves first
thing (naked) and then recording the weight.
They also monitored body fat levels (visually) and by seeing how much they
could find by physical inspection. Clothing fit and a measuring tape also
provided useful feedback.
Throughout the diet a notebook was used to record the calorie count of
everything eaten each day. The calorie estimates were as accurate as could
be discerned.
Calorie controlled diet
Following a calorie controlled was not difficult. It just meant
getting into the habit of recording everything...
The diet entailed:
Eat nothing that contained added sugar (including honey, maple syrup, corn syrup etc)
Fresh fruit (wide variety) - ideally 5-a-day
Fresh vegetables (wide variety) - ideally 5-a-day
No tinned food
Sauerkraut
Herbs (wide variety)
Grains (wide variety)
Spices (wide variety)
Nuts (wide variety)
Seeds (wide variety)
Beans (wide variety)
0% fat Greek yogurt
Lean poultry and fish
Unsweetened almond milk
Premium grade matcha green tea
All Bran
Unsweetened prune juice
Home made juices
Home made smoothies
Limited intake of bread, pasta, rice, noodles, oats, dairy etc
Seeking to increase variety of food sources
Mediterranean Diet
Rachel is still finding books to be a bit patchy...
Most cook books are substituting sugar for alternatives that are potentially
just as sweet and hence cravings continue.
We found that the Mediterranean Diet offered the most consistent, balanced
approach to healthy eating.
Snacking
Fruit, yogurt and All Bran all serve as suitable snacks.
When out and about, Rachel has been trying energy bars that contain no added
sugar.
It is better to make your own though, so Rachel is looking for recipes.
Treats and cheats?
Having lost the sugar habit, do not resume your old eating
patterns. This is the most important thing to remember.
If you eat the food you used to eat, you will get hooked on sugar once again. It is inevitable.
If you want a treat, re-define what 'a treat' constitutes.
Rather than go back to eating sugary food, figure out how much you need to eat in order to maintain your ideal
body fat ratio whilst eating a balanced, nutritious, sustainable,
healthy diet.
Long term eating
Transforming a habit-based diet into a more
thoughtful, well researched one is a fascinating process. It involves
continual adjustment, improvement and change. There is no fixity. No
boredom.
Page created
21 May 2016
Last updated
04 May 2023
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