Going to Battle with Sugar

[Peeps]

No longer drink soda.

Ice water with a squeeze of lemon is now my drink of choice.

Just make sure that you have personally washed the lemon segment.

As a med tech who works in the microbiology lab, I WILL NOT drink restaurant water that has a lemon segment in it. This is one of the most unsanitary practices in restaurants–that lemon segment is, in all likelihood, touched by ungloved hands or has sat out in a bowl that has been touched by who knows?!–yucko! Great source of sickness. Echh.

But if you wash your hands, and then wash the lemon and cut it up yourself at home and squeeze it–that’s all good.

 

[Peeps]

The BEST book to read is The End of Overeating–Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite by Dr. David A. Kessler, MD, Rodale Press.

Go check it out today, or buy it. It’s all well-researched and documented by this real doctor. One of the things that gives it legitimacy, IMO, is that Dr. Kessler isn’t a "celebrity. I’ll bet most of you have never heard of him. He is not on the “talk show circuit” promoting his wonderful Plan for Perfect Eating and Super Perfect Life! It’s not a “Plan”–it’s the science behind the appeal of American food to many Americans.

Dr. Kessler describes the mechanism for why we crave foods and eat so very much more than we need here in the U.S. It’s fascinating, it’s eye-opening, and it’s well-balanced. He doesn’t pontificate about the need to eliminate any one food or food group, but rather, the need to moderate our diets and eat less.

After I read this book, I lost 80 pounds over a time period of about two years, and I have kept around half of it off. I gained 40 pounds back during the time that my dad was dying of cancer–that was a terrible time when I was driving myself and my brother (who is thin!) back and forth to the Madison VA hospital, and we were eating anything just to comfort ourselves and keep going without sleep.

But I have lost 33 pounds of that weight by going back to Dr. Kessler’s approach of moderation in all things.

Please invest in this book–it’s so very very sensible and scientific and non-extreme and comforting because he does NOT advocate totally giving up any specific food. That thought of “total abstinence” is terrifying for many of us who love certain food (e.g., Peeps loves Peeps!), and is enough to stop many of us from even trying to eat healthy.

But Dr. Kessler’s approach is realistic and very doable for those of us who live normal American lives–working too much, staying up too late, playing really hard, stressing out over everything from death to taxes, trying to be totally devoted to Jesus Christ and His beautiful Church–like I said, typical American (Christian, that is) life that is just too much living crammed into too little time!

 

[Sarcelle]

Oops

I usually do that at restaurants.

 

[F_Marturana]

If you’re going to use lemon rind or zest, best to use organic as well.

 

[Sarcelle]

I also recommend Dr. Jason Fung’s book “The Obesity Code”.

Very informative and brings to mind the physical benefits of an age old practice which Christians should be familiar. This ancient practice is fasting.

There’s been all this hype about the Mediterranean diet but the hype manages to overlook the component of fasting among the people of the Mediterranean since most are Greek Orthodox Christians.

 

[Peeps]

I also recommend Dr. Jason Fung’s book “The Obesity Code”.

Very informative and brings to mind the physical benefits of an age old practice which Christians should be familiar. This ancient practice is fasting.

There’s been all this hype about the Mediterranean diet but the hype manages to overlook the component of fasting among the people of the Mediterranean since most are Greek Orthodox Christians.

Sounds good.

For me and my family, the Mediterranean diet simply isn’t realistic nor palatable.

Buying fish in Northern Illinois is expensive. Most of the fish we see in our supermarkets is frozen anyway.

I grew up in a family where Dad was a farmer, and Ma was from the poor trash South. The only way I ever saw fish prepared in our family was rolled in corn meal and fried in shortening or lard. The only fish I knew was catfish from Savannah (over by the Mississippi River), Mrs. Paul’s fish sticks, and Chicken of the Sea tuna.

I have tried to learn to like fish steamed with lemon juice or various marinades. It’s OK, but whenever I try to cook it, it’s tough and inevitably, I come across a bone, at which point I throw the whole thing in the wastebasket because I do not like fish bones!

Another big aspect of the Mediterranean diet is red wine. My family have been teetotalers for generations, and so has my husband’s family. So red wine is just not going to happen in our family.

There are generally no “leftovers” from a Mediterranean meal, so that’s not good for those of us who work and rely on those leftover tuna noodle casseroles and meat loafs for our lunch (and breakfast for me!).

There just simply aren’t enough realistic options on the Mediterranean diet for a Midwestern family!

Too bad. Maybe if I had a live-in cook, it would work.

 

[F_Marturana]

Sicilians and Italians are traditionally Catholic, but also Mediterranean.

Traditionally the main meal was mid day. In the evening something light.

I remember growing up we’d eat a lot of green vegetables.

Escarole, broccoli rabe, green bean with boiled potato and olive oil. That would often be the first course with some bread. Then things like olives, and cheese would be the second course. Or soft boiled eggs.

 

[blackforest]

This is one of the most unsanitary practices in restaurants–that lemon segment is, in all likelihood, touched by ungloved hands or has sat out in a bowl that has been touched by who knows?!–yucko! Great source of sickness. Echh.

The one time I worked in a restaurant, we plucked them out of a vat with tongs. I’d think the health department would zap someone on bare-hand reaches, but who knows often they come around? If anything, I’m more concerned about the wedges just sitting out exposed all day . . .

 

[blackforest]

Grade school, one middle schooler. No toddlers anymore. (Whew! LOL!)

 

[F_Marturana]

Tuna packed in olive oil should be easy to find in the Midwest. My grandmother was born in Chicago. She lived there until she was 7 and then moved back to Italy with her family.

Her family ran a boarding house for other Italians. My great grandmother was the cook.

I wish I could ask what she served at dinner and what local products she transformed to Mediterranean type meals. But my grandmother died was I was a teen.

 

[Sarcelle]

I understand.

I live in a landlocked area of the country too, near Lake Erie but people here are as passionate about seafood as those who live near the sea. I can get good seafood in my local market and that along with apple, peach and cherry orchards along with lots of local wineries make the Mediterranean diet easy for me.

 

[Sarcelle]

I remember growing up we’d eat a lot of green vegetables.

Same here. Growing up, vegetables of all colors were the main course and the most plentiful during meals.

Starches and proteins were side dishes and dessert was almost always fruit.

Sodas were a once in a while treat, snacking was unheard of, and meals were often cooked from scratch. It helped that my mom was a housewife.

 

[Sarcelle]

Sorry for derailing your thread.

 

[Peeps]

Tuna packed in olive oil should be easy to find in the Midwest.

Yes, canned tuna is easy to find.

But think about us here in the Midwest–just yesterday, we woke up to snow. Today, the windchill puts us into the low 20s, and it’s cloudy and dark outside at 11:15. (Sun might peep out later.)

Tuna in olive oil is not “warming” like a good hot tuna noodle casserole (including peas!), with a side of boiled carrots (I also add a brown sugar/orange juice glaze-yummy!)!

Hot soups are very popular here, especially the ones with lots of veges and a soothing broth. Chili is always popular in the winter time, especially when it’s topped with fritos, cheese, and sour cream!

When it’s cold outside, we want food with corners, not “swim suit food.”

Best Midwestern lunch–hot cream of tomato soup with a toasted (grilled) cheese sandwich.

For the most part, all of the yummy foods I have listed can be made without sugar! (Although I would miss my glazed carrots–but regular boiled carrots are good, too, with lots of butter and parsley!)

 

[Sarcelle]

Chili is always popular in the winter time, especially when it’s topped with fritos, cheese, and sour cream!

I can get on board with chili but I have to pass on the Fritos because carbs.

Best Midwestern lunch–hot cream of tomato soup with a toasted (grilled) cheese sandwich.

That sounds good too not only in winter but during a chilly spring or autumn day.

 

[starlady]

Grade school, one middle schooler. No toddlers anymore. (Whew! LOL!)

Haha. I was just wondering. I have a toddler! :crazy_face:

For anyone else who might be interested, I recently found this website, Yummy Toddler Food, that has been helpful. I’m still exploring it, but there are some good recipe ideas and general advice about feeding (primarily) babies and toddlers. Even though the website has a lot about small children, many of the recipes (healthy snacks, etc.) could be good ideas for older kids and adults as well. The lady who runs the website also has a podcast called Comfort Food, which goes into those same topics, but also concerns that mothers might have about their personal body image, how to feed their kids, meal prep, etc. Pretty interesting!

 

[Zzyzx_Road]

Them who find themselves deep in the weeds of bad diet and overweight and not able to hang onto any diet need to start with small accomplishments and use that as positive reinforcement toward the next small step. To do all changes at once is almost always too much to handle. And then the inevitable backsliding. Not fun.

My recommendation: that first small step should be to kick all soda pop out of your diet. Do not worry about anything else because you will need to focus on fighting the craving. Once that’s done and held for awhile, figure out the next small thing to change. For some, it might be beer, for others, pastries. Whatever, pick a small change, make it, hold it. The hold it part is important, you want to make the new habit stick.

For the parents, my parents did not have soda pop in the house. So siblings and I had it everywhere else. Go figure. I didn’t say give up on training the kids, at least your home is one place they will eat right and hopefully they remember when they grow up. As we did eventually.

 

[blackforest]

Thank you for reminding me of these resources! When I still had little tykes, I used to enjoy a blog called Weelicious. And it looks like she’s moved beyond toddler food, now. Of course - duh! Her kids grew up along with mine. https://weelicious.com/

 

[Gingersnaps4]

I 110% believe alcoholism is a disease. I’ll push back, by that logic, your’re saying an alcoholic can cure their disease by switching from vodka to beer (like switching from sweets to fruit, both have high amounts of sugar) because the delivery system is different.

I’m not sure that you realize that there are many facets to addiction. I never said that I or anyone was substituting natural sugars in place of added sugars to break the addiction. The point was in using different substitutes (high protein, low carb, only natural sugar) to help break my compulsion for the other stuff. By your logic, a person couldn’t make substitutes with how their time is spent to help them get over their internet addiction. A person who is addicted to smoking can in fact use a toothpick or a lollipop etc as a psychological and physical aid, and just because it helps doesn’t mean they were never addicted to cigarettes…

 

[Gingersnaps4]

I don’t either i guess. I like to think well read and well informed.

Cocaine increases levels of the natural chemical messenger dopamine in brain circuits related to the control of movement and reward.

“Normally, dopamine recycles back into the cell that released it, shutting off the signal between nerve cells. However, cocaine prevents dopamine from being recycled, causing large amounts to build up in the space between two nerve cells, stopping their normal communication. This flood of dopamine in the brain’s reward circuit strongly reinforces drug-taking behaviors, because the reward circuit eventually adapts to the excess of dopamine caused by cocaine, and becomes less sensitive to it. As a result, people take stronger and more frequent doses in an attempt to feel the same high, and to obtain relief from withdrawal.”

What is Cocaine? | National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

And, sugar also releases dopamine and messes up the reward circuit in the brain. They have a similar effect on the brain but of course the Cocaine is much more powerful. Also in this link “addiction” “craving” and “withdrawal” definitions are listed as defined by the field of psychiatry, which may be helpful to you.

Sugar Addiction: From Evolution to Revolution - PMC

As for the subject of this post, luckily kids with a normal diet usually don’t have this type of problem going on, they just want the sugar because it tastes good! Usually just making unhealthy sweets unavailable and serving healthy alternatives can do the trick. I did read in the link above that frequent, very high intake of sugar can can affect kids in this way but it doesn’t sound like that’s the case here.