Not entirely sugar free, but I do my best to avoid it. Stevia in my tea and there is always melon and strawberries in the fridge for when the sweet tooth hits and can't be ignored. When that doesn't satisfy, I chew gum for a few minutes and that usually does the trick

Edit to add that just not allowing sugary stuff in the house goes a long way in making it easier to avoid sugar. If there's no temptation, cravings seem to go away faster. It's knowing that there is a package of cookies or whatever calling out that makes them pretty much impossible to ignore.

Same as Dawn. I watch labels too for hidden sugars. Same with carbs.

I keep a bar of dark chocolate with orange (a personal favorite) and allow myself one square as a treat some nights. On some occasions, DH and I will order a dessert and split it with him getting the bigger share and me just taking a few bites to treat myself.

Remember that white carbs are mostly dense empty calories and digest quickly to sugar and spike your blood sugar levels in a similar way.

Rice, bread, pasta, potatoes, etc., are best avoided or minimized for those following a diabetic diet or trying to manage blood sugar or weight.

I’m going Keto. I’m not completely avoiding fruit sugar, like I eat a handful of strawberries or blackberries to fulfill my sugar craving! But, I avoid super high sugary fruits like oranges, bananas and apples, as those are not keto.

I want sugar so bad.... Not even honey for me!

Take heart, basilcook. It gets easier as time goes by and your body adjusts to less sugar intake. Speaking of fruit, grapes are little sugar bombs.

Which of the white forms of these foods I mentioned - Rice, bread, pasta, potatoes- don't have high glycemic indices?

"White carbs" is a short hand term for the same thing, easier for people to think about and remember. You used a different term, nothing else.

(I hate it when people are pedantic without adding further to a conversation)

"Which of the white forms of these foods I mentioned - Rice, bread, pasta, potatoes- don't have high glycemic indices?"

Actually, I'm more objecting to the "empty calories" statement......some of those (potatoes in particular), are far from being empty calories and are, in fact, nutritionally varied and dense. People like short form things that are easy to remember, but those short forms are usually short on reality because reality is neither short nor simple.

Reality is that too many people eat potatoes in unhealthy ways - whether it's some manner of fried or otherwise with fats, or baked and stuffed with unhealthy added things like bacon, sour cream, butter, etc. Better to eat bananas.

PS - I think sweet potatoes are far more nutritious/nutrient dense than regular potatoes. And with a lower glycemic index than white potatoes if prepared with that in mind. But again, too many people eat them in unhealthy ways.

An excellent and calorie friendly way to get more fiber (and nutrition) is through leafy greens, any and all, and vegetables, in salads or prepared without too much added calories in the form of dressings or accompaniments.

Go to Pinterest and you'll find all sorts of recipes for people who do Keto. I have a HUGE board myself:

https://www.pinterest.ca/debby_ca/keto/

I was ill with a dry bone infection for 6 weeks December - January and only could eat potatoes, sweet potatoes, applesauce and soup. I lost 15lbs. Almost wish I would be forced to eat that way again. I have done no sugar and felt great...wish I could get on the bandwagon again!

For a sugar replacement in recipes, you might try Monkfruit sweetener (like the Swerve brand). I get one at the bulk food store that is Monkfruit & Erythritol blend. I've never used it in bread, but it can be substituted 1-to-1 in recipes that call for sugar. It has a glycemic index of 0 and no bitter aftertaste.

(note: you can also get a Monkfruit & Xylitol blend, but Xylitol is toxic to dogs so I don't ever buy that. I think Xylitol is also higher in calories than Erythritol).

re: apples - I think they are considered low glycemic because they are so high in fiber. A high fiber content can offset some of the carbs found in some foods.

I eat mostly chemical free... I mean, I avoid foods with additives and preservatives due to my autoimmune issues as I was having extremely unpleasant reactions to things. I actually did an elimination diet to pinpoint the things I was reacting to, and it was very revealing as I did the part where you reintroduce things. Anyways, by doing that, I have pretty much eliminated condiments and processed foods out of my diet, thus drastically reducing my sugar intake. I’ve been doing all that this strictly for over six months now... I spent a couple of years cutting things way back, but I kept reacting and had to just cut it all out. (Reactions included, but were not limited to, painful muscle spasms, inflammation in my joints, and my mouth breaking out in painful sores) Your taste buds change as you keep it up. I’ve since had a bite or sip of something I used to crave and it no longer even tastes good to me and I don’t crave those things anymore. So, my normal diet is now both easy to stick to and very difficult all at the same time. Easy, because my choices are limited to fresh, non-processed foods... meats, eggs, nuts, cheeses, fruits, vegetables, olive oil, spices... and difficult because it’s harder to eat out, eat at other people’s homes, or grab things quickly if you’re tired of the same handful of nuts and a piece of fruit. LOL!

Bully for you skmom. I'm sure that was most difficult to accomplish, but hopefully worth it for you.

I have discovered a recipe for something called Soul Bread, and wonder if any sugar-free eaters know anything about it - how it tastes, etc.

Certainly appreciate all helpful responses.

Yes, it has been most worth it. I feel MUCH better and my rheumatologist is pleased that I’ve been able to reduce some medications. I’m thrilled that I’ve gone down a couple of dress sizes, LOL! I’ve not tried the bread you’re talking about, hope it goes well for you!

I’ve made soul bread. I use A 1/4 cup less protein powder and replace it with 1/4 cup ground flax seed. I really Like it. It does dry out faster than regular bread and doesn’t taste like bread but it does the trick.

Several years ago, my Dietician prescribed a low carbohydrate diet to bring my blood glucose into control. The main component of this diet was to keep a daily tally of carbs eaten. A 70 to 80 gm limit was recommended. I had to keep record until I could estimate about how much I was taking in per day. It was an education, for example, looking up how many carbs was in a burger.

It worked.

Debby, thank you. Not sure I want to try Soul Bread as I enjoy the taste of bread. lol

Dandyrandylou, I found that I didn’t usually enjoy the taste or texture or something of a substitute to what I was used to when I was first making major diet changes. I had to wait until my taste buds had changed... then I could eat something “new to me” without feeling so much like I was comparing it to what I had been used to. I really had to think of it as a cold turkey elimination and get used to that before I started trying safe substitutes. I didn’t eat any bread for many months because I couldn’t find any that didn’t have some form of preservatives in it, and I wasn’t willing to put in the effort to make my own when I was already having to cook everything else from scratch, I am just far too busy to spend THAT much time in the kitchen, LOL! (I have since found a bread at our local Meijer of all places that doesn’t have preservatives in it... but I’m not sure whether it has added sugar in it since I’m not specifically staying away from that, just that my intake is drastically reduced because of all the other stuff I’m staying away from.)

Except for a piece of fruit now and then, and the milk I use on oatmeal every morning, and very low carb intake, I haven't had any other sugars (or preservatives) in months. The desire for sweets has not waned one iota, and I still yearn for a piece of pound cake or some ice cream !

I've found that Stevia upsets my system. I'm allergic to ragweed and the Stevia plant is in the same family. Who knew??? I guess I'm going to have to bite the bullet and try to give up most sweets. *sigh*

I'm not entirely sugar free, but I highly restrict it. I don't care for any of the artificial sweeteners, so it just easier for me to drink, say, seltzer water, than any "diet" beverage. Most of them have aftertastes that make me thirstier than before, and stevia (which is a natural thing) just tastes like old socks might taste, to me. There isn't a hint of sweetness in that particular flavor (to me). (I will often add a squeezed wedge of lemon or lime to my seltzer.) No sweetener in my coffee or tea.

I simply don't eat dessert often, and maybe bake four times a year. There are so many other flavors out there to explore! About five or six times a year I'll buy a very high quality dark dark chocolate bar and make it last.

I do think it is possible to desensitize oneself to sugar, although it may take time. And to get some sugars from whole fruits, with their fiber.

I've recently stopped adding milk to my coffee. I only use it now for really bitter coffee, or for the very very occasional home-made latte (to which I add no sweetener at all).

"Soul bread" doesn't sound all that appealing. I don't eat much bread. For a while I ate essentially Paleo (but was still putting milk in my coffee back then). I avoid pasta (whether "white" or "brown", but do eat rice ("white" or "brown" depending on the culture of food I am making) I think both white and brown rice are nutritious but in different ways. I have a friend who only wants "brown carbs" but I agree that's a simplistic approach. Just by being pasta, you've stripped out most of the nutrients.

This thread is 3 years old

This thread is 3 years old

And since then, I have been diagnosed with diabetes. I reread it with interest, and thank those who contributed.

This thread is 3 years old

My first read so it is all new to me. Does anyone know if Soul Bread has a cream cheese taste? (I don't like cream cheese so I'm afraid to try the recipe.)

@Lucille - if you're looking for a diabetic friendly sugar replacement, check out Monk Fruit sweetener - - it's actually made from a fruit, so not an "artificial" sweetener. My husband has had great luck with it, and it's easy to cook with.

"It’s a darling in the low-calorie, low-glycemic sweetness game for a number of reasons: It’s fruit-derived with a pleasant flavor, and it’s suitable for cooking as well as for sprinkling atop berries or yogurt. But is it safe? And is monk fruit the right way to sweeten up your diet?

Monk fruit, also known by its Southeast Asian name lo han guo, has been deemed as safe for the general population, including pregnant and nursing women, children and diabetics, by the governments of China, Japan, Singapore, Canada and the US."

Is Monk Fruit a Good Sugar Substitute? | Weight Loss | MyFitnessPal

ETA: I see I already talked about this 3 years ago. Sorry about that.

I've only been diagnosed for a little over three months. Three months ago I was unbelievably ill. (For those of you who are 'prediabetic' I urge you to make changes before your train actually arrives at the diabetic station.)

So I read everything about carbs/sugar with interest but my solution for now is to limit carbs to 50 or below per day, and to generally avoid sugar both natural or chemical (that's a whole nother conversation, 'natural' is not necessarily equivalent to 'safe'.)

Plus I need to lose weight so I try to cook delicious foods without adding sugar of any kind.

I did strict Keto for 2 years: no sugar at all. It took a bit of getting used to but once I got the hang of it it was smooth sailing I really do need to do it again (been saying that for 2 years now) because I have noticed my body feels more aches and pains that ever. Sugar cause inflammation. I never felt better physically or mentally than when I stopped eating sugar and reduced my carb intake to 20g net per day.

I started Keto beginning of September and not once have I craved anything sweet. I like to bake so I bought non sugar natural sweeteners like Lakanto monk fruit/erythritol blend powdered, golden and granular and I just ordered some Allulose. I haven't baked anything yet but I did try the monk fruit blend in a recipe and I couldn't tell it wasn't real sugar and had no after taste. I find Stevia overly sweet and I won't ingest anything that has sucralose in it. My best friend who has been Type One diabetic since she was a teenager has never heard of these natural sweeteners and is still using Aspartame.

For a birthday treat my cousin bought me some Enlightened no sugar chocolate vanilla ice dessert bar and it was really good and you wouldn't know it wasn't made with sugar. I am trying to stay away from anything sweet because even though it would be sugar free, keto, etc. eating it would be a slippery slope for me. I will stick with raspberries and strawberries. I might bake a few things for Christmas. I am down 20 pounds so far since September 2.

haha I didn't notice how old this thread is

When I did sugar free, I cut out all sugar including carbs (no bread, cookies, cake, candy) and ate only "real food" (no ingredients list on it). When I did introduce some sugar free options five months after starting the sugar free way of eating, I was careful how much I ate. One piece of chocolate was enough. A little Splenda here and there. It's not good for you at all. since my husband stopped drinking sugar free pop, he's lost 15 pounds.

Those medications are now being looked at for long term health problems. Like all weight loss medications they only work while you are on them. Once off you often gain more weight that you had when you started.

I suspect the person who mentioned them is gathering people's information.

Back to sugar free people with pets need to be aware that some of the newer products are deadly to them. For the ones that are very sensitive even a small amount can cause health problems or death. I am thinking of homes with children who tend to share with their fur buddy's.

Sushi I am aware of that. There will be people who will start searching for the medication and might only see the glowing reviews and not the more recent findings.

I'm not on a "diet" but I've been eating non processed foods, whole grains, meat raised on pasture, country eggs, and almost no sugar for many years. My diet is high in vegetables and beans and low in meat, though as mentioned, the meat I do eat is not industrialized. I surely don't consider it restrictive or boring. I eat full fat dairy and a range of fermented foods. I no longer bake but I will eat baked goods at parties as well as other items (chips etc) that I never have in my home. I don't miss the sugar at all, though for dessert I have 85-90% chocolate with a side of nuts and mandarins or dried fruit. That high cocoa chocolate is so rich and satisfying that you don't need much of it.

Healthy food does not have to be boring, and it's shocking to me that when people turn to healthy food to heal debilitating conditions, they consider it a "diet." It's real food, folks.

I've decided to go back to Keto in the New Year. I'm making my bone broth today to freeze into one cup portions. I know it makes me feel better inside and out and it also gives me a TON more energy! I never felt sluggish the whole time I was on Keto before. I won't be doing it for weight loss: simply eating healthier. If I manage to lose a few pounds, it'l'l be a bonus. I want lots more vegetables and less processed food in my diet. I've been eating so poorly these last few years and I'm really feeling it, physically.

Am avoiding sugar as much as possible - not always possible though especially around the holidays!

I don't bother staying away from white bread during breakfasts, but I think it's quite easy not to consume any more during the rest of the day. I've found out that the meal is even tastier that way since you get to savor the taste of the meat/veggies better. Plus, you won't fill your stomach with mostly useless carbs...

As for Stevia, my wife uses it but I can't stand the taste and would much rather have my coffee strong...

Glad to see this thread revived. It has a lot of good information that I had not seen before or else had forgotten about.

I use sugar only in very minimal amounts and do not feel the need for sweets, although I do like sweet fruits. Most of the sugar I buy goes into hummingbird feeders.