Healing Diet-by Dr. John Yang

Someone once said, "Sugar has 50 names," which means there are as many as 50 different names for sugar ingredients that might not look like sugar on food labels. When you're new to avoiding refined sugar, it can indeed be challenging not to make mistakes. However, once you're aware, you can simply remove the inappropriate foods from your diet during your sugar reduction journey. This is part of the learning process.

 

https://mywholefoodlife.com/2013/02/09/tips-on-quitting-processed-sugar/

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For this reason, when I guide my colleagues in their sugar reduction journey, I encourage them to prepare their meals themselves. Similarly, if you can prepare your own meals, you have better control over what you're eating and can manage various aspects effectively.

 

The sugars to be avoided primarily include extra-added refined sugars and fructose.

 

- Sugars: This category includes candies, desserts, ice cream, and various snacks.

- Sugary drinks: This encompasses both natural and reconstituted fruit juices, sports drinks, energy drinks, sweetened milk, soy milk, and oat milk.

- Various syrups: Examples include high-fructose corn syrup, malt syrup, and brown rice syrup.

- Sugary sauces: Many sauces, which typically include sweeteners in their production processes (e.g., ketchup, mayonnaise, hoisin sauce, teriyaki sauce, peanut butter, and fruit jam).

Reminder: You can include foods that naturally contain sugars, such as small amounts of fruits and honey. Avoid using artificial sweeteners, as they can stimulate the brain and digestive system, making sugar reduction more challenging.

 

Your Sugar-Free Actions:

 Give it a try: Spend some time planning and cook your meals at home for an entire week, avoiding ordering takeout or eating out.

- Clean out your fridge and kitchen. Identify which ingredients, sauces, and condiments contain sugar, and set them aside or give them away.

- Avoid storing pre-packaged processed foods at home.

- Pay attention to where you can buy fresh, high-quality natural foods. Consider options like farmers' markets, organic supermarkets, or local markets.

 

Your Sugar-Free Strategy:

- When eating at home, prepare your meals following the principles of a healthy diet described in Chapter 15.

- If dining out, follow similar principles by primarily ordering dishes that consist of leafy greens, include an appropriate amount of protein, supplement with healthy fats, skip desserts and sweetened beverages, and minimize the use of pre-made sauces. Some friends opt for convenience store salads, poached chicken, tea eggs, and sweet potatoes, paired with heavy cream or single-serve portions of avocado or olive oil. This is also a viable option.

Starting to cut out sugar might initially make you feel off. You may experience a lack of energy or an intense desire for sugar or starchy foods even if you didn't pay much attention to what you ate before. This is partly because we might have developed a sugar addiction, and it also takes time for the body's endocrine and metabolic systems to adapt, typically around 3 to 4 days. Once your body adapts, you won't rely on sugar as much.

 

For those with a strong sugar addiction, don't worry; our brains are inherently plastic, and neural pathways can be changed. Physical activity can enhance brain plasticity and stimulate brain-derived neurotrophic factor, which aids in brain repair.

 

During sugar reduction, you can improve your mood through gentle exercise to redirect sugar cravings. If you often feel stressed about life's circumstances, resulting in elevated stress hormones and blood sugar, stimulating insulin production, which can lead to insulin resistance over time, consider managing your stress response through meditation, relaxation techniques, and yoga, in addition to exercise.

 

Some people view sugar reduction as an opportunity for psychological cleansing, facing their life issues. We all know that stress, conflicts, boredom, and loneliness can lead to cravings for food. Through sugar reduction, you can gain a new understanding of yourself and engage in emotional cleansing.

 

If you experience the benefits of sugar reduction, understand the potential issues related to high blood sugar and insulin levels, and want to further improve metabolic syndrome, you can move on to the second phase—reducing or eliminating refined starches.