"Jen, OK na ko." ("Jen, I'm OK now.), Ma said with a big grin in her face. She just came from the doctor's clinic that day with test results on her hand. After weeks of quitting sugar, she was able to normalize her alarming high sugar level and dismiss problems with her kidney. Weeks before that day, I joined my mother on her "quitting sugar journey" because I simply love wellness experiments and I know it can help me regulate my energy levels and even help me shed some weight.
Ma is a pretty obedient patient. I'm giving huge props to her for that. What took the process of regulating her sugar level longer than it should be was our failing to distinguish back then which foods to crowd out correctly. My sister Nel and I went on a crash research on which food to eat and which ones should be avoided. The doctor's advice isn't enough for us. Besides, he doesn't have all day to enumerate every food to include in our diet. We found ourselves repeatedly asking, "Is this OK to eat?"
I came across with Sarah Wilson's site and her first book, I Quit Sugar, and I instantly loved it because of its easy to understand tone. It explains clearly the benefits and the step by step process of dropping sugar. The last thing I wanted to do that time is to read a bulky medical book. Her book was a quick, very informative read. I learned that there were still a lot of hidden sugar culprits on our diet, stuff that were sneakily causing Ma's sugar level to go up.
Quitting Sugar(Fructose) Tidbits & Takeaways
- Mama's favorite bananas are high in sugar.
- Coco sugar also contains fructose. (That's a no.)
- My favorite 70% dark chocolate contains sugar, too. If you wish to quit cold turkey, drop this, too.
- Stevia is a great alternative for sugar. It's super sweet! I have no idea where to get this in Manila. The image shown is from my last box from Dubai.
- Coconut flesh & water is our savior when craving for sweetness. - I used to believe honey & agave is OK, but apparently, they are also high in fructose.
- Ketchup and tomato sauce contains sugar. Remember that before you eat that menudo, caldereta and spaghetti.:)
Right now, we are slowly introducing sugar back to our diet. We are aiming not to exceed the recommended amount per day. I'm happy that our little experiment was a success as shown on Ma's test results and I plan to stick with making wiser food choices that involves less and less sugar from now on.
I came across with Sarah Wilson's site and her first book, I Quit Sugar, and I instantly loved it because of its easy to understand tone. It explains clearly the benefits and the step by step process of dropping sugar. The last thing I wanted to do that time is to read a bulky medical book. Her book was a quick, very informative read. I learned that there were still a lot of hidden sugar culprits on our diet, stuff that were sneakily causing Ma's sugar level to go up.
Quitting Sugar(Fructose) Tidbits & Takeaways
- Mama's favorite bananas are high in sugar.
- Coco sugar also contains fructose. (That's a no.)
- My favorite 70% dark chocolate contains sugar, too. If you wish to quit cold turkey, drop this, too.
- Stevia is a great alternative for sugar. It's super sweet! I have no idea where to get this in Manila. The image shown is from my last box from Dubai.
- Coconut flesh & water is our savior when craving for sweetness. - I used to believe honey & agave is OK, but apparently, they are also high in fructose.
- Ketchup and tomato sauce contains sugar. Remember that before you eat that menudo, caldereta and spaghetti.:)
Right now, we are slowly introducing sugar back to our diet. We are aiming not to exceed the recommended amount per day. I'm happy that our little experiment was a success as shown on Ma's test results and I plan to stick with making wiser food choices that involves less and less sugar from now on.
