giving up junk food

[Emily]

I'm giving up junk food for the month of October. I am doing this because I have been eating too much. I define junk food as chips, candy, popcorn, sugar-based drinks, pop, ect. I've done this before and gone as long as 6 months. One question I have it at the beginning I have intense cravings for sugar but it feels like the I'm-going-to-be-sick-if-I-Don't-get-it type of craving. What can I do for this? I was thinking it's because my blood-sugar is low. Should I eat fruit?

Emily

[sophie]

hi Emily
I get those low blood sugar feelings too (especially at the moment, as i'm pregnant), I go all weak and feel horrible, and always need somehting sweet to sort me out, but I find the best thing is to drink some juice, as it is quite a concentrated form of fructose, and it works great, better than just a single piece of fruit. Another reasonably healthy sweetener is rice malt, yummmmm, a spoonful of that would probably satisfy the cravings too. Good on you for giving up junkfood, by the way!

[5xblessed]

Good luck! I have cut way back on the junk food but can't seem to give up popcorn. I was going to suggest juice too, maybe along with some crackers with nut butter or veggie cheese. The juice would bring your sugar up fast and the other would help keep it from bottoming out again. One of my kids favorite snacks (though this is a little junky) is a banana, orange juice and ice cubes blended up. It is definitely sweet. Let us know how it goes.
Lisa

[Katharina]

Popcorn is fine if you pop it with little to no oil (in a popcorn maker) and add salt instaed of sugar. It is actually healthy then, as it is just (puffed) corn... like rice crispies/ cakes.

Good for you for giving up junk food!

There are some healthy vegan sweets available that taste great and can satisfy sweet cravings...

[VOW]

If you get the shakes or other symptoms of low blood sugar, the answer is NOT something sweet, unless it is a measured amount of sugar or sweetening agent.

The problem of "medicating" low blood sugar with sugar (or juice, or candy) is that it takes a while for your body to assimilate the sugar, so you have a tendency to OVER EAT in an attempt to feel better.

This will give you a roller coaster ride! By the time the body has a chance to digest the sugar and get it into your bloodstream, your blood sugar will skyrocket. The body's answer to that will be to pour insulin into your bloodstream.

And you'll come crashing down from the sugar high.

The correct way to handle this is to eat small snacks, of healthy foods containing a good balance of protein, fat, and carbohydrate. The mix will keep you from dumping sugar into your bloodstream, and allow your blood sugar levels to remain fairly constant.

If you have frequent episodes of low blood sugar, where you get the shakes, or cold sweats, or headaches, see your doctor. You could be "pre-diabetic." And this is something to take seriously.


~VOW

[aftiel]

When I crave sweets the best substitute, in my case anyway, is raisins. They're almost sickeningly sweet. Of course some people really hate raisins so if you're one of them then I guess they're not an option, but I just thought I'd suggest it. Any type of dried fruit would suffice, esp. if you mixed them together. Ie. raisins, golden raisins, dried cranberries, dried apples, dried papaya or pineapple, etc. etc. etc. Very yummy :)

[Erin Pavlina]

Dates are very sweet and delicious. Yum!