Alternatives to Sugar?

st599_uk
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Re: Alternatives to Sugar?

Post by st599_uk »

I cut out starchy and sugary foods and replaced with dairy fat and protein - I lost over 20kg in 6 months whilst eating more than I did before.

You need something that fills you and releases energy slowly - porridge is ideal - I do cheat and add cinnamon and 1/4 apple diced small. But a medium serving lasts me for hours.

Nuts and yoghurt also work for breakfast - but their energy release is a bit slower.

Avoid fizzy sugary drinks like the plague. If you must, the new sugar-free ones taste the same.

Swap your snacks - really dark chocolate (the sort that 2 squares is all you can eat), protein bars, etc.

And I do have a slice of cake if I'm on a long ride but, thanks to having German friends who can't stand British cake as it's far sweeter, I've gone the same way and look for German style cakes which have far less sugar in them. I can no longer eat British cakes or biscuits as I find them too sweet for my palate.
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st599_uk
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Re: Alternatives to Sugar?

Post by st599_uk »

Also, one last tip - Avoid low-fat foods like low-fat yoghurt. You're better off eating the dairy fat and burning it off cycling than you are eating the sugar they replaced it with.

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/40/08/6a ... b42fe7.jpg
Shows what the others mean by Glycemic Index - if you eat low GI, the body slowly burns off the energy, and you stay energised for a long time. If you eat high GI (your chocolate and coke) the body reacts by producing insulin (which breaks down the carbs and stores them as fat) and you get a rapid decline in energy.
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Stevek76
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Re: Alternatives to Sugar?

Post by Stevek76 »

psvrichard wrote: 8 Jul 2021, 10:13am (oddly I can't stand diet drinks and think they'll be found to be as bad as the full sugar ones in time)
Depends on the user and their eating habits. There's no calories in sugar alternatives but there is some thought and tentative evidence that they stimulate the intestine to extract more energy from any carbs consumed in close-ish time proximity to the drink than otherwise would have been extracted. I.e. someone eating snack + full coke will take on the most calories, but snack + diet coke will take on more than snack + water.

Best option is get off the fizzy altogether, I realise that's far easier said than done mind. Tea is a better thing to be addicted to, even if you have to sugar it slightly.

With chocolate you can at least upgrade yourself to the better quality stuff, sugary milk chocolate is incredibly moreish yet ultimately unfulfilling I find, I still make the mistake of buying some occasionally (I mean I am a chocolate snob, so that's 40% solids stuff, I'm not convinced dairy milk is technically deserving of being called 'chocolate' :lol:). Eitherway I find I eat far less of it when my snack drawer only has stuff that's dark 70/80/90% solids.

Also try drinking water if you get a snack urge, I find sometimes I have a bit of a binge before realising what my body was actually really wanting was a big glass of water...
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pjclinch
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Re: Alternatives to Sugar?

Post by pjclinch »

SteveGray wrote: 13 Jul 2021, 9:32pm A less radical approach is to avoid processed foods and refined sugar.
Yes, noting that while the sugar in, say, an apple is still sugar, it's typically not in the same concentration as the carbo-crack that is the masses of refined sugar in a lot of our food. We've evolved to take on board sugar in fruits, so we're pretty good at it, but refined sugar tends to arrive in quantities that mess things up with blood sugar spikes which in turn are over-reacted too with insulin production so you then get a bit of a crash.

So you don't need to give up sugar, but less of it is a usually good as we typically get too much: fruit is a good way of getting in nice-tasting, quick (but not too quick) acting carbs with sensible concentrations. "Little and often" also spreads out the loading and effects so (ignoring the logistic issues) a few raisins every mile is probably better than a pineapple at either end.

Similarly, fruit juice makes a good basis for a DIY energy drink: 50/50 water/OJ with a little (1/2 tspn per litre IIRC) salt is a simple formulation (the salt makes it a bit weird at first, but after hours in the sun you need salt so it tastes great by then!).

Worth bearing in mind that different folk process stuff differently. I can eat a huge breakfast and run off it all day, my wife just can't do that and needs to do little-and-often carb-ups.

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borisface
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Re: Alternatives to Sugar?

Post by borisface »

Be careful with adding salt to a homemade energy drink. I remember very clearly doing the same thing about 35 years ago on a hot day, when I was a lad. Unfortunately, I had added too much salt and the more I drank the thirstier I became. Horrid.
Psamathe
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Re: Alternatives to Sugar?

Post by Psamathe »

I've always avoided him. Many years ago I lived down the road from him and confess my early tape decks were from his overseas factories (but they broke fairly quickly). But then he developed a Trumpian ego and sought the attention of TV Celebrity and what had started as "bad" became "terrible". Only alternatives I'm aware of are the overseas versions à la Trump.

(Apparently his ego prefers to be called "Sir Alan")


Ooops, wrong Sugar.
Regarding the sweet food product, I'm no dietician but my approach is to avoid highly refined stuff and as far as reasonably possible/practical consume natural sources (but I do eat e.g. microwave meals but with fresh veg).

A lot of fruit can be very sweet, e.g honeydew melon so if you need a sugar fix try sweet fruits?

Ian
ChrisP100
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Re: Alternatives to Sugar?

Post by ChrisP100 »

psvrichard wrote: 8 Jul 2021, 10:13am Thanks for the posts everyone. I cycle commute so my typical ride is between 10 and 15 miles depending on whether I go the scenic route. I'm often stressing about getting to work on time so my morning ride is usually a bit of a time trial, I also carry a heavyish bag with lunch and things needed for work like a calculator and diary. I notice more on my ride home if I've not eaten lots, mornings are usually ok. Problem is I work in a town centre full of bargain type shops and an M&S. I tend to do this commute 3 days a week. On a given day I'll nip to a shop and purchase 2 or even 3 cans of full fat cola. (oddly I can't stand diet drinks and think they'll be found to be as bad as the full sugar ones in time) I'll also buy a couple of 3/4 packs of bars like galaxy, turkish delight, picnic, dairy milk. I'll consume between 2 and 4 in a day depending on what I've bought. I'll also nibble at sweets which are freely available in the office where I work on many days. I'll also eat my lunch which will invariably include a cake from home! I know it isn't good but on days where I've cut back I've been very lethargic on the route home and have stopped off for food on the way back! It's only a 45 minute to 1 hour commute! Just getting this off my chest has been therapeutic and seeing the other posts has given me food for thought. I do eat breakfast and am a big bread fan but I find there's just sugary products on my mind a lot, I am trying to cut down as of yesterday and so far holding out! Great ride in this morning but the football last night boosted my mood!
I do a 10km each way commute which has a particularly nasty short hill in both directions.

In the morning I practically just get up and go, consuming a glass of water (maybe 250 - 300ml) before I go. I take a water bottle, but very rarely need to drink on the way, even if it's red hot like this morning. Once I get to work I'll have a bowl of cereal and a coffee, and maybe a granola bar if it was a particularly hard ride (windy/cold).

For the ride home, I'm usually well fuelled from lunch (sandwich/pasta) and maybe a top up in the afternoon of a granola bar or some fruit. I normally drink more on the way home, but it's usually a lot warmer. I've only had ice crystals start to form in my water bottle a couple of times this past year. :wink:
LeBikiekat
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Re: Alternatives to Sugar?

Post by LeBikiekat »

psvrichard wrote: 7 Jul 2021, 2:42pm Does anyone have any suggestions for reducing sugar? I'm not particularly keen on nut snacks though can eat nuts from a packet. To put into context I was having a litre bottle of either cola or lucozade and around 3 chocolate bars and have only reduced that to having 2 cans of fizzy and the same amount of chocolate. I can't go on like this but feel that I need the energy even though I know it's false energy.
Is this seriously what you are eating? I am almost asking myself if this post is a spoof..
psvrichard
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Re: Alternatives to Sugar?

Post by psvrichard »

Yes it's genuine or was. Have modified quite significantly now but felt terrible and underpowered when transitioning! :(
psvrichard
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Re: Alternatives to Sugar?

Post by psvrichard »

I feel that I need to add some context to how I found myself in the position of cycling c20 miles a day yet fuelling myself with such rubbish. I admit it doesn't sound plausible, I'm not a stupid person yet have found myself addicted to sugar. It's a mix of poor self discipline and trying to be frugal. So I cycle to work 10 miles and for me I go for it with backpack on as well. I'm not that fast (hardly surprising) but after 10 miles I've had a good workout. I weigh around 13.5 stones and am around 6ft tall, overweight without being too overweight. I feel I need energy when at work and all the local shops are discount stores. I fancy a fizzy drink, it's perhaps 89p for a 500ml bottle or £1 for a litre, this despite the sugar tax. Litre wins! I fancy a chocolate bar which might be 59p for one or £1 for four. For some reason I didn't save things for another day, just ate them and started again the next day. nobody could understand how I cycled so much yet never seemed to lose weight, this is why! I gradually reduced the fizzy drinks down to just water and feel much better for it. I'm not there with sugary snacks yet but have reduced intake. The thing I have with cycling is that when I've done a ride I think I've earned a treat but the reality is that having a treat isn't a treat at all, it's giving me lower energy and poor moods! Due to summer hols I'm only really a week or so into my improved regime but already feel better, just need not to relapse on a bad day.
MelW
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Re: Alternatives to Sugar?

Post by MelW »

psvrichard wrote: 8 Sep 2021, 11:28am I feel that I need to add some context to how I found myself in the position of cycling c20 miles a day yet fuelling myself with such rubbish. I admit it doesn't sound plausible, I'm not a stupid person yet have found myself addicted to sugar. It's a mix of poor self discipline and trying to be frugal. So I cycle to work 10 miles and for me I go for it with backpack on as well. I'm not that fast (hardly surprising) but after 10 miles I've had a good workout. I weigh around 13.5 stones and am around 6ft tall, overweight without being too overweight. I feel I need energy when at work and all the local shops are discount stores. I fancy a fizzy drink, it's perhaps 89p for a 500ml bottle or £1 for a litre, this despite the sugar tax. Litre wins! I fancy a chocolate bar which might be 59p for one or £1 for four. For some reason I didn't save things for another day, just ate them and started again the next day. nobody could understand how I cycled so much yet never seemed to lose weight, this is why! I gradually reduced the fizzy drinks down to just water and feel much better for it. I'm not there with sugary snacks yet but have reduced intake. The thing I have with cycling is that when I've done a ride I think I've earned a treat but the reality is that having a treat isn't a treat at all, it's giving me lower energy and poor moods! Due to summer hols I'm only really a week or so into my improved regime but already feel better, just need not to relapse on a bad day.
I think you need to be honest with your self and look at the foods/drink you are consuming and really think about their ingredients. For me this was the light bulb moment. I now avoid synthetic foods/fizzy drinks with sugar/lots of additives/stabilisers in what ever it is, a cake or ready meal as lots of them contain dextrose. I also avoid foods with high carb content. Instead I cook from scratch, eat natural clean foods as far as I possibly can or if man made it is organic, free range, pasture raised, wild caught, NOT FARMED, etc. It is a little time consuming at first but once you get the hang of it, is fairly easy. The only sugar I eat is either in berries e.g. blueberries, raspberries or a small tea spoon of organic honey in a freshly squeezed lemon and cup of warm water each each day. Occasionally on a longer bike ride I might have a banana. To replace not eating refined sugars and carbs I eat more protein and healthy fats. Beetroot is great for recovery after cycling or exercise. My stamina and strength is so much better now. No huge high and lows craving sugar or hunger pangs. I just don't miss sugar and starchy carbs any more. The thought of eating them makes me feel ill that I wouldn't eat them.
Last edited by MelW on 30 Oct 2021, 4:16am, edited 1 time in total.
xerxes
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Re: Alternatives to Sugar?

Post by xerxes »

Others have mentioned porridge, which I endorse - and its other great advantage is that it contains a lot of water when cooked so helps keep off dehydration.
rmurphy195
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Re: Alternatives to Sugar?

Post by rmurphy195 »

psvrichard wrote: 7 Jul 2021, 2:42pm Hi all, I'm reaching out because I'm at a crossroads with my fitness. I've taken to cycling 50-60 miles a week and whilst my general fitness has improved I've found that I'm consuming so much sugar my weight isn't falling. I'm not huge but could be around a stone lighter and would be all the better for it. I eat and now crave sugar because I cycle but because I consume it I feel like I'm poisoning myself. If I don't have it I tend to feel lethargic on the bike. (at present)

Does anyone have any suggestions for reducing sugar? I'm not particularly keen on nut snacks though can eat nuts from a packet. To put into context I was having a litre bottle of either cola or lucozade and around 3 chocolate bars and have only reduced that to having 2 cans of fizzy and the same amount of chocolate. I can't go on like this but feel that I need the energy even though I know it's false energy.
Ouch! I used to take sugar in my tea and coffe all the time, and scoff choccy bars etc. Now I don't want to sound smug, but I simply stopped one day, and deliberatley drank more tea/coffe but without sugar. After a few weeks I didn't miss it and I don't now. If I am on a ride I'll have a spoon of sugar in a mug of tea, plus the occasional jam scone (or even jam sarnie!) - but a jar of jam in our house still lasts several weeks! It can be done, honest.

The lethargy may be due to dehydration rather than low sugar of course.
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Tangled Metal
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Re: Alternatives to Sugar?

Post by Tangled Metal »

You need to work out your own metabolism. Fast, slow? The reason I say that is because mine used to be fast without me realising it. The result was sugary food simply went through me and burnt out quickly. That means you eat more of it. Keeping your blood sugar high enough to prevent lows. OK if exercising hard I guess but you're at danger of running out and really crashing in energy levels.

The other thing is porridge. It simply isn't the super energy levelling food people are saying on here. I cannot last half as long on porridge as I can on weetabix or shredded wheat. Every time i eat porridge for breakfast, ride into work (7 miles and half hour) then so a mix of office and shopfloor work I absolutely crash within an hour of starting work. I mean shaking crash. That's after eating a double portion of porridge, even triple portion. Two weetabix with honey on and milk lasts 3 or even 4 hours for me.

I'm 196cm and 87kg. I've been this size and weight for 20 years now without change. Diet is very critical to me because it is a trigger for migraines if I get it wrong. Porridge is relegated to a healthy late night snack if a little hungry. Beats crisps anyway.

Protein is IMHO underrated as energy source along with fats. OP doesn't like nuts but IMHO they give a steady energy. Eggs for breakfast too. It's common for me to eat 4 eggs for weekend breakfast so if I end up being busy and have a late lunch I won't get shaky.

A friend once told me if his uncle who drank copious quantities of irn bru every day of his adult life. He reached 50 and had to have a large chunk of his guts removed due to the sugary drink. He was Scottish and that is one of their national drinks though.

One last point. Artificial sweeteners used to reduce sugar content in non sugar free drinks. Annoying! Artificial sweeteners trigger migraines in me and others I know. We are so sensitive to it that we can blind test for it. Artificial sweeteners always give me migraines. Whilst you can find numerous online sources for research into their safety that prove they're safe I know enough blind testing by myself and others like me to know those research papers are not right for causing migraines. As such I avoid them and tbh advise everyone to avoid too. IMHO since they cause so much harm and suffering to people like me who get migraines triggered by them I do not trust them to be safe for human consumption at all. I reckon one day they'll be banned like a lot of E number additives. Get in early and avoid.

The food industry should not be reducing sugar while keeping the same levels of sweetness. They should be reducing sweetness to allow sugar reduction not replacement. That would take legislation to create a level playing ground for all brands of food.
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Paulatic
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Re: Alternatives to Sugar?

Post by Paulatic »

Tangled Metal wrote: 24 Oct 2021, 4:34pm

A friend once told me if his uncle who drank copious quantities of irn bru every day of his adult life. He reached 50 and had to have a large chunk of his guts removed due to the sugary drink. He was Scottish and that is one of their national drinks though.
Do you think it wouldn’t have happened if he were English and drank Coca Cola? :D

I can still vividly remember the first time I went for lunch(40yrs ago) at Lanark auction mart and the number of grown men drinking irn bru with their lunch. Until that day I’d only ever seen adults drink tea. :lol:

I know what you mean re porridge letting you down. When I was younger I would be wobbly and very hungry by half ten if I’d had a bowl for breakfast. Eating raw oats with milk ie in a muesli lasted me a lot longer. I think eventually your body gets used to going the distance with oats. I had raw oats and yoghurt for many years but switched to porridge a few years ago as I’m aware I don’t really drink enough water so I at least get 180 ml with my oats to start the day.
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