A few weeks ago, I had some testing done and my body is hyper-sensitive to added sugars and yeast. As a result, I'm trying to cut out added sugar in my eating routines.
Growing up with 3 diabetics in the house, I thought this would be a piece of cake. It turns out I was pretty much dead wrong. When a diabetic eats some extra sugar, they just take insulin to counter-act it. Me? I'm supposed to have a zero-tolerance approach. So it doesn't work quite the same way.
Everything (and I DO mean EVERYTHING) from cream of mushroom soup to crackers to chicken broth to chicken nuggets has sugar in it. *roll eyes*
It's fortunate that I like to cook and have a knack for throwing things into a pot that go well together, or I'd seriously starve!
It's also fortunate that I've started making my own hummus, because I can eat that, and it's a great source of protein! :) And as luck would have it, the ONLY cracker I found that does NOT have sugar is Triscuits.
Triscuits are one of my best friends, but I love them all the more now. And, since I've had to kiss bread goodbye for the time being, they serve as a platform from which I can eat tuna + cheese, as well as other tasty meat tidbits. And they have a great crunch.
SO, you ask what it is that I AM eating? Lots of veggies, meats, rice cakes, NATURAL peanut butter ...
This is a great tangent story. Late last week, Erik was munching a PBJ next to me. And I could just SMELL the sugar in the Peter Pan goodness ... I almost ripped it out of his hands, ran to another room and locked myself in it to shove it in my face ... but I did not. But you can bet that Erik got LOTS of kisses after he finished devouring that sandwich. :)
The first week off of sugar was absolutely AWFUL. I had several meltdowns. I nearly had one in the middle of the grocery store when I realized all ham and bacon is cured with sugar. That means no ham and bean soup. :(
And did I mention that my body was revolting, I constantly craved sugar and I was in extreme physical pain? Like worse than normal. And *someone* ate a big tub of hummus I had my eye on. It was a rough week. Not me at my best.
But it's getting better. I still want to rip Peter Pan PBJs from Erik's hands, don't get me wrong. But the pain has subsided to muh more manageable levels. And I'm getting a better hang of what foods I can get at the grocery store.
The biggest victory so far? Eating out. We went to lunch with my brother, and pretty much the only thing I could order on the menu was steak. Now, I'm not a girl that normally orders steak when eating out, but I had very few other options (and did I mention I was STARVING?!???!?). So I did. And guess what? I was FULL for the first time in several days. It was fantastic! (that was during the first week when my body hurt all over and I was hungry 24/7. I seriously woke up at 5 a.m. once because I was SO hungry!).
The biggest surprise? I actually think I like eating natural peanut butter and no-sugar added jelly on RICE CAKES. Yeah, it sounds trippy and crazy, but I really am digging the CRUNCH when I eat them. :)
Another plus is that I have to really think in advance about what I'm going to be eating for the week. Right now, I have 2 cookbooks strewn about, trying to figure out dinners for the week. I think I'm going to attempt cooking with a "fryer chicken" this week in the slow cooker ... we'll see how that goes! I'm also looking forward to Amanda's Rosemary Chicken Rice soup that is SO yummie ... and I can eat ALL of the ingredients!!! WAHOO!!! :)
The one loose end I'm trying to figure out is fruit. I've been eating plenty of meat and veggies, but fruits contain natural sugar. Some of them contain a LOT of natural sugar. So, since I'm trying to starve out candida, and it feeds on sugar, should I axe fruits, too? I can't seem to get a consensus from anyone. But I'm feeling better, and eating only a serving or two of fruits per day, so it seems to be an OK compromise.
Now, eventually, the goal is to be able to re-introduce foods with sugar (ham, wine and beer, please?) into my eating patterns, but for the time being, I guess you would say that I'm in 'detox' from sugar and yeast products.
6 comments:
Ugh. I feel like I can totally relate to this blog. Over break I got a Glycemic Index diet book.... trying to eat more low glycemic so it doesn't affect my blood sugars as much. I'll try and think of some low-sugar food for you :)
If you find any recipes with absolutely NO sugar, TOTALLY let me know, Jessica!!!!
I'm so glad you've figured out what was ailing you, even if it is a pain right now. :) And I'm flattered that my soup made the blog AND your diet. Hehe! :)
On a sidenote... I happened to glance at the can of Tomato Soup label this week and was horrified to find High Fructose Corn Syrup as the SECOND ingredient! What gives??
It's scary how many things contain sugar/HFCS isn't it? I did the yeast/sugar free diet starting in Aug, and lasted until Halloween...when I scarfed 3 candy bars in 5 seconds. Ha!
I actually checked out a few Atkins Diet cookbooks, since they are similar in thought...
You'll find yourself shopping in the produce, nuts, deli/meat and dairy sections ONLY, and making most everything from scratch.
As for fruit - I LOVE fruit - but did without for 3 weeks, then introduced one at a time, and low sugar, like berries, apples, pears. Avoid bananas, citrus, pineapple, etc.
If you haven't already, check out:
http://yeastconnection.com/default.htm#
http://www.candidafree.net/
I began the Threelac a month after starting the diet, and had similar "die-off" symptoms, which helped me believe it was working. Amanda can testify, I feel/look better, lost weight, can eat moderate sugar now, and got pregnant (a huge feat after 7+ yrs infertility).
I think I need Amanda's soup recipe...hope this helps a bit - hang in there, the cravings subside too! Email/FB if you need someone to talk to!
Angela
Oooh, I love natural peanut butter - it is the only way to go. The diet sounds rough but you will be so much stronger after this - you will have insane will-power (as if you did not already) and you will be able to cook anything and make it yummy. These are some amazing benefits! I have been trying to cut down on my yeast lately as I have noticed how I react to it (headache, sicky stomach) - nothing major but I'm beginning to think the typical "american" diet needs to be adjusted. Since we eat 99% of our meals at home now, I guess it is up to me! But now that I know you are becoming a cooking expert I know who to turn to! :)
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1439235767/redrampant-20
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