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WHY is sugar our enemy??


Guest Mary from OH

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Guest Mary from OH

I know I've read people talking about this before and that some people here have gone totally off sugar entirely.

But, can someone explain to me WHY sugar effects us so strongly??? And why, during the day I don't seem to notice the problems, but if I eat something that has sugar in it too close to bedtime..... WHOOOO baby!! That night I will have severe POTS symptoms!! (I have just recently confirmed this hypothesis I have been suspecting).

Thanks in advance!!

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Hi Mary -Many people can develop Systemic Candida caused by processed sugars ( even natural occuring sugars depending on sensitivity), as well as yeast containing foods such white products and processed foods, can cause Neurological like problems...which can make it hard to differentiate between what is what....

Candida also supresses the immune system as well which makes the body have to fight harder.

I have been eating a yeast free/sugar free diet for about 8 years now. No doubt when I am on it I feel much better... Obviously not cured by any means, but it takes an enormous stress off my body.....I am much clearer, less symptomatic, immune system is better etc etc....

Its hard to follow all the time...I fall back a lot and get sick of avoiding so many foods. When I go back to my "old ways" I always pay for it.....

I know everyone has different tolerances to sugars etc....

Have you ever consulted with a Holistic Nutritionist?

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Guest Mary from OH

Jenn-

I wish!! Not covered by insurance, can't afford it, you know the story. I'm allergic to yeast BTW!!! ANd let me tell you, it's something VERY difficult to eliminate from your diet!!

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I think it has to do with the release of insulin following digestion of simple sugars (reactive hypoglycemia) and/or with causing blood to rush to your stomach (postprandial hypotension). Funny, I seem to handle sugar well at night, but have trouble at lunch and in the afternoons! :P

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Hi Mary - I hear you loud and clear about the costs.... I have not had a consult with mine in 3 months b/c of cost... Its hard..

As far as not eating sugar..in the beginning it is really difficult ever....you kind of go through withdrawls....but after a week or so you stop having the cravings and start craving other things... Believe me I was ( and still am) the biggest choc/sugar holic out there....

But I have to take a break from my diet every now and then...even though I know it makes me feel worse, It is hard to be sick with so many things and then deny yourself good food...so I splurge here and there.

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Mary,

The book Protein Power gives much great info about your question. It's only about $8 and might be very helpful to you. I've only read a couple of chapters so far but I think it's a relatively easy-to-understand resource.

I'm one of those who cannot handle any sugar or any stimulant (including spicy stuff), and I even have to be very careful on the amount of "good" carbs I eat. Those things set off heart/pulse trouble, or cause highs followed by big crashes, or even change my personality into that of a terrible b****. It's incredible what kind of trouble even a tiny amount causes me, so cheating isn't an option.

I did not believe that it had such an effect on me at first, but after being completely free of those things for a while and feeling so much better, and then cheating and experiencing how crummy it made me feel, I realized that I had been in denial. I really thought I felt ok before and could handle the sugars until I lived without it. At that point, I learned how awful I had felt all along but couldn't identify it as such.

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my worst time for sweets in the afternoon. Or on an empty stomach...yuck :P But there seem to be some types of sweets I do okay with and some I don't. The worst for me is artificial sweeteners. Those really make me crash. But if I eat a decent meal, I can tolerate a little sweet. Weird. morgan

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Mary and Opus, I am also sensitive to carbohydrates. I have tried to follow the diabetic diet I was given over 10 years ago after developing gestational diabetes (went away with delivery) with my last pregnancy. When I follow it I do feel a little better, but it is so limiting. I also react to stimulants such as spices and caffeine (even in iced tea!) I am going to look for your book Protein Power. I followed South Beach for a while and that was a good thing too. I have to eat very small meals as well. I never feel full. Bummer. Martha

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Guest Mary from OH

I don't use any caffeine. (only in CHOCOLATE!!!) And I've been trying to eat more protein. I'm going to find that book.

It's amazing what an effect the sugar has!! I didn't have a problem with gestational diabetes with my pregnancy thank goodness.

But, I think I may also have a problem with carbohydrates since I crave them... But. my excuse is that I craved the salt too and later found out it was because I had POTS and NEEDED it!! Think the carbos could be the same??? :D Probably not! :P But, one can dream!!

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This is from the POTS Place "What to Avoid" page:

Certain Foods, such as dairy products, may increase symptoms in some patients. White sugar and other refined carbohydrates can exacerbate hypotension by causing increased dilation in the gut (Mathias, 2000). It is important to identify and avoid food triggers. Studies show that gluten sensitivity may play a role in neurological disorders (Hadjivassiliou, Gibson, Davies-Jones, Lobo, Stephenson & Milford-Ward, 1996).

See the page for the references.

Michelle

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Guest Mary from OH

Thanks Michelle! I knew I had read it somewhere else too! Since it had effected me so "severely" and I have never had any "measurable" problems with my blood sugar, I knew there had to be some kind of alternative medical explanation to it!!

I'm going to look into this further. Although, I have to admit. I could NEVER give up chocolate!! :P

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Hi Mary - I am not sure how you react to artificial sweeteners, but there is a sugar free candy bar called Pure Delite.... It is sweetened with Maltitol.....which is the more natural of the sweeteners...anyway, I think they taste great,,,,,most health food stores have them and I have seen them in Rite Aid in the Nutrition Isle also... Just a though if you ar e trying to cut back on sugar, but have that chocolate craving like I do :P

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Guest Mary from OH

Never heard of it! I'll have to look!! I do occasionally use Splenda. It's made from sugar and is "natural". Thanks for the heads up.

But, I LOVE Godiva and Ghiradelli and chocolate like that!!!! I don't need a lot or very often. Just a piece or two. It will take me months to go through a box. It's just SO delicious!

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hello all,

One way to maintaina balance is by looking at the glycemic level of a particular food this will tell you how it will affect your blood sugar levels. The best way of course is to eat small meals balanced diet with portions of complex carbs , protien and fats. If you find yourself eating sugary food one way to lower its impact is to eat a protien source with it. this lowers its glycemic level. And do not forget the fibres both soluble and insoluble. Basically though the glycemic index is a good start.

Slainte` ( good health -Irish) Kite #7

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Just some info to consider:

Maltitol is a sugar alcohol. The body doesn't recognize the carbs in a sugar alcohol and so it passes, undigested, to the lower intestine, where, natural bacteria finds it and can break loose a not-so-pleasant reaction. Histopathological changes have been observed in the adrenal gland after a 2-year study of maltitol, as well as increased incidences of both benign and malignant phaeochromocytomas and an increased frequency of slight to moderate adrenal medullary hyperplasia.

Splenda is involved in a huge legal battle - they have purposely misled the public into believing it was sugar and/or natural. Sucralose is produced by chlorinating sugar (sucrose). This involves chemically changing the structure of the sugar molecules, resulting in neurological symptoms, shrunken thymus glands (up to 40% shrinkage), enlarged liver and kidneys, and more.

Sugar cravings happen because our white sugar is so processed that it does not retain its natural properties. When you crave sugar, you are actually craving the missing properties of the real sugar - but your body doesn't tell you that it's those missing qualities it lacks, so you eat more processed junk trying to fill that need. It's a vicious circle that requires a dedicated, conscious effort to break.

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Sugar is a weird one. I remember being told about Candida and all that, but after a four month sugar free diet i didnt feel that my POTS symptoms were in any way better, and it wasnt until i increased salt that i improved.

Without wanting to sound bad, I dont think there is really any factual evidence that high yeast and candida levels actually contribute to systemic illness - recent studies actually found that people with low parasite levels (low bacteria, yeasts and intestinal worms) have much higher and worse allergies. Infact, children in SOuth America were tested for allergies before being de-wormed and they were almost totally free of allergies. Then two months after de-worming they were all allergic to a variety of common foods.

I would look at food as being more like a trigger. Certain foods trigger Migraines like red wine, etc. Many of these foods also trigger POTS to worsen. My way of looking at it is that maybe these foods require more of the bodies resources to metabolise/digest and as a result, our POTS worsens - perhaps due to more blood being utilised to metabolise these things.

For me, thick carbs, yeast, red wines, dairy products or sugar in the evening are all no nos and can trigger Pots symptoms OR migraines

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Here is some info on how Candida is thought to be linked to allergies:

http://www.med.umich.edu/opm/newspage/2004/gut.htm

Perhaps the worming medication disturbed the gut's microflora and that was what actually led to the children's allergies?

Michelle

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I did a very strong candida treatment for 4 months with an MD who once scoffed at such an idea. After working in a clinic with another doctor who opened his eyes to candidiasis, this guy completely gave up his "regular" practice and became an expert on candida and various detox-type treatments. He had a 98% success rate. Unfortunately, I was one of the 2% he didn't "cure" but I learned a lot in the process.

Looking back, I can now say that the candida treatment did help in some ways, but not in ways I was looking for. Candidiasis, I believe, can be an entirely separate problem for us - or at least that seems to be my experience. We could have both conditions working against us rather than one causing the other. At the time I didn't know about my dysautonomia. But that diet I had to follow was really good for me in many ways. I guess it was kind of a precursor to the metabolic typing diet I now follow.

I do believe that candida is a huge problem in our society, due to consuming so much junk food. Michelle's thought on the allergies after candida treatment seems quite plausible. Perhaps the treatment in the S. Am. study wasn't as complete as it should have been. In any case, I think it's worth further investigation. And always there is the question of which practitioner, which brand and combination of supplements, how strict the dietary recommendations, how closely the protocol was followed by the patients, etc., etc., etc.

The whole question of what does what to us is so very complicated and interesting. Maybe someday there will be better answers.

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Throughout human history, people have often eaten foods high in sugar and high in yeast. Fruit juices, dried fruits and wines have always contained a load of sugar that is quite similar to the refined sugars some people in the west now bombard their bodies with.

Sugar-laden wines and spirits have been a way of life in many countries for centuries - in Russia and Czeckslovakia people drink around six times more alcohol per year than people from other countries, but despite this high intake of sugar and yeast, we dont hear of candida infections being a problem in these countries.

Candida is a problem for people with depressed immune systems, just as toxoplasmosis and a host of other bacteria can also be given that environment. CFS and Lupus could provide these kinds of circumstances, but i have never seen a record of average people who eat lots of sugar having a depressed immune system because of it.

The only place we hear and read about candida is from developed western countries. I believe it is because there are a vareity of medical conditions that we cannot explain that yield symptoms that people want an explanation for.

At the end of the day Candida has been around for 20 years or so, yet there isnt one credible scientific study that demonstrates that normal, healthy people who eat a modern diet are being infected with chronic candida infections that yield a huge variety list of symptoms that could be caused by any medical condition.

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