5 Tips to Survive a Sugar-Free Diet for MECFS
By Blog Contributor Rachel Lodge
Want to try a sugar-free diet but are intimidated? Here are 5 excellent tips from Rachel that she learned from her own experience.
Sugar 101: Surviving Sugar-Free! - Part 4
In my previous blog I reported back to you about the benefits I experienced from my 3-month sugar-free trial (Read to here). Whether you decide to embark on your own sugar-free journey, or you simply want to try and reduce your intake, my hope is that the following will be helpful and encouraging. Here are my 5 top tips for getting started and keeping the sugar-free momentum going…
1.Decide to go Sugar-Free Diet
I can’t emphasize enough, that for me, deciding to just go for it - cold turkey - and become sugar-free for three months, was honestly the hardest part of the trial. If, like me, you find sugar to be very addictive, then actually getting to a place in your mind where you decide to quit eating the stuff is extremely tough. Let’s face it, sugar can be a massive comfort; a boredom-busting treat that can be the only thing you look forward to on any given day when you suffer from chronic illness daily restrictions are profound and your world has shrunk significantly. Believe me, I understand that. However, I do believe that making a decision can be incredibly powerful…even powerful enough to override harmful addictions and habits, and if that choice needs to be renewed daily, that’s totally fine too. Once I had made the decision and committed to it, I genuinely did not find sugar-free as difficult as I had imagined I would, and actually for me, the cravings were surprisingly minimal.
Try to focus on why you want to make the change, and the health benefits that you are hoping to see, rather than fixating on what you will be giving up.
2.Go Sugar-Free with a Partner
I was fortunate enough to rope in both my husband and my friend to join me on my sugar-free challenge. Granted, it might prove tricky to find someone willing to take the plunge with you, as most people will undoubtedly see sugar-free as ‘extreme’; but I would encourage you to challenge people on this. If, like me, you have suffered with ME/CFS for many years, then these ‘extreme’ measures pale into insignificance if you actually reap the benefits and get a reduction in the symptoms you’ve been battling with for years…it honestly is a small price to pay. That said, never underestimate the challenge of breaking an embedded dietary habit. Dr. Myhill even goes as far as to describe sugar as a ‘drug’, stating that ‘…it is generally not recognised that sugar is perhaps the worst and most pernicious addiction and this is, chronologically speaking, the first and last addiction and the one which is hardest to kick’ (Myhill, 2016). So cut yourself some slack by getting a friend or family member to join you if possible - that way, you can mutually benefit from the moral support and accountability on offer. In my experience, it was great to be able to share a moan, a bit of encouragement and, of course, tips and recipe ideas to keep on track!
With over 10 years of experience creating nutrition plans for patients, I invite you to create your own personalized nutrition plan with me.
3.No Sweets in the House
Ok, so this one might seem like a no-brainer, but if it is at all possible to rid your home of all sugary temptations then I would encourage you to do this. I realize this may be challenging to do if others in your household object, but taking sugary treats out of my eye-line and making it as difficult as possible to buy more (e.g. buying groceries online where you have more control over what products you view), made things a million times easier for me. I know that if sugar is right there in front of me, I am highly likely to gobble it up like a pro, so the kindest thing is to simply ban it from the house…full-stop.
4.Find Some Exciting Sugar Alternatives!
The topic of sweeteners is a contentious one, and probably one that deserves its own separate blog! Some people prefer to avoid them altogether, viewing them as reinforcing the same addiction patterns as sugar itself. If you have the self-control for that, I think that’s highly admirable. Dr Myhill (‘Prevent and Cure Diabetes - Delicious Diets not Dangerous Drugs’ (2016)) even suspects that sweeteners are capable of triggering a release of insulin as a kind of ‘learned response’ where the brain simply follows the well-worn action of releasing insulin in response to a sweet taste - regardless of whether that is coming from sugar or an artificial sweetener. There are certainly a number of different views on this topic and they are beyond the scope of this blog, however as a rule-of-thumb, I would urge you to avoid all forms of artificial sweetener such as aspartame, saccharine, and sucralose. Taking aspartame as an example here, Dr Myhill points out that it is actually converted to formaldehyde (a neurotoxin and pesticide) in the liver which is hopefully enough to put anybody off! Remember, the last thing we want to do is increase the toxic burden for our bodies, especially when we are already suffering with ME/CFS.
I would say a good middle-ground is to instead, look out for plant-derived sweeteners such as xylitol, erythritol and stevia as these have little (if any) impact on blood-sugar levels when consumed in moderation, and all of which are fairly affordable and pretty easy to find. My personal favourite is xylitol as it tastes exactly like sugar, and unlike erythritol and stevia, it doesn’t have any unpleasant after-taste which is evident to some people. It’s helpful to have these on-hand if the sugar-cravings become intense, however I think it is wise to keep them to a minimum especially as they can keep the sweet-cravings alive and potentially cause digestive upset in some.
Every now and then enjoy a treat so that you don’t feel you are missing out…perhaps a hot chocolate made with cacao, xylitol and coconut milk? There are also plenty of dessert/snack options that you can find on the dietdoctor.com website that utilise these plant-derived sweeteners. Chewing gum and mints that are purely sweetened with xylitol, are really helpful to have on-hand; plus more and more erythritol-sweetened chocolate bars are hitting the market - ‘Scoundrel Chocolate’ is my current fave, and you can find it here: amazon.co.uk
5.Distract Yourself from Sweets
When the going gets tough, being able to distract yourself from sugar-cravings can be a powerful tool. Find something within your means that you find really exciting, such as a non-food reward, or perhaps giving yourself permission for some extra hobby-time. If you have the health capabilities to learn to play a musical instrument, I would highly recommend this as a great way to fully engage your brain in something rewarding and fun - leaving little space to dwell on those cravings!
We’d love to hear from you in the comments section below if you’ve ever attempted being sugar-free, how did it go, and how did it impact your health?
My next challenge…trialling a ketogenic diet - eek! Watch this space.
Suggested Further Reading:
‘BioDiet – The Scientifically Proven, Ketogenic Way to Lose Weight and Improve Your Health’ (2019) by David G. Harper with Dale Drewery.
‘Prevent and Cure Diabetes - Delicious Diets not Dangerous Drugs’ (2016) by Dr Sarah Myhill and Craig Robinson.
