Research offers insight to how fructose causes obesity and other illness
Well, now, isn't that interesting.... Can't wait to see what Dr Alan Barclay has to say about this.
For those of you that have seen any of Dr Barclay's interviews (in particular the ones where he disparages anything said by David Gillespie) you need to know that the Dr bit in his name is courtesy of a PhD and not of a medical degree. Unfortunately because of his position as head of research at Australian Diabetes Council, many people put more stock in what he says than in the common sense of eating well and not adding extra crap to our food.
Tuesday, 28 February 2012
Friday, 24 February 2012
A bit about the kids
One thing that I thought would be really hard was getting the kids to stop drinking juice. We were really good with our first son. He only ever drank water or milk as a little man. He is 15months older than his little brother, so it wasn't until number two was a toddler that we introduced them to juice. The older always preferred milk but the little one fell in love with apple juice and I thought I was doing the right thing (surely it is better than soft drink) by letting him have juice. Little did I realise at the time (or bother to check for that matter) that there is actually more sugar in a juice than in most standard soft drinks! My friend Kerrie reminded the other day of the fact that as kids we always had to squeeze an orange (ONE orange) to get some juice. None of this readily available squeezed into a carton or bottle stuff we have today. We forget how little juice is actually in one piece of fruit - so it would take the juice of 3 or 4 apples to fill a glass. As David Gillespie says, would you sit down to breakfast, eat your vitabrits and then follow it up with 4 large apples? I think not...
So one day I said to the boys, "Mummy is going to change some of the things we eat and drink, so we are not going to be buying juice anymore." Number 2 said "But i love it Mummy". I explained to them (at the time 3 and 4 yrs of age) that Mummy didn't want them having lots of sugar because it would end up making them very sick so I would like them to drink milk or water instead. The older child shrugged his shoulders and said OK... the little one was a little tougher. But after 2 days of asking for juice and getting milk or water, he just stopped asking for juice. And he rarely asks for it anymore. In fact, he now loves milk as much as his brother.
We have noticed some behavioural changes in our younger son too. He has always had a very active outlook on life, to put it politely. Since really cutting back on sugar and refined foods, his moods have become more stable. I can't say for certain that it is the change in food habits that has done it, as it may well be a maturity thing for him too (he is 4 in 3 months time). But there has been a massive change in his attitude since Christmas just past.
Now, when we are the shops doing our groceries, we tend to mostly avoid the biscuit aisle (although I do go there to pick up rice cakes for Scott and the boys, as well as BBQ or Pizza Shapes - at this stage still on our ok list as they are very low in sugar). When we do see things the boys used to have they usually say (quite loudly I might add) "We don't have that now Mum because that is full of sugar!"
So many people say you can't educate children so little about stuff like that, but I think if you don't try, then you are doing your children a disservice in the long run. I know of other kids who are able to identify foods they have allergies to from a very early age, so why not sugar too?
I am not so strict with the kids that they NEVER have sugar laden foods, but I try to make sure it is a long gap between exposures. Obviously, at parties and things they are going to still be exposed to it, but I can educate them to make better choices based on what is available.
My older son just started prep this year, and goes to before and after school care. They provide breakfast and afternoon tea for kids who need it. He has had breakfast a couple of times there, and the first time had toast with jam on it (a novelty for him these days). After that when he has breakfast, he prefers rice bubbles (one of the lower sugar cereals) over a vitabrit (about the lowest sugar other than porridge). He never eats afternoon tea, not for want of trying on the part of the staff. He is simply never hungry. He eats his lunch (salami and sauce - homemade sauce - sandwich) and morning and afternoon tea (yoghurt, ffAnzac bikkies, banana or other fruit). He drinks milk when we get home at about 4.45 and the boys still eat dinner around 5.30.
So, I actually think now that what I thought would be the biggest challenge turned out to be not so difficult after all.
So one day I said to the boys, "Mummy is going to change some of the things we eat and drink, so we are not going to be buying juice anymore." Number 2 said "But i love it Mummy". I explained to them (at the time 3 and 4 yrs of age) that Mummy didn't want them having lots of sugar because it would end up making them very sick so I would like them to drink milk or water instead. The older child shrugged his shoulders and said OK... the little one was a little tougher. But after 2 days of asking for juice and getting milk or water, he just stopped asking for juice. And he rarely asks for it anymore. In fact, he now loves milk as much as his brother.
We have noticed some behavioural changes in our younger son too. He has always had a very active outlook on life, to put it politely. Since really cutting back on sugar and refined foods, his moods have become more stable. I can't say for certain that it is the change in food habits that has done it, as it may well be a maturity thing for him too (he is 4 in 3 months time). But there has been a massive change in his attitude since Christmas just past.
Now, when we are the shops doing our groceries, we tend to mostly avoid the biscuit aisle (although I do go there to pick up rice cakes for Scott and the boys, as well as BBQ or Pizza Shapes - at this stage still on our ok list as they are very low in sugar). When we do see things the boys used to have they usually say (quite loudly I might add) "We don't have that now Mum because that is full of sugar!"
So many people say you can't educate children so little about stuff like that, but I think if you don't try, then you are doing your children a disservice in the long run. I know of other kids who are able to identify foods they have allergies to from a very early age, so why not sugar too?
I am not so strict with the kids that they NEVER have sugar laden foods, but I try to make sure it is a long gap between exposures. Obviously, at parties and things they are going to still be exposed to it, but I can educate them to make better choices based on what is available.
My older son just started prep this year, and goes to before and after school care. They provide breakfast and afternoon tea for kids who need it. He has had breakfast a couple of times there, and the first time had toast with jam on it (a novelty for him these days). After that when he has breakfast, he prefers rice bubbles (one of the lower sugar cereals) over a vitabrit (about the lowest sugar other than porridge). He never eats afternoon tea, not for want of trying on the part of the staff. He is simply never hungry. He eats his lunch (salami and sauce - homemade sauce - sandwich) and morning and afternoon tea (yoghurt, ffAnzac bikkies, banana or other fruit). He drinks milk when we get home at about 4.45 and the boys still eat dinner around 5.30.
So, I actually think now that what I thought would be the biggest challenge turned out to be not so difficult after all.
Day 2
Day 1 done and dusted! I would love to be able to say how easily I made it through "day 1" (and I did) but in reality I guess it wasn't a "day 1" in the same sense that it would be for other people. I mentioned in an earlier post that I believe I overcame the sugar cravings some time back so for me the major adjustment is getting used to eating real food again after a year of shakes for breakfast and lunch. I will probably post more later today, but for now I want to say good luck to those friends (new and old) who are taking up my suggestion of reading Sweet Poison. Even if you just make one or two small changes it will make a big difference in your life. How much you want to change is up to you and it should not matter what other people think about the choices you make, providing they are informed choices.
A few friends have asked about recipes and my intention is to post recipes and pictures so you can see what we cook and eat.
Thanks to those who have commented or sent me messages of support. It means a lot to know there are people interested in seeing how we go with this.
Chat later!
A few friends have asked about recipes and my intention is to post recipes and pictures so you can see what we cook and eat.
Thanks to those who have commented or sent me messages of support. It means a lot to know there are people interested in seeing how we go with this.
Chat later!
Thursday, 23 February 2012
Day 1 (officially)
So today I start. I had a few friends send me a messages last night saying "so what do you eat? and what do you feed the boys if you can't give them bikkies?"
Well, the simple answer is we eat food, and they eat bikkies. I make their bikkies for them. Thank goodness I learnt how to cook as a kid! But seriously, it is not that hard. I am following a lot of recipes in David Gillespie's Sweet Poison Quit Plan (thanks to Lizzie who did all the trial and error so the rest of us could benefit). The boys absolutley love ANZAC bikkies. Instead of sugar I use dextrose (glucose) which i get for a few dollars in the Home Brew section of my local Woolworths. Instead of golden syrup I use rice malt syrup, which still has that lovely golden colour. Other people have tried them and they taste pretty good. Admittedly I also cook with gluten free flour (we don't have wheat flour in the house as my husband has Coeliac Disease) so they do taste slightly different but my kids don't know the difference.
So today, I am having a bowl of porridge for breakfast. If I really feel the need to sweeten it I could use Stevia, but I actually learnt a long time ago that porridge tastes better in its natural form with a bit of milk on it. Lunch is a nice big salad with a boiled egg chopped into it, a bit of avocado and some full fat mayo. Dinner would normally be steak, fish or chicken with salad or veges. Scott and the boys would add a potato or some rice depending on what we have. I am still trying to limit my complex carb intake to early in the day.
Snacks during the day are a piece of fruit (eg banana, kiwifruit etc) and some nuts (almonds mostly, since they are a favourite).
The concept is quite simple in a scientific sense. Sucrose (the sugar we add to most of our food) is made up of one molecule of glucose and one molecule of fructose. [I could reference my year 11/12 students' biology textbook here for you, or you could take my word for it as a Biology teacher.] Our bodies have a need for glucose and recognise it when we eat it. We have various systems in place to either use it or store it appropriately. Our bodies don't know what to do with fructose. In its natural form in a piece of fruit is comes packed in fibre and there is some suggestion that the fibre helps the fructose move along (nothing to see here style of stuff....) and leave our body. In a concentrated form (ie anything other than packed in fibrous fruit) it runs around our blood stream being ignored by all our sugar recognition systems because it is not "visible" to them. So after a little while it has a little rest... wherever it wants... and turns into little fatty acids.... which do a little damage (actually a lot).
We had a fifth birthday party on the weekend. I made cupcakes using dextrose instead of sugar. I made icing from butter, dextrose and a little bit of gelatine. Every kid except one (and all the adults too) hoed into them. The one kid - he is not much of a cake eater. The people who were there are a rather honest lot and would have told me if they were no good. There were none leftover. Speaks for itself I say.
It is easy to make small changes. You just have to be prepared to change the way you do things. I bake more now than I have in a long time and I have to say, Sunday afternoon was, although busy, a very relaxing time for me making food for my family to eat this week at school and work.
Cya!
Well, the simple answer is we eat food, and they eat bikkies. I make their bikkies for them. Thank goodness I learnt how to cook as a kid! But seriously, it is not that hard. I am following a lot of recipes in David Gillespie's Sweet Poison Quit Plan (thanks to Lizzie who did all the trial and error so the rest of us could benefit). The boys absolutley love ANZAC bikkies. Instead of sugar I use dextrose (glucose) which i get for a few dollars in the Home Brew section of my local Woolworths. Instead of golden syrup I use rice malt syrup, which still has that lovely golden colour. Other people have tried them and they taste pretty good. Admittedly I also cook with gluten free flour (we don't have wheat flour in the house as my husband has Coeliac Disease) so they do taste slightly different but my kids don't know the difference.
So today, I am having a bowl of porridge for breakfast. If I really feel the need to sweeten it I could use Stevia, but I actually learnt a long time ago that porridge tastes better in its natural form with a bit of milk on it. Lunch is a nice big salad with a boiled egg chopped into it, a bit of avocado and some full fat mayo. Dinner would normally be steak, fish or chicken with salad or veges. Scott and the boys would add a potato or some rice depending on what we have. I am still trying to limit my complex carb intake to early in the day.
Snacks during the day are a piece of fruit (eg banana, kiwifruit etc) and some nuts (almonds mostly, since they are a favourite).
The concept is quite simple in a scientific sense. Sucrose (the sugar we add to most of our food) is made up of one molecule of glucose and one molecule of fructose. [I could reference my year 11/12 students' biology textbook here for you, or you could take my word for it as a Biology teacher.] Our bodies have a need for glucose and recognise it when we eat it. We have various systems in place to either use it or store it appropriately. Our bodies don't know what to do with fructose. In its natural form in a piece of fruit is comes packed in fibre and there is some suggestion that the fibre helps the fructose move along (nothing to see here style of stuff....) and leave our body. In a concentrated form (ie anything other than packed in fibrous fruit) it runs around our blood stream being ignored by all our sugar recognition systems because it is not "visible" to them. So after a little while it has a little rest... wherever it wants... and turns into little fatty acids.... which do a little damage (actually a lot).
We had a fifth birthday party on the weekend. I made cupcakes using dextrose instead of sugar. I made icing from butter, dextrose and a little bit of gelatine. Every kid except one (and all the adults too) hoed into them. The one kid - he is not much of a cake eater. The people who were there are a rather honest lot and would have told me if they were no good. There were none leftover. Speaks for itself I say.
It is easy to make small changes. You just have to be prepared to change the way you do things. I bake more now than I have in a long time and I have to say, Sunday afternoon was, although busy, a very relaxing time for me making food for my family to eat this week at school and work.
Cya!
Wednesday, 22 February 2012
Now it starts...
Today I made a decision that is going to change my life. I have to confess that I actually made this decision about 3 months ago, and it has taken me that long to actually action it.
In January 2011, I joined a weightloss program at my local chemist. It was a meal replacement program. At the time I was about 35 kg overweight. By November 2011, I had lost about 14 kg, which I was really happy about. And it has stayed at that point since that time.
In about August 2011 a friend at work told me about a book called Sweet Poison. She hadn't read it, but her son had. I did a bit of internet research and liked the sound of the book. So I went to my local Big W, found it, took it home and read it. Wow... so then i started trolling around websites and had a good look through David Gillespie's blogs and the Sweet Poison and How Much Sugar sites. I wanted to know more, so I signed up to the forum and bought the Quit Plan.
It takes me a while sometimes to really commit to things, especially when it comes to changing my eating habits. So I thought I would just change things bit by bit. I was not quite ready to give up the shakes, even though I knew they were full of fructose and my weight was no longer moving. Just prior to Christmas, I started replacing all sugar in our cooking with either Stevia or with pure glucose.
My kids are nearly 4 and just turned 5, and they hardly noticed the difference. I had stopped giving them ice cream and sweetened yoghurt some weeks prior, so when I finally got around to making ice cream based on glucose powder they were stoked! Friends have tried it and say it is better than shop-bought ice cream. Can't argue with that! I have always made my own yoghurt, so switched to making the natural yoghurt and sweetening it with Stevia. If the boys want strawberry yoghurt, out comes the little bottle of Queen's Strawberry essence and voila! Strawberry yoghurt!
The best news so far is that of my darling husband. He was diagnosed with Insulin Dependent Diabetes when he was 10 years of age. For 30 years he has really battled with what we refer to as "the naughty child living inside him". He could eat the same thing each day, have the same amount of insulin at the same time, do the same amount of exercise and his sugar levels would jump all over the place for no apparent reason. Since really focussing on eliminating the fructose component of sugar from our diet in December/January this year, his sugar levels have been the most stable he can remember. There have still been the odd occasions where he has had lows or highs, but these are getting to be fewer and further between. He is now adjusting his insulin doses down as his control is getting better.
So, back to my decision. Today I spoke to my consultant at the chemist and told her that I was quitting the diet. All diets. From today, we are Fructose Free for Life. I am anticipating a smooth transition, as thankfully I feel that I have already dealt with the sugar withdrawal phase. I can sit in front of plates of sugar-laden "delicacies" and confidently say no. I have no desire to eat them. And anyone who knows me well, knows this is no mean feat!
So here goes... let's enjoy the ride.
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