Of the research I did, everyone agrees to limit all forms of sugar if you're trying to control insulin levels. One drastic approach is the Blood Sugar Solution by Dr. Hyman. I found the cookbook at the library for some recipe inspiration and read a little about his approach. He recommends six weeks of eating just vegetables and lean protein, and eliminating sugar in all forms, white flour, and white rice. For the Advanced Plan he recommends limiting all grains as well as all fruit except for 1/2 cup of berries as a treat. I hear what he's saying and I'm happy to implement a few of the suggested ideas and recipes. I don't think being so restrictive is a good idea for me because taking on too much at once might backfire and I'll burn out too quickly, so I'll take on new changes slowly to help them stick.
Last week I saw a documentary called "That Sugar Film" (available on Amazon Prime) about an Australian actor who changed his eating habits to see what effect sugar had on his body. It was a very interesting film. Between that, my research, and other sources, I learned a few things:
- Sugar is bad for you. I believe it's ok in small, measured doses but that's rarely the case these days between processed food and take-out.
- Oatmeal isn't necessarily as super a food as I originally thought. I don't remember where I saw it but apparently it can raise blood sugar as well. More research needed.
- A calorie is not a calorie. To me this was mind-blowing. I used to think that as long as I kept my calories counted and under a certain number that it didn't matter what I ate. In terms of weight loss, maybe. But in terms of nutrition that's not true. For starters, eating 200 calories of avocado, for example, will give you nutrients and keep you full because of the fat. In contrast, having 200 calories of juice gives you a sugar spike which then comes with a sugar crash shortly after, which leads to cravings and overeating.
I've made some significant changes to our menu but there's still a way to go. Breakfasts are either eggs with something (avocado or cottage, or some veg) or a green smoothie. Lunches are either leftovers, salad with tuna, or veg with hummus. Dinners vary and include some sort of roasted vegetables with salmon or chicken. There's room for improvement, especially with snacks and desserts. For shabbat I made a five lb dough for the bracha. I split it in two and made half into challah and the other half into seven babkas. Fresh, sweet baked goods are my #1 weakness and they were by far the most delicious babkas I have ever made or tasted in my life. I ended up giving away five of them - I just couldn't risk having them in the house, even buried in the freezer. I also need to work on getting to my goal of getting at least 30 min of exercise four times a day. It's not a struggle of finding the time, it's looking for the motivation.
I think you're doing the right thing in not going extreme and making it harder to maintain.
ReplyDeleteThe calories not being equivalent was also really hard for me to understand at first - I mean, obviously a donut isn't the same as an avocado but the idea of fullness from fats/proteins vs carbs was new for me to experience.
One thing that's helped me is letting myself have at most one treat a day -- something small like a spoon of cookie butter (my latest indulgence) or a piece of dark chocolate. It doesn't seem to be hurting but it's hard to tell.
30 min of exercise 4x a day is a lot! I ended up getting a stationary bike, parking it in front of the TV and using my evening TV time as exercise time.
Whoops I meant 4x a week, not per day!
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