Are you a sugar addict? I am.
In 2005 I vowed to quit and began
writing about life without sweets.
This site contains a forum,
product reviews, my journal,
educational Sugar Challenges,
and the Stop Being Sweet ebook.

Unsweet Advice: What About Alternative Sweeteners?

August 01, 2008 • Comments (1)

Hi David, I am on day 5 of my sugarless life and I am in the “bargaining stage.” What are your thoughts about alternative sweeteners in sugar free foods? Do you just eliminate all sugar like substances?

I am not into chemical sugar alternatives. Most of them have nasty side-effects like gas. I’ve tried sugar free cookies and products of all kinds sweetened with that stuff and it’s bad. For one thing, it doesn’t help you to get away from addictive sweets. It’s kind of like drinking alcohol free beer or smoking smoke free cigarettes. Gross.

The best bet is to find naturally sweet snacks. I personally will eat something sweetened with honey, agave, pure maple syrup, or fruit juice. Everyone is different, of course, but these types of sweeteners don’t seem to have an addictive reaction for me—although pure maple syrup can certainly pack a punch in terms of a sugar high. In fact, I’ve avoided it lately for this reason.

So if you are just starting out try some of them for yourself. If you don’t, you’ll always wonder about those sugar-free Murray cookies in the cookie aisle. Do beware and read the labels.

Related Links

· Sugar By Any Other Name Is Still Sugar - How to find hidden sugar on labels.

· Sugar Free Jell-O Review - A video review.

· I Ate Chocolate Chip Cookies - About eating sugar free Joseph’s brand cookies.

Posted in Frequently Asked Questions on 08/01/08 • Comment

Unsweet Advice: Amino acid l-glutamine?

July 25, 2008 • Comments (0)

Have you ever used the amino acid l-glutamine to try and curb your sweet tooth? If so, was it effective?

I have never used I-glutamine to curb my sweet tooth. In fact, although we reviewed Sugarest, I never tried it myself. I’m a bit scared of things like that because it is my belief that we stop being sweet by creating a change in our behavior—not as the result of taking a pill or eating another product. I have found that using products or supplements to control sugar intake doesn’t work in the long run, but it might be helpful for some people in the short-term.

My feeling is that it doesn’t work when we give the “power” to something outside of ourselves. People don’t need a health club to be healthy. We don’t need a (no)sugar pill to be sugar free. The sustainable answer to quitting sugar is using our willpower and making the choice to eat right.
That said, has anyone out there used I-glutamine to try and curb their sweet tooth? If so, please tell us about your experience.

Posted in Frequently Asked Questions on 07/25/08 • Comment

I Ate Sugar This Weekend

July 14, 2008 • Comments (1)

This past weekend I attended a fund raiser for the Museum of Contemporary Craft. The theme of the event was “Unpacking” and they served dessert in a little cardboard to-go box. For some reason, when the tiramisu came around with a biscotti and some chocolate flakes on top, I indulged.

I know that it sounds silly, but I could feel it. If you’ve ever drank a shot of hard liquor you know how it feels like it is soaking into your chest. The sugar felt similar. Three bites into it and I could feel it in my system.

Honestly, it wasn’t that tasty. Afterwards I didn’t feel bad for having done it, so that is good. The act of eating dessert didn’t trigger me into any kind of crazy, “I fell off the wagon,” sugar craze. So that’s good as well. Maybe I was inspired by the auction and the donations—eight thousand dollars going once, five thousand dollars going twice.

I suppose it was an experiment to see if maybe—just maybe—I could moderate my sugar intake from here on. However, just writing about that idea makes me unnerved. Thinking about trying to moderate my sugar intake is like thinking about a gambler gambling just a little bit. I’m going to continue to stay away from all sweets until Halloween.

Posted in My Personal Journal on 07/14/08 • Comment

8 Sugar Free Snack Ideas

July 13, 2008 • Comments (19)

Maybe you’re trying to get sugar out of your diet. Maybe you just want to eat better foods. Whatever your inspiration for eating well, here are several ideas to get you started.

(See an updated list containing 10 sugar free snacks.)

1. Apples and Natural Peanut Butter
This is one of my favorite snacks. I like Pink Lady or Granny Smith apples especially. There are many varieties of apple and they’re all worth trying. Slice them up and dip them into natural, unsweetened peanut butter (the kind you have to mix). My favorite brand is Adams but Smuckers and others are good as well.

2. Fruit
A banana does wonders. A peach. Two peaches. A peach and a banana. Yes, fruit is sugar but unless you are avoiding sweets because your doctor forbade you to do so then fruit is a great alternative to candy and cakes. Try making a fruit salad!

3. Egg Salad
Get a dozen eggs and boil them at the beginning of the week. You can eat them as a filling snack or mix in some (unsweetened) mayonnaise and make an egg salad sandwich.

4. Bread!
I still eat bread. However, I only eat artisan breads and stuff baked without corn syrup. You’d be amazed that even the most natural branded breads contain corn syrup. Read the label.

5. Pasta
Yeah, it’s a complex carbohydrate. I don’t eat it every single day like I did eight years ago, but I still love me some pasta. When it’s hot out, try some macaroni salad.

6. Nuts
Peanuts, cashews, walnuts, almonds. Mix in some raisins and create your own trail mix.

7. Burritos
Buy some flat tortillas. Fry up some vegetables with some rice. Then melt some cheese in your tortilla and add the rice and vegetable mix. Filling and delicious!

8. Stir Fry
Cook up some rice. Add your favorite vegetables and perhaps some chicken or tofu. Beware of stir fry sauce as it’s often full of corn syrup.

Eating sugar-free is just a matter of being creative. Remember, when quitting sugar you still need to eat! Find other things that satisfy.

What sugar free snacks do you already make and eat on a regular basis?

Posted in Tips, Tricks, Info & News on 07/13/08 • Comment