OPERATION "NO SWEETS" CHALLENGE

[Sherri]

Re: OPERATION "NO SWEETS" CHALLENGE

So I made it about half way through reading this challenge, and I've gotta say WOW!!
The bit on Splenda shocked me....I went and tossed my da vinci syrup down the drain. No wonder I was getting addicted to the stuff. I think the person who compared it to our furry friends and antifreeze had something there! Of course, there goes my splenda sweetened pickles, catsup, and goodness knows what else.

Think I'll join you guys the next go round. No sweetener in my coffee will be the biggest challenge Let's see how brave I am come mid April

Awesome challenge Sherri!!

Thanks for checking our challenge out Chick. It certainly has been a learning experience for all of us. I look forward to seeing you at the ongoing No Sweets challenge.
Sherri

[Sherri]

Re: OPERATION "NO SWEETS" CHALLENGE

oops I did it again...that darn Tim Horton...

Does this mean you get another x?

[Porcelain]

Re: OPERATION "NO SWEETS" CHALLENGE

Thanks Joy and Sherri. One good thing about me feeling so bad lately is, for some reason, I am able to focus on my diet. I guess it is because it is really the only thing I can control right now and I need to feel in control of at least something.

[elsy]

Re: OPERATION "NO SWEETS" CHALLENGE

First, Happy Anniversary Porcelain!
For passing up the fried rice and icecream. Great job porcelain!
I'm so proud of you!
Sherri

I agree. That does take guts you know. Good job!

[Sherri]

Re: OPERATION "NO SWEETS" CHALLENGE

BUMPING UP ALL INFO TO REVIEW
Challengers,
I am so pleased to see our list of challengers getting longer. Fantastic.
Now would be a good time to prepare for the 32 days without sweets. Time to clean out all temptation from your car, kitchen cupboards, freezer, fridge, pantry and wherever else you have stashed your sweetness. Begin familiarizing yourself(if you havn't already) with reading food lables for ingrediants. Look for hidden sugars that will come in the form of-
sugar
brown sugar
sucrose
fructose
corn syrup
glucose
corn sugar
dextrose
lactose
maltose
honey
invert sugar
concentrated fruit juice
sorbitol
xyletol
mannitol
barley sugar
malt extract
malt
monosodiumglutamate (MSG)
high fructose
corn syrup
mollasses
Watch for hidden sugars in dried spices and seasoning packets if you use them. Also Morton Lite Salt has Dextrose in it. I use sea salt.
If anyone can add more to the list, please do.
Lets all share what it is you're wanting to accomplish by doing this challenge. Also what it is you are doing, mentally, physically or spiritually to prepare for this challenge. Kind of like a Pre Challenge Introduction.
I'll go first!
When I cut out sweetners 30 days ago, I was frustrated with the control that sweetners had over me and my cravings. I wanted to be in control of them! Being the Chronic Sugar Addict that I am. The only way I new was to quit them completely. So that's what I did.
The toughest part for me was in the beginning.
First) I had to cut out sweetners in my decaf coffee. So I switched to decaf herb teas. More flavorful! a great way to wake up with a great antioxidant cup of green tea. Also wonderful way to relax in the evening with a cup of chamomile tea. Worked for me!
Second) I was a sugar free gum chewer and SF hard candy person. When I had a sweet craving, in they would go. I was still feeding my addiction. Bringing on more cravings. The habit of reaching for them the first week was tough. I remember grabbing a peice of gum a getting ready to stick in my mouth and stopped myself. So the habit of stopping the "ritual" of getting the gum to chew was a difficult one. That's why I warn to remove the temptations.
Third) I enjoy having hot flaxmeal cereal and flaxmeal muffins. When I tried both of them without the sweetners. I thought, okay, I can do this. As time went by, I actually like them without sweetners now. I really enjoy the natural tastes of foods. Without getting drownded out by sweetness. Your tastebuds will become very keen to taste. Awesome!
Those are just a few things that stand out the most for me. After the first week, I wasn't even thinking about eating sweets. The cravings were just simply gone. It is an amazing transition.
By the way, for those that don't know, I am a Type 2 Diabetic and control my Diabetes by this WOE alone. When I weighed 374 pounds I was controlling it with two types of insulin. 48 days into Atkins and choosing foods lower on the GI (glycemic index) my Diabetes disappeared. No longer requiring medication to treat it. I continue to get my lab work done every 12 weeks and continue to have excellent A1c results. I'm looking forward to going back in April at the end of this challenge because I havn't eaten any sweetners since my last visit. I'll be able to share with you those results.
I look forward to hearing from all of you.
Sherri

[Sherri]

Re: OPERATION "NO SWEETS" CHALLENGE

Okay Challengers, Here we go-
I will begin the first day by sharing information that I have gathered for this challenge. We will begin with Artificial Sweetners, what they are, what the ingediants are and possibly how they are processed. The first one is-
SPLENDA (sucralose)
Why is Splenda potentially harmful?
According to the Splenda International Patent A23L001-236 and PEP Review #90-1-4 (July 1991) Sucralose is synthisized by a five step process.
To illistrate the alarming "chemicle soup" required to create sucralose, listed are the chemicles used to produce this sweetner and to secure the chlorine does NOT digest in your body.
1.) Acetone
2.) Acetic Acid
3.) Acetyl Alcohol
4.) Acetic Anhydride
5.) Ammonium Chloride
6.) Benzene
7.) Chlorinated Sulfate
8.) Ethyl Alcohol
9.) Isobutyl Ketones
10.) Formaldehyde
11.) Hydrogen Chloride
12.) Lithium Chloride
13.) Methonal
14.) Sodium Methoxide
15.) Sulfuryl Chloride
16.) Trityl Chloride
17.) Taluene
18.) Thionyle
Splenda (made from sucralose) is created in the lab by using a complex process involving dozens of chemicles you and I can barely pronounce- let alone consume. Basicly, the chemists force chlorine into an unatural chemicle bond with a sugar molecule, resulting in a sweeter product, but at a price: a huge amount of artificial chemicles must be added to keep sucralose from digesting in our bodies. These toxic substances also prevent (hopefully) the dangerous chlorine molecules from detaching from the sugar molecules inside the digestive system, which would be a carcenogenic hazard.

[Sherri]

Re: OPERATION "NO SWEETS" CHALLENGE

There's more----
Exactly what is Splenda?
Sucralose (Splenda) is a chlorocarbon- a chlorine-containing compound. Testing of sucralose revealed organ, genetic, and reproductive damage. Research on Lab Rats showed up to 40% shrinkage of the Thymus Gland, a gland that is the very foundation of our immune system.
Sucralose is patented as a manmade "Chlorinated Sucrose Sweetner" and it is registered as "Chlorinated Sucrose" Chlorinated Sucrose is not found anywhere in nature, like real sugar (sucrose) that is extracted from sugar cane and sugar beets. Or Xylitol, that is extracted from Birch (hardwood) or corn.
Chlorinated Sucrose exists because of man. This is Splenda.[/QUOTE]

[Sherri]

Re: OPERATION "NO SWEETS" CHALLENGE

Can Splenda Cause Weight Gain?

Yes, all diet sweetners can cause weight gain for many reasons. The body doesn't consider Splenda (or any chemicle sweetner) as food; therefore, fake sugars don't satisfy your body's demand for nourishment, which in turn increases your craving for real food.
Simple carbs (manmade sugar) pass through the intestinal wall into the bloodstream. This means weight gain, increased fat, and elevated blood sugar that can lead to weight gain. And Splenda is a Simple Carbohydrate!
Carbohydrates are the most abundant source of energy found in nature. They are products of plant photosynthesis, which provide the plants fuel for life in the form of sugar. When we eat Complex Carbs, we are eating the plants energy, which in turn becomes our energy. When we eat the right kind of carbs, we are providing our bodies with fuel so we can perform daily activities from thinking about work to walking up a flight of stairs. If you are eating a balanced diet with reasonable sized portions, carbohydrates from Natural Sugars, should not cause weight gain. But these days we are people of the "fear of Carbs and sugar" WOL, and the artificial sweetners manufacturers seem to be taking advantage of this with a "sugar-free" marketing frenzy. And don't forget that Splenda is a simple carb.

[Sherri]

Re: OPERATION "NO SWEETS" CHALLENGE

Is Splenda Addictive?

Yes, and for many reasons. All artificial sweetners create an artificial need for more sweetness. People forget that originally, sweetness was actually a by-product of food: Nature's way to encourage living creatures to consume nutricious foods. Forced sweetness, revved-up sweetness and artificial sweetness- all altered foods- are a trap that addict people to sweeter tastes.
Emotionally, we are witnessing an epidemic of eating disorders in the countries that focus on artificial sugar substitutes, particularly among the younger generation. People are convinced through advertisements that they can eat all the sugar-free foods they want without penalty. The flipside to this is a fear that eating REAL foods will cause weight gain or illness. So, many people now fear their food and believe if they do not eat sugar-free, they'll "gain weight". People are grossly overeating due to the misconception that sugar-free is responsibility-free, especially children.
We need to re-educate the youth about the basics of good nutrition and stop "super sizing" the diet products.

[Sherri]

Re: OPERATION "NO SWEETS" CHALLENGE

Hello Challengers,
As you remember in the begining of the challenge I listed many forms of sweetners. I will now begin to define what they are.

*Monosaccharied: A carbohydrate
*Disaccaride: Any group of sugars with a common formula as sucrose, maltose, and lactose, which on hydrolysis yield two monosacharides
*Hydrolysis: A chemicle reaction in which a substance reacts with water so as to be changed into one or more other substances, as a starch into glucose.


FORMS OF SWEETNERS

Sucrose: A pure crystalline *disaccharide extracted from sugarcane or sugar beets and consisting of glucose and fructose joined together in the molecule.

Fructose: A crystaline *monosaccharide found in sweet fruits and in honey; fruit sugar.

Corn Syrup: A syrup made from corn starch; it is a mixture of dextrose, maltose, and dextrins.

Glucose: Sweet wine, sweetness, a crystaline *monosaccharide occuring naturally in fruits, honey, and blood. The commercial form, also containing dextrin and maltose, is prepared as a sweet syrup or, upon disiccation, as a white solid, by the *hydrolysis of starch in the presence of dilute acids and enzymes.

Corn Syrup: A dextrose made from cornstarch.

Dextrose: A right-handed form of glucose found in plants and animals and in human blood, and made by the *hydrolysis of starch with acids and enzymes.

Lactose: A white, crystaline *disccaride found in milk and prepared by evaporation of the whey leaving the crystallized sugar; used in infant foods, medicine, etc..

Maltose: A white crystalline dextrorotatory *disaccaride obtained by action of the distaste of malt on starch.

Honey: A thick, sweet syrupy substance that bees make as food from nectar of flowers and store in honeycomb.

Invert Sugar: A mixture of dextrose, and levulose in approximately equal proportions, found in fruit and produced artificially by *hydrolysis of sucrose.

Concentrated Fruit Juice: Fruit juice that has been made denser, as by the removal of some of the water.

Sorbitol: A white, sweet, odorless, crystaline alcohol, found in certain berries, and fruits, as a sugar substitute.

Xylitol: A crystalline alcohol, derived from corn or hardwood birch, used as a sugar substitute.

Mannitol: A colorless, crystalline sugar alcohol, occuring in various plants and animals.

Barley sugar: A clear, hard candy made by melting sugar, formerly with barley extract added.

Malt Extract: A sticky sugary substance obtained from malt soaked in water.

Malt: barley or other grain soaked in water.

Monosodiumglutamate: A white crystalline powder, derived from sugar beets, used in foods as a flavor intensifier.

Molasses: A thick, usually dark brown syrup produced during the refining of sugar from sorghum, etc..

Sorghum: A syrup made from the sweet juices of Sorgo.

WORST High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) Same as corn syrup only it's also made with fructose.

[Sherri]

Re: OPERATION "NO SWEETS" CHALLENGE

GREAT POST
Hi everyone, I just wanted to show this item I found on the internet. I stopped drinking diet sodas a while back. I am glad I did.

****

Get ready to ditch your soda habit. I’m kicking Diet Coke — it takes time, and I’m down to five a week from a high of 12, but it’s worth it.

Here’s why: Recent research has shown that artificial sweeteners in soda may interfere with your body’s ability to estimate how many calories you’ve ingested, so you eat more than you need.

In a new rat study, animals that ate fake sugar consumed more calories overall and gained weight, compared to those that didn’t eat artificially sweetened treats.

This is just one study, but it’s enough to make me want to kick the can habit. Need more convincing? For every diet soda you sip daily, your risk of becoming overweight can rise by 37 percent, according to researchers at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio.

We also know that regular soda is a total sugar bomb — most people I know gave it up long ago. At roughly 225 calories a pop, a 20-ounce bottle of regular soda packs nearly as many calories as a chocolate bar (but is much less satisfying).

Typically, soda also contains zero nutrients — so who needs it? Still have some soda around? Fine, stow it for guests who haven’t decided to quit. Next time you want a fizz hit, try seltzer with lime (or for a caffeine fix, green tea). What are your favorite low-cal soda substitutes?

http://health.yahoo.com/experts/heal...the-diet-soda/

[Sherri]

Re: OPERATION "NO SWEETS" CHALLENGE

GREAT INFO
Just an FYI, Duke's mayonnaise is sugar free http://www.dukesmayo.com/products/detail.php?product=4

If you can't get it in your area, you can order it online at http://orders.cfsauer.com/showitemlist.asp?category=37

I ordered from them a while back and bought the individual packets. They are SO CONVENIENT!!! You can carry them with you in your purse...even on airplanes!

I use mayo as a salad dressing frequently.

[Sherri]

Re: OPERATION "NO SWEETS" CHALLENGE

DIABETES
Effects on the Heart

It starts with that central obesity. Your expanding midsection is not due to an increase in the number of fat cells there. No, when you're overweight, the number of cells remain more or less constant, but each cell increases in size. In other words, the fat cells themselves grow fat. When these cells expand, the insulin has trouble attaching to them properly and unlocking them. That's why, if you weigh to much, the sugar and fat levels in your blood stream rise higher than they should. The insulin key takes longer to open the lock.
That in turn brings about several other blood conditions, all of which are further signs of Type-2 diabetes (and even pre-diabetes), signs that can only be seen by a doctor. They're a familiar list you've been paying attention to health news over the past decade. High blood pressure, high triglycerides, low HDL, high ratio of total cholesterol to good and relatively unknown, but critical matter of small bad cholesterol particles.
When insulin isn't working properly, it takes longer than it should to store fat you just ate. Because of the delay, your liver is being flooded with fatty acids. In response to that, the organ emits harmful particles that deposit fat and cholesterol in the blood vessels of your heart--future blockages, in other words.
So this, then, is the link between obesity and heart disease. The danger isn't the carbs or the sugars themselves. It is how they affect your body's ability to process fats. Eating too many jelly doughnuts may not cause a heart attack, but it can and does create the conditions that will lead to one. Obesity itself doesn't damage your cardiovascular system. It's the number one sign of an unhealthy blood profile, which will someday almost certainly curtail your good health and maybe your life.
Today, alarmingly, we're seeing Type 2 diabetes in your young adults and even in adolescents. It's not that we're genetically less healthy than previous generations, but our habits are much worse. Gym memberships and home treadmills are staples of middle class life, but the truth is that we perform less physical activity than our parents and grandparents did. Maybe their jobs required more exertion, or they enjoyed fewer labor-saving devices. Perhaps they just walked a lot more than we do.
This lack of exercise extends even to the youngest among us. It's distressing to know the levels of physical playtime children now get. The trends of building schools without schoolyards-which also means no recess-and of cutting physical education in favor of more classroom instruction are disasters in the making. Time spent in front of the T.V., videogames, and computers have not helped.
Probably more harmful than decreasing exercise, however, is how food has changed. As we delegate more and more of our food preparation of fast food restaurants and food manufactures, its quality has deteriorated. Not just in taste but in fibers and nutrient content. In a sense, food manufacturers have begun the digestion process for us. Until quite recently we did not appreciate the processed food were and have contributed to our epidimic of obesity. We endure hunger once, now the plenty we enjoy as a nation translates directly into the load on our dinner plates. The fact that more than half of all reseraunt meals come in the form of fast food has only worsened things. Once, the carbs we ate were less processed than they are today. More of our bread was baked at home or in local bakeries, not factories, and was made with whole grains, not flour that has been overly processed and stripped of fiber. Back then the convenience and speedy preparation weren't the highest ideals food aspired to. We were in less of a rush and home cooking meant starting with fresh ingrediants. Rice has more of it's fiber intact, and had to be cooked slowly. Potatoes weren't sliced and frozen or powdered and bought in a box. Children's after school snacks weren't limited to what could be micro waved. More of what we ate had shelf lives measured in days, not months and sometimes years.
We didn't require large infusions of sugar in every meal, starting with our breakfast cereal and continuing at every feeding through the late-night snack on pretzels made from pure, processed white flour. We didn't spend quite so much of our time amid food courts and chocolate chip cookie stands and convenience store coolers and slurpees and bis gulps and all the rest.
Even the impulse toward healthy eating brought us closer to this unhealthy state. Next time you visit a supermarket, examine the nutritional information on all "low fat" products. Invariably, you'll find that the processed carbs have been added to replace fats or notice how many breads there are labled "vitamin-enriched" or "fortified" which means so much of the natural fiber (which contains the fiber)has been stripped away that some nutrients had to be added back in. It's the nutritional state of the union that's to blame for what is happening internally to many millions of us. Usually serious damage doesn't show up until you're in your fifties or sixties. But in invisible harm is being done decades earlier, setting the stage for the future catastrophe.
But, as far as I am concerned, this is the true goal of any great diet. Looking good on the outside is important, I know, but having, physically fit blood vessels and a healthy blood chemistry as a result makes it that much more important.

[Sherri]

Re: OPERATION "NO SWEETS" CHALLENGE

MORE INFO
www.glycemicindex.com Here's a link to the glycemic index if you would all like to take a look at and learn more about the glycemic index (GI) and the glycemic load (GL).
Here's to our third week of our challenge. Great Job Challengers!
Sherri

[Sherri]

Re: OPERATION "NO SWEETS" CHALLENGE

Hello Challengers,
Here is some information about High Fructose Corn Syrup. Joy had requested information on the effect of HFCS and our liver. This is what I found--
1.) The Double Danger of High Fructose Corn Syrup
www.westonaprice.org/modernfood/highfructose.html

2.) Wikipedia: High Fructose Corn Syrup
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/highfructosecornsypup

3.) Fast Facts about High Fructose Corn Syrup
www.hfcsfacts.com

4.) High Fructose Corn Syrup: Why is it bad for me?
www.mayoclinic.com/health/high-fructose-corn-syrup/AN01588