More Info on Sugar

There are basically two things that I have given up in my new "cancer diet" which I still really, really miss: sugar and Diet Coke.

The Diet Coke one is pretty easy. There is no way in the world, no matter how I twist things around in my mind, that I can ever justify having soda. I don't think that there is a more manufactured product on the market -- especially diet soda, which by definition has more artificial ingredients in it!! So I have resigned myself to the fact that I will never drink one again (remember, I am living a life of "no regrets"!).

Sugar has been harder, though. I am completely on board with giving up refined sugar, but have been struggling in the past couple weeks with whether there might be other kinds of sugar that are more natural and, therefore, okay for me to eat (for example, cane sugar). From my research, it sounded like cane sugar was healthier than refined sugar since it hadn't been stripped of it's nutrients. And there are certainly enough treats in the bakery section of Whole Foods that are made with cane sugar -- how bad can it be, right?? Well, unfortunately, I met with my nutritionist this week and she nixed cane sugar as well. It doesn't matter that it has not been refined; it's still not good for the body (caused spikes in insulin levels and hence inflammation in the body). Darn!! And this obviously applies to things made with cane juice as well. For anyone who is being ultra-conscious of their diet (e.g., cancer patients), the only sweeteners that she would approve are something called Stevia (which is actually made from a plant, and can be found in the vitamin section of Whole Foods) or Xylitol (which I know nothing about, but when I do, I'll let you know).

So that's the deal! If you want to follow my hard-core, "no regrets" diet, the only sugars that you can have are Stevia, Xylitol, or naturally-occurring sugars in foods such as fruit, maple syrup, molasses, or brown rice syrup. If you want to be slightly less rigid about your diet, you can also add honey to the mix. And if you are not battling a life-threatening disease like cancer, then feel free to add things made of cane sugar or cane juice as well. Lastly, if you just want to enjoy life and throw caution to the wind, indulge on whatever sugary goodies you like (including all the yummy stuff made from refined sugar). But if you choose to follow this path then you must at least have a bite for me, cause I really, really miss it and if it weren't for this damn cancer I would be joining you!! :)