This isn't about weight loss, but I'd appreciate input from those people who consistently avoid sugar for any reason. Can you give an example of what a typical day or two's worth of food is for you? When I say sugar, I mean all simple sugars, regardless of if they're from fruit or other whole foods. Adult onset diabetes runs in my family and I believe I may be suffering from candidiasis, so I'm looking for suggestions on cutting out sugary foods.
I've found that I'm much more sensitive to sugar these days, also. I often get headaches after eating sugary food and I just get this icky feeling I can't really describe, unless I was seriously craving the sugary food before eating it. I don't eat eggs or dairy, and without sugary foods, I'm starting to think "What do I eat?!?" :confused: I know this is silly, but I'm just hoping for some suggestions, common sense or not. Thanks!

I have reactive hypoglycemia - my body produces too much insulin when I eat sugar, so I get a sudden blood sugar drop. I get headaches, tiredness and sometimes even depression.

I eat a low GI diet: I've switched to wholemeal grains (rice, pasta, breads), and I use artificial sweetners in my coffee instead of sugar. I don't eat sweets or desserts. I basically just go by how I feel - if something gives me a headache, I don't eat it again. I do eat fresh fruit, but I've found that dried fruit and fruit juices give me a headache. I try to eat lots of vegies and some protein - nuts, tofu etc. I also try to eat 5 or 6 small meals a day: breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, and sometimes a snack after dinner if I get hungry. It helps keep my blood sugar levels stable.

I suggest you find a veg*n friendly dietician or nutritionist. They will be able to help you work a diet that suits you. I went to my doctor when I couldn't take the headaches and exhaustion any more, and now I feel fantastic!

I just gave up refined sugar a month ago. It was really hard at first, I was up to eating 3-4 candy bars a week, almost one a day again. I have had a problem in the past with being addicted to sugar. What motivated me this time was the news that my grandma and aunt just found out this year that they have adult onset diabetes. That means 4 people on my paternal side now have diabetes! I got scared.

So I gave up all refined sugar products. It was hard at first, and hard to find foods that don't have it. Even food in the store has it - even breads. For instance, giving up things that have corn syrup in it, well, if you read labels in a "common" grocery store, not a health food store, but the other, one will see nearly EVERYTHING has corn syrup in it! It's frustrating.

I find myself buying most of my foods at the health food store even though it's more expensive because I know it's purer by reading the ingredients. I also gave up refined flour products which I think contributes to me craving refined sugar. By eating whole grains, I crave foods less and don't overeat much. Hardly at all, in fact. My skin is glowing, too, and I don't have blemishes or pimples like I did have for awhile.

I don't think I have hypoglycemia or other pre-diabetes conditions, so I am eating sugars in raw form, but just sparingly. For instance, I'm a chocolate nut, so when I get a chocolate craving I eat vegan chocolate chips sweetened with malt syrup. It feels different in my body and I often only eat a couple handfuls then feel satisfied (better than gorging on 2 chocolate bars). I also will eat raw honey and pure maple syrup. My body processes it fine, I have no side effects from it.

The irony is by eating whole grains, staying away from the refined flour is just as important as the refined sugar. By staying away from these, I'm finding I crave sweets less. I find myself wanting things like salsa for a treat, for instance, more often. I get cravings for sugar rarely, so that's when I'll have buckwheat pancakes with pure maple syrup for instance. It works for me.

I feel great on this change. I have more energy and I love how I feel. It was getting really out of control before, and I've lost weight, too. As far as things to eat, well, I've found lots to eat outside this realm, ironically. I should tell you, when I did this, I gave away 2 cupboards of food to my neighbor. That's how much refined products I had. I felt deprived, like I was giving away an arm. But it was the start of a new life and I'm not sorry I did it. Now I have an arsenal of foods that are whole grain and raw sugar, stuff that feels better in my body, stuff that feels healthier. So I eat alot of salsa now, I found a great recipe, and blue corn chips for a treat. Or the malt syrup chocolate chips. Sometimes I make a little pizza on pita bread for a treat. I find ways to make my new eating world exciting which has made sticking with it easier and feeling deprived without the refined sugar almost non-existent.

p.s. I also read on another forum that one woman said taking 1 T. of flaxseed oil a day helps curb her need to binge on foods (which related to my experience since refined sugars and flours fed my need to binge).

Flaxseed oil is good for you, it has a healthier omega 3 : omega 6 ratio.

I mostly avoid sugar since I try to buy food without fructose as an ingredient. But that is due to personal preference, rather than a dedicated attempt to avoid sugar. I'm sure I get plenty in the bread I buy, as well as the biscuits I make. :p

Diabetic vegan lurker, here. With daily exercise and a diabetic vegan diet I've dropped about thirty pounds (and losing weight REALLY helped the situation a lot). Let me just start by saying that if you think you don't feel right and you have type II diabetes in your family, please, please get checked out. It can happen to you at any time. I was 22 with a BMI of 24, not your typical menopausal/overweight diagnosee. If it turns out that you are diabetic, it's really not the end of the world. It so much better to know before you've already done major damage to your body.

Here's what I eat on a typical day:

Breakfast:
Whole Foods brand Vanilla soy shake with Soy Slender Cappucino soy milk (only 1 net gram of carb) (it helps to add 1/4 c. of splenda to 4 cups of shake.)
1/4 c. (when dry) oatmeal with 1/2 c. blueberries

Lunch:
leftovers from dinner the night before
16 oz of water

Snack:
small apple with 1 T. of peanut butter

Dinner: (I'll give several options)
Minestrone with no pasta in it
Grilled Eggplant Salad
Hot and Sour soup with a side of bok choy
Pueblo Pie (It's a Mexican lasagna with corn tortillas instead of pasta)
Eggplant lasagna (Italian lasagna with eggplant slices instead of pasta)
Paella with shredded cauliflower instead of rice
Vegetable tagine with cauliflower couscous
Shepherd's Pie with cauliflower mashed potato topping

Snack:
6 c. popcorn
glass of wine

Typically this adds up to 1300-1500 calories per day and about 200-250g of carbs a day. These were the guidelines given to me by a diabetic specialist/nutritionist when I was diagnosed.

Some really good cookbooks are "The Carb Concious Vegetarian" "Low Carb Vegetarian" (I'm not sure if that's the exact name but the author is Marge Demello.) and there's a book on diabetes by the Physician's Committee on Responsible Medicine that has quite a few recipes in the back.

Good luck!

Here's a related question: how many grams of sugar is acceptable a day, for a hypoglycemic individual?
My nutritionist is steering me towards next to none, but I'm not seeing her for a while, so I'm wondering this now.
I think splenda/aspartame/etc are poison.

I avoid foods with added sugars. In the past, when I have indulged in a food with a lot of refined sugar added, it has guaranteed a headache. Where's the pleasure in that? There is so much good stuff to eat that doesn't have added refined sugar that I don't know where to start. Just be alert, and enjoy! :p

sorry to hear from all you're problems. I actually Eat no sugar what soever, the only sugar I get is from my veg/fruits, and maybe my salad dressing but that contains 1g of sugar a serving which can't hurt me. I use splenda though..thats actually a question I wanted to ask, does splenda hurt you guys as well?

I've replaced sugar with artificial sweetner in coffee and soft drinks (and very occasionally in cooking). Usually it's Equal, but occasionally I'll use Splenda at a cafe. No negative health effects from it at all. I've actually had a good hunt around on the internet and found that, despite all the stories, no one has managed to do a scientific study that shows artificial sweetner is bad for you. Aspartame is one of the most tested substances around, but no scientist has been able to prove the claims made about it.