Sunday, May 13, 2018

Nutrition



I have been experimenting with nutrition the past week. Instead of using sugar in my two daily cafe au laits, I've been sweetening them them with xylitol. I've stopped baking and eating white bread, and focused on eating whole foods. It's pretty amazing to see the results. My knees no longer have any aches or pains. I sleep soundly at night, and wake up feeling energetic and healthy.

I've known about the importance of diet since I was nineteen. For most of my life I could get away with eating sweets, desserts, and breads.  Now that I'm older, I feel it. I remember a lady in her fifties who used to run the desk at our local dance studio.  I would always stop at the liquor store on my way to work, (I taught and assisted classes at the dance school,) and buy gum, now or laters, life savers, and lemon heads. I used to offer her some of my candy. She  told me, "Oh no! I can't. I ache at night if I eat sugar." At the time, I found that concept perplexing, but now I totally understand. I continued to eat sugar, and lots of it, every single day. As I got older, I had a new set of favorite candies, mostly from Costco. I loved their milk chocolate sea salt caramels, chocolate truffles, and gummy bears.

When the balls of my my hip sockets were mottled and diseased with osteoarthritis, I found it almost impossible to sleep. I used to dread going to bed at night because of the pain. Since having my hips replaced, I feel thirty years younger. Sleep is easy, relaxing and healing. Giving up a few foods is a small price to pay for feeling pain free and healthy.

How about you? Do you notice a difference in how you feel when you eliminate certain foods?

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14 comments:

  1. I normally don't like sweets, and only add sugar to my morning coffee or tea. I don't add any to green teas.
    I should reduce the amount of croissants I eat though :)
    What I have noticed is how water helps the skin. There was a time that I didn't have enough water and my skin felt so dry. Now I always keep a glass of water next to me and carry a bottle of water when I travel.

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  2. That is great, your hip replacement gives you new life! Meanwhile, I have the same sweet and bready-tooth as you! So true, all that you say. I wish when I was in my younger years, and up to mid-life, that I would have watched what I ate. It all comes back to "haunt" you! I can just imagine the amount of butter, sugar, and white flour I've consumed over the decades. Meanwhile today I am making a pie...lol Andrea

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    1. Hi Andrea, Ooh, a pie! What kind? That sounds delicious. Yes, the hip replacements have been life changing. Thank you.

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  3. Croissants, Mmmm! I am impressed that you don't like sweets. That's true about drinking water, Nil. I do the same.

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  4. I think it's a good thing to recognise how the body reacts and feels after certain foods. It's great that you feel better cutting out certain foods. Bread is something I have only minimally and not often because I always feel "ugh" afterwards and can get stomach cramps. I have been tested for coeliac disease and that was negative but the naturopath I see feels that I don't tolerate gluten well. In comparison, I always feel fantastic when I eat lots of salads and drink lots of water. So that's what I eat and drink lots of. Meg:)

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    1. Good for you, Meg. I eat lots of salads, too. I am training myself to drink more water. Like you, I can have a small amount of bread. If I start going crazy with sandwiches, I feel it.

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  5. I try hard not to have processed foods of any description. Hubby us insulin diabetic so we don't have many things with sugar in. He prefers to get his complex carbs like oats with a few sultanas. I love bread but I restrict myself as I feel bloated if I eat too much.

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    1. Me, too, Tania. I just made a pot of barley, and it's delicious. Louise Hay used to say, "If it grows, eat it."

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  6. I eat a TON of sugar! So this has me thinking... I am in my mid-thirties and it might be catching up with me. (I don't feel like how I did in my twenties.) Maybe I'll give no sugar a try! I enjoy your blog.😊

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    1. Hi Courtney, Thanks for commenting. I still eat some sugar, but far less than I was consuming. Let me know how it goes for you...

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  7. I have trouble if I eat a lot of sugar before bedtime. It seems to bring on night sweats and hot flashes-above and beyond the "normal" ones. I also feel headachy and just off if I don't drink at least 40 oz of water each day. I try to drink at least a gallon daily.

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  8. That's wise to drink plenty of water each day, Anita. It sounds like you know you're body.

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  9. some auto-immune diseases upset the apple cart too; i got psoriasis with mine & a lot of foods i can no longer eat as they set off the rheumatoid that comes with it; can't eat any (cow) dairy except butter & i love my butter, tomatoes & potatoes are out too & i am very careful with capsicums & chillies, as they are part of same family; sugar i swapped out for honey in most things & went off nearly all bought condiments & only purchase homemade jams & chutneys & sauces, much nicer anyway. i eat sourdough breads as i find i don't bloat with these as much & i had to swap out my regular flour with spelt flour, have tried many other flours over the years but it was hard getting some types where as the spelt is now available in the supermarket. not much of a cook myself, now i'm on my own i don't go to too much trouble, just basics. i am now pretty much pain free just a bit stiff sometimes especially when it gets cold.
    my kids (all 3) came up & shouted me breakfast down at our local markets, thoroughly enjoyed it, it was a lovely start to the day, they all got me pressies too
    sorry my comment ended up a tad long!
    good luck with your nutrition
    thanx for sharing

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  10. Hi Selina, I'm so glad that you had such a nice Mother's Day. It sounds like you've had to make a lot of changes in your diet. Glad to hear that it's helping.

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