Substituting Bad Foods For Good Foods

[yogismith]

I was diagnosed with Celiacs last year and have been substituting candy for healthy foods ever since. I think part of this is because I can't eat my favorite foods like pasta, bread etc. I have been eating those things for 20 years and then all of a sudden I am told I can't. for awhile I used to crave those foods so much that I would turn toward candy to ease the crave. And now I am eating alot of candy and gaining alot of weight and no matter how hard I try I can't seem to stop eating candy because I know I won't be able to eat my other favorite foods. Any suggestions would be very helpful, Thanks.

[GlutenFreeManna]

I was diagnosed with Celiacs last year and have been substituting candy for healthy foods ever since. I think part of this is because I can't eat my favorite foods like pasta, bread etc. I have been eating those things for 20 years and then all of a sudden I am told I can't. for awhile I used to crave those foods so much that I would turn toward candy to ease the crave. And now I am eating alot of candy and gaining alot of weight and no matter how hard I try I can't seem to stop eating candy because I know I won't be able to eat my other favorite foods. Any suggestions would be very helpful, Thanks.

Have you tried any gluten free pasta or bread at all? Not all brands are great but some are really good. We eat Tinkyada pasta and Udi's or Rudi's bread. Obviously if you want to lose weight you can't eat gluten-free substitutes everyday, but if you eat a diet of mostly lean meats and vegetables you can have a carby meal every once and a while without it hurting your diet. It may just be time to find new favorites (that are gluten-free) instead of using the excuse of "I can't have this" to keep eating junk food. I have pasta about once a month and it's a great treat. I don't feel deprived at all because I can't have gluten (dairy is a different story however, but that's new for me and I'm adjusting.

[eatmeat4good]

Sugar is really addicting. Blood sugar goes up and you feel good and then it drops too low and you feel you need/want more candy. It is a vicious cycle. The only way to interrupt it is to make yourself eat a certain amount of protein and vegetables every day at intervals to keep your blood sugar stable. Your body thinks it is starving, so it sends an alarm signal telling you to grab sugar wherever you can get it. Regular food soon loses all appeal. I have been there. I found myself hovering over a few bowls of sugar free jello shaking because I wanted sugar so bad. But I was determined to break that cycle. If you can have cheese, eggs, meat-these are all good sources of protein. It's a bad week or two but your body will thank you. And you can find gluten free substitutes for anything that you liked before. It will take some self-discipline like writing a menu for yourself to follow. My addiction was years ago and my rule was if I ate one whole bag of frozen vegetables and 3 servings of meat....then and only then could I have a Hershey Bar. I really didn't like eating at all but the longer I did this, the less I wanted that chocolate at the end of the day. Soon it was half a bar and then none. Now it is entirely too sweet for me.

You will be surprised how quickly you can lose your sugar cravings when your body is getting the nutrition it needs.

[ciavyn]

Sugar is really addicting. Blood sugar goes up and you feel good and then it drops too low and you feel you need/want more candy. It is a vicious cycle. The only way to interrupt it is to make yourself eat a certain amount of protein and vegetables every day at intervals to keep your blood sugar stable. Your body thinks it is starving, so it sends an alarm signal telling you to grab sugar wherever you can get it. Regular food soon loses all appeal. I have been there. I found myself hovering over a few bowls of sugar free jello shaking because I wanted sugar so bad. But I was determined to break that cycle. If you can have cheese, eggs, meat-these are all good sources of protein. It's a bad week or two but your body will thank you. And you can find gluten free substitutes for anything that you liked before. It will take some self-discipline like writing a menu for yourself to follow. My addiction was years ago and my rule was if I ate one whole bag of frozen vegetables and 3 servings of meat....then and only then could I have a Hershey Bar. I really didn't like eating at all but the longer I did this, the less I wanted that chocolate at the end of the day. Soon it was half a bar and then none. Now it is entirely too sweet for me.

You will be surprised how quickly you can lose your sugar cravings when your body is getting the nutrition it needs.

I completely agree.

I have a major sugar tooth, and really struggle staying away from it. Here's been my recent experience. I LOVE sugar. Anything sweet, and I'm there. So I got off ALL high fructose corn syrup. If I have sugary sweets, it must be straight up sugar. No gummies, no candies. I have chocolate or ice cream -- things that have substance and a small amount can satisfy. And as eatmeat4good points out, up your protein in take. I watch what I eat closely, always have, but lately, my indulgence in gluten-free pasta (Schar is the best, IMO) and bread (Udi's) has not been helping me stay full. So I've gone off high carby foods, and upped my protein. Not only do I feel better, but my cravings have gone down significantly. If I start out my day with a higher protein breakfast, and maintain that throughout the day, I eat so much less, am full longer, and don't crave sugar like I usually do.

And keep in mind, some of this eating is emotional eating, too. It is frustrating, dang it! So be sure to allow yourself time to grieve and be angry. And then encourage yourself to keep this in perspective and start exploring the freedom this offers you: eating without getting sick all the time. Without harming your body. There's a lot to be said for that.

Hang in there.

[GlutenGladi8or]

We all are born with a sweet tooth. You just need to feed that "tooth" something sweet without the aforementioned High Fructose Corn Syrup or even sugar.

Here are some suggestions for snacks that can be substituted for candy, but still taste sweet:

- Dried mangoes (no sugar added)

- Fresh blueberries

- Non fat Greek yogurt (fruit variety)

- Pomegranate juice

- Dried cranberries

- Fresh strawberries

- Apples with almond butter (KILLER!!!!)

- Dried apple chips (no sugar added)

- Organic and no sugar added applesauce

- Dried figs (no sugar added)

- Dried plums/prunes (no sugar added)

- Dried apricots (no sugar added)

Start with the above and then give me your feedback. I can give you tons of other ideas.

I also hope that you aren't drinking regular soda with HFCS.