Reducing / eliminating sugar

[Threestreams]

hi just wondering what information anyone has on sugar and blood cancers ? I am trying to be good about reducing sugar .. wondering what tips anyone has?? Thanks

[hunter5582]

Reducing refined sugars is good for anyone, people with MPNs included. Too much sugar contributes to weight gain, tooth decay and may contribute to metabolic disorders and inflammation.

Many of us are using a Mediterranean Diet to help manage inflammation. It just makes good sense to eat a healthy diet when managing a MPN.

I would note that there are many other contaminants in the food stream in addition to refined sugars. It is best to avoid contaminants in the food stream like pesticides, herbicides, BPAs, xenoestrogens, hormones, etc. We can ill afford to expose ourselves to carcinogenic agents. It is worth noting that many processed foods that contain these agents also contain refined sugars.

That is not to say that I never eat any treats, just in moderation. The preponderance needs to be food that is healthy.

Wishing you all the best.

[Threestreams in reply to hunter5582]

Thank you for your reply . I have known about the beast sugar is … and has been an awake call for me as to my lifestyle . I didn’t consider I ate too much sugar …. Until I really looked at the ingredients in the food I was consuming.

[SoledadBarcelona]

I dont understand your question. Sugar is pro inflamación, any kind and we have a pro inflamación disease

[Mostew]

Food intake is one of the things we can be proactive in. ( another is how we think )

Having an MPN is not something we can change but how we cope with it is

Anti inflammatory eating is definitely a good way to eat for us . As Hunter says,

with treats .

He also makes a good point about all the other containments.

I’m lucky the concept of eating naturally is one I have followed all my life . As a teenager I was considered to be odd…

If you can adjust your thinking to not seeing eating no sugar as ‘ being good ‘ but

A delight in all the new recipes you can try and enjoy, you won’t feel deprived.

It might take time.

If you would like some sweet treat ideas I have posted before let me know…

Hope you feel inspired .

[Threestreams in reply to Mostew]

Thank you for your reply . I have liked a sweet treat in the past .. to have sone of your sweet treat ideas that are more healthy would be much appreciated 🙏

[Exeter21 in reply to Threestreams]

I use honey in oats etc for flapjacks . Having been on Mediterranean type food all my life it helps so much with energy. Brown rice etc & bread rather than white . 👍

[Mostew in reply to Threestreams]

This is nice . Toasted with a bit of butter of not.

theflexitarian.co.uk/recipe...

[Mostew in reply to Threestreams]

Keep trying to take photo of another recipe , it won’t send . I’ll send more ideas tommorow

[Mostew in reply to Threestreams]

Ingredients for energy balls

200g almonds

400g medjool dates

4 tablespoons raw cacao powder

2 ½ tablespoons almond butter

2 tablespoons coconut oil

Method

Begin by placing the almonds in the food processor and pulsing until they are nicely crushed.

Add the medjool dates and coconut oil and pulse until it’s fully mixed.

Add the almond butter and cacao and then mix again in the food processor.

Take a tablespoon of the mixture and roll into a ball. Continue doing this until the mixture has finished.

Place the rolled balls into the freezer for around 1 hour, then remove and store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Don’t forget all these recipes are treats . Fruit is also a form of sugar,

[FG251]

My advice:

Buy the MPN Recipe Book!

[Threestreams in reply to FG251]

Thankyou for your reply .. I live in New Zealand and not sure where I could get that book . I am going to enquire with the NZ cancer society ti see what the recommend.

[AnBee]

sugary and high simple carbohydrate diet is high inflammation eating which contributes to the MPN inflammation. I eat a low carb or Keto and at times will do a week of carnivore diet and feel absolutely amazing. Very clear balanced vitality , clear headed and good sleeping. If I put in too many ‘treats’ or any even, I have a very bad day the following day with exhaustion, anxiety ( which I normally don’t suffer) and joint and body pain Treats aren’t treats they are toxic to my body. If I want a treat it is yoghurt with blueberries or strawberries and or green tea with 85% dark chocolate. Eating this way means my energy is much more consistent and it’s the best I have felt in years. So that means no effort required. Hope that helps to answer your question

[tree_top in reply to AnBee]

Hi, Would you please expand on the carnivore diet? Thanks.

[AnBee in reply to tree_top]

It consists of good quality cuts of meat any sort , eggs, hard cheese,, good quality yoghurt and blueberries. It is based on the diet that Jordan Peterson and his daughter used to achieve optimum health with all their sensitivities and auto immune disorders. I go on this way of eating for a few weeks at a time or longer depends on how my inflammatory markers are looking and feeling. It has very quick response then I will introduce vegetables and maybe citrus. There is no overt hunger that starving feeling you get on sugar and carbohydrate diets. That all disappears within 2-4 days when eating this way. I also add seeded mustards!

[tree_top in reply to AnBee]

thanks

[Mostew in reply to AnBee]

Sounds interesting . I must look it up . I now eat a bit of organic chicken but couldn’t bring myself to eat any other meat , having been a vegetarian since 14 .

LONG time ago!

[Anag]

I stopped almost all carbohydrates that is grains, except some rice and milk products. The change in my health was immense. A healthier body starts to heal itself from all kinds of ailments, allergies, neurological symptoms, etc. the same with my husband and daughter, and a few friends, who joined us on our quest to eat GMO and grain free and food free of all chemicals, pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers. It took us time to get there, but we made it.

Going cold turkey is in my opinion the easiest way. The first two weeks are very difficult because the body is screaming for sugar. sugar is the most addictive food on the planet. All carbs feed the bad bacteria in our gut, and these bacteria’s start to burden the body as they die off. Therefore, the beginning is very difficult.

as far as I’ve read, cancer cells, have many more receptors for sugar than regular cells do, and they have another way of breaking the sugars down by bypassing the mitochondria in their cells. In six years of researching, I was never able to find how sugar has an effect on our MPN mutated cells. The only information I have is for solid cancers.

The human species lived for tens of thousands of years without simple sugar. Cancer was practically nonexistent. Looking at some distichs, I found that cancer started to explode at the time that sugar consumption in Europe exploded during the sugar trade.

sometimes I do eat some sugar like a small piece of tort And it feels like an absolute explosion in my mouth since I’m not used to it anymore. On the other hand, 95% dark chocolate taste sweet to me now instead of bitter. All the bitter weeds that I eat from the garden hardly taste bitter to me anymore. It’s all a matter of what you’re used to.

another point is I don’t need toothpaste anymore I brush my teeth with water and twice a week I add some bicarbonate of soda to my toothbrush. My teeth are beautiful and healthy. I have absolutely no more plaque from which I used to suffer, despite brushing and flossing. No more bad breath ever and no more body odor.

[Threestreams in reply to Anag]

Thank you so much for the detailed reply . I am learning so much from the group . Your comment reading your teeth is compelling.

[Mountainbiker12]

About 9 years ago I had no energy, bad fatigue, horrible brain fog and everything seemed to hurt. I wasn’t ready to be “old”. This went on for about a year and I was desperate. Started low carb - cut out carbs/sugar and just eat meat & low carb veggies/fruit. Absolutely transformed my health & life. I was able to start mountain biking again, strength train in the gym, play pickleball, scuba dive and my brain is sharp & focused whereas before I was in bed most of the time.

[Threestreams in reply to Mountainbiker12]

thank you for the reply . I don’t eat a lot of meat these days .. even though I live on a farm.. will try sone if the best of meat 🙏

[Janis12]

I went on a sugar free diet for one year. I have always followed a healthy diet, wholemeal, wholegrain, Mediterranean and indeed not a high sugar intake so I thought give it a go and hope to reduce inflammation. Within the year my platelet level went up so had to increase my meds, my aches and pains remained just the same and my weight went down (I was only 7stone to start with). I am very active so feel I need the carbs for energy and also to help maintain my weight. Whilst I try to avoid too much red meat , the dangers of that have been known for many years, I avoid processed food as much as I can but.... I was brought up on the square meal principal, protein, carb, fat and roughage, I am 65 years old and this was 'the thing' long before convenience foods hit our shelves so it did not seem to do our parents/grandparents any harm who all appeared to live into their 80s 90s and many into 100s today (my mother in law lived until she was 107...very much a square meal lady). I have developed gastritis, it appears the Mediterranean diet is not very good for inflammation of the stomach, anything that tastes nice is generally out of the question. So at the end of all this I am back onto sugar, it is such a treat. It is certainly worth trying out a sugar free diet, we are all different, I gave it one year as I thought this would be long enough to notice any difference but sadly nil improvement. Good luck on your mission.

[Threestreams in reply to Janis12]

Hi .. thankyou very much for your reply . It is quite an individual journey from what I read . I am cutting my sugar intake down . It is trying to find the balance for me . I live and work on a farm so have some hard days . Finding the tiredness a new biggie as well . Take care yourself

[Janis12 in reply to Threestreams]

Hi I agree heavy work outside in all weathers cannot be endured on a 'light weight' diet. As an equine person I find keeping horses from just the yard and stable aspect is very rewarding but heavy going, I am 65 years old now, 4ft 10inch tall and usually under 7 stone in weight. I cycle 3 days a week and do the gym etc. My friends are blown away by the amount of food I eat just to maintain my weight and also keep warm but they understand my body demands it. Of course sugar is not required for all of that but I could never go down the 'no carbs ' route, I would certainly perish. My tiredness comes and goes but I find once outside doing my stuff I seem to drive through it but that is all down to being disciplined, it is very tempting to back down. Best wishes.