Sugar...

[flow4]

I'm just curious... Has anyone else cut sugar down/out of their diet because they suspect it has an inflammatory effect? I have been avoiding sugar since October, before I was diagnosed... It seemed worth trying, since there is research evidence to suggest it may aggravate inflammation... It's impossible for me to tell whether it has had a positive effect on me because I was diagnosed a week later and started on DMARDs, so I can't separate out the effects of those... But whether it's just the DMARDs or cutting down sugar too, I do now feel very much better.

[Hidden]

I reckon PsA has given me a fussy body. I notice the physical effect of many things a lot more than I used to. I'm not sure whether things that make me feel bad are necessarily bad for my PsA ..... but if they are substances or whatever that are generally accepted to be inflammation increasers or to exacerbate PsA then listening to my body seems to make sense. Sugary foods come into that category, even a few biscuits can give me a definite sinking feeling so I generally avoid them. If I've been quite physically active and eaten something fresh and satisfying already, I can enjoy a good pud without feeling too grotty, but that's a treat not a regular thing.

There's growing debate about the wisdom of avoiding full-fat foods and personally I think it's about time. But nobody's got anything good to say about sugar .... other than it can be yummy .... so I reckon I'm better off doing without it. Usually!

[flow4 in reply to Hidden]

I have cut right down: I did a month entirely sugar-free in Nov, being really careful. Then when I started to relax in the run-up to Christmas, I had a couple of very dramatic inflammatory reactions, so I decided I'd stay off it, more or less... I have a small square of 85% chocolate most evenings, which contains about 1.5g of sugar, and I've had a couple of slivers of friends' home-made cakes this year, and a bit of dried fruit, but that's it.

You're right there's nothing good to say about sugar... Though I am wondering whether it is not just 'not good', but in fact actively bad for you, like smoking or drinking too much... There is some research evidence for this, but not much public discussion...

[helixhelix]

I'm not sure how you cut sugar out of your diet as that means no fruit, many vegetables or milk? What I try to avoid is intense bursts of sugar, ie from processed foods, but I happily tuck into all sorts of other things. I love beetroot for example, and that probably has the same amount of sugar in it as a biscuit. And that doesn't seem to affect me. We do have to get our energy from somewhere after all......

[flow4 in reply to helixhelix]

Perhaps I should have said 'added sugar' or 'artificial sugar', helix. I am still eating fruit and veg and a little bit of milk, but not biscuits, cakes, sweets, honey, syrup, jarred sauces, processed meals, soft drinks, alcohol, etc...

I agree, natural sugars seem to be ok. You don't need to worry too much about your beetroot, btw: it has about 7g sugar per 100g, compared with about 16g per 100g in digestive biscuits!

[Hidden in reply to flow4]

Yep, sugars are in everything of course. I think the modern malady involves hugely increasing our intake via added sugar and primarily sugary foods. I don't know if beetroot has the same amount of sugar ounce for ounce as a biscuit, I'd tend to think not. But anyway biscuits have very little nutritional value ..... though of course I'd wolf them down if stuck up a mountain with nothing else ..... and the health issues come with following up nutritious foods with sugary treats as a way of life, or eating otherwise nutritious stuff that has a whole lot of sugar added to it.

[smithfield]

I think that makes a lot of sense a bar of chocolate and a bottle of luxozade would send me hyper, but I do eat a lot of fruit and beetroot ( I think there is so much goodness in the humble beet} .But if i just eat fruit i would miss out on other vitamins and goodness. I guess moderation in everything is the answer

[flow4 in reply to smithfield]

I guess that's what I'm interested in - the question of whether moderation actually IS ok, when it comes to artificial/processed sugars. The reactions I had to just half a pint of orange juice, and then a single mince pie, were quite dramatic - like allergic reactions.

[smithfield]

For me a glass of orange juice and a mince pie would be overload of sugar.I limit myself to a couple of ginger biscuits or rarely a small piece of cake a day. I never buy bars of chocolate as the self restraint would fail and I would eat it all at once.But this is my lifestyle choice not influenced by the RA just trying to eat as healthily as possible if it helps the RA that is a bonus. With celiac's I follow a gluten free diet . G. F. biscuits tend to be higher in suger, so I am careful.

I cannot try as I may not to have super in a cup of tea but I have used truvia as a substitute it is supposedly a natural source without the additives and with no calories.

Best wishes

Smithfield.x

[flow4 in reply to smithfield]

Oh they weren't on the same day! Not even the same week...

Someone made me rice pud with truvia recently... It tasted far too sweet and I didn't like it!

[smithfield in reply to flow4]

That is interesting I find Truvia less sweet than other alternatives.

Well that blows that suggestion out of the window.

What is interesting is your reaction to the Orange juice and mince pie that were consumed apart

Sorry flow do not have a clue !!

[flow4 in reply to smithfield]

Bear in mind I'd had nothing but fruit and tiny bits of 85% choc for 5-6 months when I tried the Truvia: I think I'm just not used to sweetness any more!

And yeah, I am really interested in my reactions to the OJ and mince pie... I'm curious to know if anyone else had had a similar experience!

[smithfield in reply to flow4]

I was in the garden centre this afternoon ( that bit is totally irrelevant) when I thought about your reaction to the mince pie and orange juice. And it occured to me I had probably not read your post properly or did not ask the question how long since you had suger previous to that.

My guess is there is a lot of suger content in both and as you had not eaten usher for such a long time it must of been a shock to your body Bit like a cigarette or a glass of wine after abstinence.

My stepson gave up usher 6months to be honest I have not noticed if he is eating anything with suffer in since, but will ask him and see if he has had a similar reaction.

But that certainly explains you finding Truvia sweet..

I do think you have done incredibly with such a low intake of the sweet stuff for so long.

X

[smithfield in reply to smithfield]

Suger sorry phone misbehaving.x

[smithfield in reply to smithfield]

Still spelt it wrong finally SUGAR. X

[flow4 in reply to smithfield]

I rather like 'suffer' and 'usher'!

I hadn't had any sugar at all apart from fresh fruit for 5-6 weeks when I had those reactions. I think you're right that my tolerance to it must've dropped - it was effectively a detox - so I was especially sensitive...

I think I've done well too. I have/had a sweet tooth; if you'd asked me 6 months ago whether I could give up sweets and cakes etc, I'd've said 'no way'!

[smithfield in reply to flow4]

What you have saved on super and sweets treat yourself. You deserve it.xx

[flow4 in reply to smithfield]

I've spent what I saved on new clothes - I've lost quite a bit of weight!

[smithfield in reply to flow4]

Worth it.👗👗👖👖👠👠👙👙👜👜💄💄 xx

[nad1611]

Yes I discovered this for myself many moons ago. Wondered why I always seemd much worse at Easter and Christmas and generally over the winter. I can almost feel the change happening when I go from my usual diet of reduced processed food, lots of fruit and veg, freshly prepared ingredients (great husband's responsible for all that). Whenever Christmas rolled along or winter when I tend to slacken and eat more processed foods, pastry, bread etc, I gradually start to feel much worse. Apart form more sluggishness, I feel very fluey and pain is less well controlled.

[flow4 in reply to nad1611]

Interesting. I felt more fluey too. It makes me wonder how much better people would feel if they stopped eating sugar, and whether there's any ongoing research that might lead to official advice to avoid it, like with diabetes...

[nad1611 in reply to flow4]

I'm sure I did read some articles some years ago and I also mentioned it to my Consultant who seemed to think it all made sense. You don't need to go too strict but even cutting out bread and other high carb foods (which are basically sugar) mean I get less swelling etc. Sometimes it doesn'tmatter if there's no research to support it, if it works for you that's all the proof we need. Drink lots of water too. A lot of the processed foods cause inflammation too. If you google high sugar and rheumatoid arthritis there's quite a lot of suggestions that it should be avoided, again don't know if that's backed by research. Makes sense, it's going to be better for you all round.

[flow4 in reply to nad1611]

My diet is generally pretty good: I already drink lots of water, and have been veggie eating plenty of fruit and veg for nearly 30 years, and very few processed foods ever! But I've always had a bit of a sweet tooth, and it's as if my body suddenly couldn't cope with sugar any more (including bread, yes)... Curiously my brother is type 1 diabetic, and my father had RA/PsA and always used to say sugar was a 'poison', so I wonder whether there's something genetic going on...