Comment by suprgeek | Hacker News Reader

Comment by suprgeek | Hacker News Reader

I have been following the low/no sugar approach for a coupe of years. Some results (some may/may not be directly attributable just to low sugar)

1) Most restaurant foods, even the savory section, have an undercurrent of sweetness that is almost overpowering

2) I cannot eat any commercial cakes/cookies even on very special occasions, the sweetness makes you gag

3) No more post lunch slump - this one was surprising to me

4) Birthdays/Anniversaries are awkward during the "food time"

5) No colas/juice/shakes/smoothies; yes to Coffee,tea,lime water with honey or just Water - I started to have spare change much more often so now i invest in the occasional top shelf vodka :)

6) Dropped about 6 Pounds in the first six months

7) Less jittery-ness thru the day

All-in-all positive effects with some social awkwardness

Ways I successfully avoid the social awkwardness you mentioned:

1) If present with an SO, say you are sharing theirs.

2) Take the proffered sugar, make eating-cadence motions with the spoon/fork but instead of eating, mash it a bit. After a few times, hard to tell at a glance whether or not someone has eaten it. Discreetly set down, walk away.

3) Or do the more advanced version, when you realize rarely does someone really observe and care that you eat a food, and being seen in the give-and-take transaction with you is far more socially significant: take, dab with utensil, discard.

4) Decline with a wry "doctor's orders". YMMV, might be accompanied by increased risk of one-sided conversation over health issues, especially if giver is elderly relation with lots of such.

> lime water with honey

Unrelated, but about a week ago I was shown a jar of honey where the beehive was next to a small patch of flowering garlic. It was bizarre - the jar smelled strongly of garlic, almost overpowering, but there was no taste of garlic in the honey itself. Curious.

I did it too, but since I didn't step away from artifical sweeteners, I didn't get the "too much sugar" experience.

Also, since I replaced sugar with caffein, I still get the jittery-ness thru the day.

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