not the sugar itself, as i seem to be fine so long as i don't over do it, don't feel my blood sugar messed up. but i think i get constipated and have issues with my SI joint when i have too much sugar to the point that i can feel my blood sugar being affected.

(i fluctuate between prediabetic and not as the insulin resistance gets worse and worse. and it takes less and less sugar to affect me. so on the days i've miscalculated what i could handle, i've notice the above symptoms.)

has anyone else noticed blood sugar issues leading to inflammation? not the sugar itself, but rather too much sugar.

Sue
I think too much sugar causes me inflammation. The days I have cut it completely out I feel so much better, I find it hard to cut it out completely, although I would really like to see how I do without it. Try cutting it out or cutting it way back for just 2 days and see how you feel. I have read about a few doctors that treat RA with diet only and the first thing on the list is eliminate sugar and grains. Then the diet recommends to eat veggies and fruit and limit the meat and dairy to a few times per week. The two doctors are Joel Fuhrman and Dr. Mercola.

When I was a teenager I read a book called "Sugar Blues" and then after reading it I didn't eat sugar for a year, I never felt better.
That is just my expereience.Take care Sue.

I pretty much avoid processed sugars like beet sugar, sugar cane, and corn sugar/syrups.

I eat a little bit of honey in my homemade chocolates. Or a tiny bit drizzled on my kale chips.

And I eat LOTS of medjool dates & fruits. I feel great when I eat fruits and drink fruit/veggie/green smoothies.

I always regret ingesting regular processed "sugar" though. It causes me all sorts of problems. It definitely inflames my gut right away. And then I end up with my ol' friend Candida coming around again. When I used to eat sugary things, I would always notice this weird feeling inside my joints too, like my knees would feel like someting was crawling around inside of them, and then it would turn into aches & pains all over as the day went on. I don't miss that feeling one bit!

-Andrea

oops, sorry, this is obviously not a recipe! did not mean to put it under recipes, but rather under "diet-related" discussion: same place that we discuss not only NSD, but also everything from dairy to red meat.

maybe a moderator will see this and move it to its more appropriate location, where more people might look, and respond?

yeh, i've skimmed through that book myself, year's ago.

i've eaten very little sugar my whole life, as it always made me feel badly, right away. like i never have a sugar high, only the crash.

but now, even too much fruit. and when i say too much, less and less all the time.
even too much fruit. dried fruit is a huge no-no, as it would be so easy to eat too much. so if i do, i'll only eat the equivalent of fresh fruit. so like 1-2 pieces of dried apricot or dried pear or dried plum. only a small handful of dried blueberries or a few dried cherries. and i buy the organic ones with no sulfur, no added sugar. gotta be really careful of dried fruit and treat it as though it were whole fruit. i only eat it when fresh is not available. and then very carefully.

i have pretty much cut it out day to day. but it is in everything. well, not everything, but in so much, you have to read labels. like balsamic vinegar, like honey turkey or honey ham, like breakfast sausage, like ketchup, like barbecue sauce, like bread and butter pickles, like bread (but we don't eat that!), anything that is even a little sweetened will have about a servings worth of sugar in it, or more. even things like yogurt, even plain yogurt, has too much sugar in it to eat more than a half a cup or so; flavored and it was only ~1/4 cup (though now no yogurt due to the dairy).....lactose is sugar too. baked beans is another food loaded with sugar (though someone on NSD wouldn't eat beans, but still, wanted to make the point about sugar).....same with kettle corn (again, don't eat any corn or popped corn on LSD, but when i did, kettle corn was a killer for the sugar).....

bottom line: sugar, natural or processed, is everywhere, in our society. and one has to make a special conscious effort to not run into it. added sugar is just the tip of the iceberg.

kinda like salt in our society. added salt from the salt shaker is just a tiny amount compared to it being in our food. though that one is easier for me, as i don't eat a lot of heavily processed foods. but if i did, added salt, and added sugar, its everywhere. back when i'd eat frozen dinners. back then they'd often be "low fat", back when that was the "in thing" and yet, they'd all be like 50% of your daily salt, or more. it was their way of added in flavor easily.

for me, its not cutting it out or back for a day or two. its more that its cut out most of the time except for the fruit, and then so easy to get too much just from it being in so many things, hidden there.

no way can i drink any kind of soda. i used to on occasion drink flattened ginger ale when i had tummy troubles. but it got to a point that more than a sip, and i'd feel the sugar.

used to be i thought it was just messing with my metabolic syndrome.

now, i think i'm noticing a connection to the inflammation as well.

an interesting topic. interesting to see that you too have noticed a connection.

i've seen those RA diets. i'm already practically added sugar and grain and dairy free. and we've limited red meat in our diet for a long time now. mostly i eat fish and chicken and turkey (in limited amounts), unlimited veggies, limited fruit, 1-2 servings of nuts a day, plus olive oil where oil is needed.

i think the problem is when i eat something that appears "healthy" but its really not, like dried fruit for instance.

for me, its not just the processed sugar.

its fruit if not in moderation. and some fruits, like dates are so sweet, haven't been able to tolerate them in years. and those bars sweetened with dates or other dried fruits, they make me feel so ill! haven't touched any of that in years.

and honey as bad as anything else. for me, sugar is sugar.

i have even stopped putting sugar or honey or any sweetener in my teas. i used to put honey in my herbal tea. learned to drink them without honey. just as good if not better, once one gets used to it.

so i do eat LOTS of veggies. but just like everything else, have to limit my fruit. since i love fruit, i basically eat as much as i can get away with. which is basically a small serving after each meal. i'd eat more if i could. and no dates, 1 fig at a time, just a few grapes or few cherries. a serving of berries. and have to be really careful with the pineapple, as that is something i easily over do it on. an apple seems ok. and basically no fruit juice. if i have a craving for fruit juice, have to measure out only 1/4 cup with a meal, never by itself. can get away with 1/2 cup coconut water.

even yogurt when i used to eat it. even plain without added sugar. i could eat about twice as much plain yogurt as flavored. but no more. even lactose, even broken down to simpler sugars by the bacteria, even that. sugar is sugar for me.

yep, sugar is sugar, in my body. doesn't matter if its "natural", fruit, or "processed".

and i used to think it was just related to the insulin resistance, and now thinking too much sugar in my body may be affecting my inflammation too.

not just processed. all sugar, if too much, even fruit.

its the "too much" part that seems to be the problem for me. not the form.

This is really interesting for me as well Sue. If I eat lots of fruit sugar, I tend to notice more rib pain at night and more hunger through out the day. However if I eat more "processed" sugar like chocolate or ice cream, it doesn't seem to affect me as much as long as I keep it small. Strange? I think overall sugar probably isn't the best for me. I try to avoid it unless I'm splurging on something like chocolate or ice cream.

gerri (newbeginnings) has written information on this site about a problem with fructose metabolism (for her). maybe you have the same problem that she does.

interesting.

its amazing how certain foods can be either medicine or poison for some of us. i think, when one doesn't feel well, its always something to consider.

thanks moderators for moving this

Hi Andrea.
Could you please help me understanding the connection between candida AS, and nutrition. I think i had Candida afew years ago, and i still have fungi on my toe nails, and some times on my skin, and i think it is related. How is your experience from eatin sweets/ fruit/ dry fruit with relation to candida and AS?
Thank you very much!
BMAN