[geeks] comments welcome

[David Passmore]

On Mon, Feb 25, 2002 at 12:05:46PM -0600, Amy wrote:
> so i've been ordered to cut out caffein, nicotine, and alcohol from my
> daily routine. gotta go on a no-sugar diet immediately too.
> 
> any hints? tips? suggestions for how to let off excessive amounts of
> frustration and anger without it all heading to divorce court?

This will actually be very good for you. I've given up all of these things
for the most part. Here's my suggestions:

* Don't eat diabetic foods unless your doctor specifically approves them. I
don't care what the labels say, malitol, fructose, they're all sugar and
produce the same hormonal reactions (IE, blood sugar spikes). Besides, these
things (especially chocolate) are usually 3-4 times expensive as their
regular counterparts.

* Ask your doctor if you can have Splenda (sucralose). It is the ONLY sugar
substitute you should have. It's fairly expensive, but it can be used in
baking and things like ice cream, and it comes in some colas (Diet Rite,
which you may have to look hard to find, is caffiene free, flavored with
Splenda, and tastes acceptable).

* Carry around a pack of Trident or other sugar-free gum when you have the
urge to chew on something. This can go a long way.

* Buy yourself one of those low-carb or diabetic cookbooks, they usually
come with quite a few sugar-free dessert recipes. You can even make fudge
and brownies with unsweetened chocolate and Splenda, and they taste pretty
much like the real thing.

David