Sugar for sugar.
When I got really into this clean eating stuff, I began to understand the addictive relationship physically and mentally I had with processed foods and particularly sugar. I wasn’t sure how to proceed. The thing is I love sweets. Chocolate specifically. And I happen to make the best gigantic chocolate chip cookies in the world (if I do say so myself). My husband also loves said cookies. I knew that to kick the sugar addiction I needed to rid it from my system entirely. Not forever. But I wanted to get to a place where I could choose to have a cookie and walk away from the batch. I needed to detox. And that was not something my cookie loving husband was going to be super stoked about.
So I decided I needed to give it a month. No sugar, no high fructose corn syrup, none of it. That is super hard. Read any label in your cubbord and you will probably find sugar in most things. Bread for example is often full of sugar. But I wanted to FEEL the difference in my cravings and in my energy level from kicking it all to the curb and I hoped to do so in a way that wouldn’t completely upset my husband missing my delicious cookies.
So I came up with a proposal. 30 days of no sugar eating for me. In this time I told him he was welcome to make his own cookies or bring them home or whatever. I knew sugar would be all around me all the time so I didn’t ask that it wouldn’t be in the house. But I do know that I can’t make a batch of cookies and not eat some of the dough. That will power I don’t have. So; Papa can eat cookies, Mama just won’t make em.
In exchange for this change of habits in our household I offered 30 days of “sugar” for my husband. (Ear *eye* muffs Mom). Well, you get my drift. With this deal my husband happily accepted my no making cookies rule and my personal challenge. Everyone was happier 30 days later.
Why would I give up sugar? Well there are a lot of great reasons but lets hit the highlights:
Sugar is physically addictive. There is a reason besides yummy goodness you don’t feel like you can have just one cookie. I don’t like feeling out of control in this way.
For a few hours after eating sugar your immune system loses strength. Seriously? Yes, seriously.
Sugar quickly spikes your blood sugar (duh, kinda), which later crashes leaving you feeling hungry and empty and robbs you of your energy.
There are entire books on the evils of sugar so those were just the main things I was motivated by.
Your personal challenge wouldn’t have to be an entire month. It could be a day, a week or whatever seems doable to you. The longer you go without the more you will notice the changes in your energy and your body, but make it an attainable goal.
It also wouldn’t have to be “sugar for sugar.” But replacing sugar with some other enjoyable non-food item is a great motivator as well. Treat yourself routinely to something else you love durring this time so you won’t feel as deprived and will continuously reward yourself for your efforts.
Now is a GREAT time for such a challenge with the holiday season and cookie tins around every corner. Give it a shot. Give it a day. Give yourself a cool challenge with awesome rewards and reap the benefits while everyone else is wallowing in cookie guilt and blood sugar crashes.
Let me know how it goes! You CAN do this!
Love, Mama
I also have recently learned the evils of artificial sweetener like Splenda. Your body gets used to it and knows it can have a lot of it since it’s calorie-free. Then when you DO have that piece of cake, your body thinks the sugar is artificial sweetener, so it wants even more of it.
Since reducing sugar AND artificial sweetener in my diet, I have had more energy and just feel way better. Stevia and agave all the way!
I totally agree. There should be a sugar addict support group it is a hard habit to kick. I went off sugar for a couple weeks and it make me feel yucky when I eat it now but I still have a mental battle. My mind still thinks I want it when I really don’t. I have always avoided artificial sugars but man the real stuff is so good!!