A Spoonful of Sugar: The Death of Me

It is that time of the year for giving stuff up.  I'm not terribly religious and I think of "god" more synonymous with "universe" than with a personified being that is capable of judging.  Therefore, I believe that it is our job, as humans, to respect this earth and all living things on it - including our own bodies.  This is really where my food snobbery comes from.  A sort of "my body is a temple" kind of mentality.  I just feel that, considering we only get one body and one go around on this earth (that we know of), we should respect the things we put into it.

I don't allow my toddler much refined sugar.  Most of what he consumes is at daycare because my provider (as wonderful as she is) doesn't seem to understand my philosophies.  So I've been thinking how ridiculous it is that I allow myself to eat it.  There is no shortage of reputable websites that provide very real information about what refined sugar does to your body.  It pretty much affects the way your works.  It changes pH and other chemical levels in your body.  Research has shown that it negatively effects nearly every organ!  Obviously it deteriorates tooth enamel too.

It's not so easy to give up because it is a chemical and our brains are literally addicted to it.  Depending on how much sugar you consume, giving it up cold turkey can yield real withdrawal symptoms: headaches, fatigue, depression, drowsiness, acne breakouts, nasal decongestion....  These usually subside after 3-5 days though, so you can handle it! My research also suggests that just giving up sugar may not stop the cravings as other refined carbs and salty foods can spark sugar cravings.

There is also an emotional issue to over come.  I'm not really a stress eater, but I do associate sweets as rewards.  We grow up saving them for "special occasions" or nibbling them so they last longer so when you give up sweets you feel like you are missing out.  What kind of life is this if you can't enjoy a slice of chocolate cake?   A co-worker of mine has not eaten any refined sugar or flour for years and she said she never thinks about sugar anymore.  But if she was to eat a brownie, for example, she said the cravings start all over and another 3-5 day withdrawal period ensues - that is disturbing.  Really, there are a lot of things that feel good, but are bad for us: alcohol, drugs, cigarettes, promiscuous sex - we feel good when we say no to these things, but then guilt ourselves for saying no to a donut. A donut, by the way contains not only flour and sugar, but is also deep fried!

I'm not interested in giving up sugar for lent.  I'm interested only in making life choices.  I don't believe that there is a god somewhere keeping tabs on what I'm willing to sacrifice for him/her.  I believe the universe works the best when we all give our best and that includes feeding ourselves the best.

So today is day two of my no sugar experiment.  I really don't eat many sweets so I didn't think it would be that difficult, however, in the course of planning tonight's meal I realized that sugar is present in many salad dressings, ketchup, mayo, and hamburger buns.  I'm trying to make my meals include: a protein, a veggie, a salad, and a whole grain.  I'm saving fruit for dessert, because I'm only giving up refined sugar, not natural sugar.  I am trying to avoid honey for the first week though so I can do a real sugar detox.  I suppose a person could use artificial sweeteners, but I avoid those like the plague and have for years.  I also can't stand the taste of them so that makes it easy.

For tonight's dinner I made turkey burgers so I ate mine without a bun.  On it, I melted a section of Laughing Cow's Light Mozzarella, Sun-Dried Tomato, and Basil cheese.  I love Laughing Cow - only 35 calories a wedge.. and no sugar!  On top I put some mixed greens, chopped red onion, and chopped tomato - so I ate it with a knife and fork - no big deal. I didn't even miss the bun, honestly.  I had a salad on the side (Catalina dressing is sugar-free it turns out) and I made some sweet potato fries.  That was a delicious and satisfying meal.  Typically my sugar cravings kick in after dinner, but last night I went to bed early because I have a cold so I didn't notice much.  Tonight, however, I'm struggling a bit.  I brushed my teeth and that helped for a while, but I just keep thinking about snacking.  Perhaps only because this experiment is new, perhaps because I really am craving sugar.  I'm finding that I crave sugar OR snacks though and that makes sense because of the prevalence of high fructose corn syrup in our diets.  Anyway, writing this has distracted me for a while.  I realized I was sitting on the couch watching the Food Network - gee, no wonder I wanted a snack!  Although right about now I could see myself licking that picture of sugar at the top of this post. Yes, I mean licking my computer monitor.

So we will see how this all pans out.  I have found that it is easier to make choices not to eat carbs also for two reasons: 1) most carb foods contain sugar and 2) i feel hyper-focused on what I'm eating so it's easier to remember to make healthier choices.

The weekend will be the true test because we are more likely to eat out then we are during the week.  I figured posting this forces some accountability because now you all know what I'm doing and you'll all know if I fail! :)