When all I could think about was food, I knew that was a tell-tale sign that I had a problem. As I’ve been learning about the importance of primary food in my Integrative Nutrition program, I could recognize that I was reaching for food for the wrong reasons. I was reaching for it, not out of hunger but, to fill a void. Sweets, which at one time provided me with satisfaction, were not even doing that.
My mom used to say that when you get your sweet fix early in the day that helps to stave off cravings later in the day. While that might sound plausible, sugar is actually extremely addictive. The body has a way of getting used to added sugar. Consequently, it craves higher and more frequent servings of sugar the more you have it in your diet. I can’t even tell you how many places I had hidden or added sugars in my meals and snacks. That could be sugar in condiments, beverages, granola, yogurt, chocolate, or the plethora of baked goods I was whipping up several times a week.
I’ve talked about sugar here on the blog before but that was nearly two years ago. Nearly two years ago was the last time I went a full 7 days without added sugar! It might not sound like a big deal. If you had asked me even a week before my self-hosted sugar detox challenge, I probably would have said I could stop consuming sugar whenever I wanted. Let me say with full sincerity and zero exaggeration: I was kidding myself and it is a big deal.
My days were comprised of highs and lows and massive cravings—many of which were at night. I like to think of myself as being in full control of myself and situations pertaining to me but, with sugar, I felt like a victim to the energetic rushes and falls it caused in my body. I would feel my blood sugar crash and be desperate for a meal or a snack to balance me out. It even got to the point where it didn’t matter what I would eat or when I would eat because I felt like my heart was racing all the time.
If my reasons for initiating a sugar detox challenge haven’t been clear so far then here’s why I did it:
I was feeling physically sick, exhausted, overly full, and weighed down
If I wasn’t eating, I was thinking about what I would eat next
My mind was increasingly growing foggy and I struggled to concentrate on tasks, let alone my own thoughts
Sugar was a coping mechanism that I used to distract from problems rather than working on solving my problems
Not to lose weight but to manage my weight, which I felt was rising due to hidden calories from sweeteners
To improve my skin (i.e. reduce inflammation and acne)
I was having dramatic fluctuations in moods where I felt emotionally unstable, agitated, or like my head and heart had just run a marathon (sometimes all of those at once)
So that I can be better able to help other people—and I can’t do that without first helping myself
After reading and hearing many studies that show correlation between high sugar consumption and increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease, obesity, or other metabolic illnesses
Most importantly, I wanted to regain control of sugar rather than feeling like sugar was controlling me!
Some of the above areas might not seem like they have a direct relation to sugar and that’s fine. However, I began to notice it would not even bring me the pleasure I once associated with it. So why consume it? In addition, I know that feeling tense and irritated or reaching for food every two hours is not the way life is supposed to be! I’m speaking for myself but I’d say that goes for anyone else out there, too. The food we consume has a direct relation to our bodies. I won’t go into a full tangent about that right now but, simply, the best way I knew I could start feeling better was by cutting out sugar.
So, how did I start eliminating sugar?
I took the same approach as I did the last time I eliminated sugar. From one day to the next, I completely cut out all added sugar. It might sound extreme. After all, changes are usually more sustainable when you implement a few at a time and ease in rather than fully dive into something new. Yet, sugar is one area that I personally feel needs to be cut out 100% so that I can actually notice how I feel without it. If I was to, say, just drop down to having it once a day during a snack, I would still be consuming added sugar. I would still have it in my system, crave it, and plan my day around when I could have it (that was my level of addiction!!!). Therefore, I would not fully be able to access all of the healing that I wanted to accomplish.
My intention upon starting the sugar detox was to spend at least 7 days working on re-structuring my meals with a focus on whole foods. I also wanted to come out of this feeling better and with more stabilized energy! However, I did not set a time limit on how long I was “detoxing”. I just planned to keep it up until I could feel a difference.
Some might say preparing would be helpful. Personally, I do have access to lots of healthy food options. My fridge is stocked with vegetables and fruit and I have a pantry filled with whole grains and legumes. So, it was just a matter of stuffing my packaged snacks and coconut sugar to the far corner of my pantry (out of sight) and focusing on cooking and eating whole foods. If that doesn’t sound like your fridge/pantry, then implementing meals with whole foods might be a better way to begin before trying a sugar detox.
Here is where I’ll break down what I experienced day-to-day. Keep in mind, this is just how I felt but everybody is different so if you do a sugar detox, you could feel different depending on what you eat compared to what your body is used to eating.
Day 1
On the first day, I caught myself getting grumpy at the littlest things. My house can be kind of noisy so I usually wear headphones when I work out but on this day they weren’t working. I wanted to shout at my family for talking and being loud. I realized they weren’t doing anything wrong. It was just me. So, instead, I went to my room to work out and shut the door. Of course, cravings also occurred during the day. By the time afternoon hit, I had a headache.
The hardest habit to break is after-dinner snacks. My sugaraddiction has been very active during the day and dangerously loud in the evenings. Heck, if my sugar addiction was a person, in the evenings it would have held a megaphone next to my ears and shouted to be noticed. I made some sugar-free fudge to help me through the challenge and ate a piece after dinner. (I’ll list the snacks I consumed further down the post)
Food recap: papaya, coconut butter, protein smoothie; socca with cream cheese & avocado; gluten-free pasta with broccoli, tomato, & a plant-based cheese sauce; a piece of sugar-free fudge.
Day 2
My alarm woke me up, as per usual, but my heart was racing! I was still trying to find my groove and overcompensated with an overly indulgent breakfast to stave off cravings. Still, that did not prevent me from getting another headache in the late afternoon. I was trying to limit snacking and that used to be my “quick fix” for a headache. Around 9pm I even felt hungry but I knew I would be going to bed soon so there was no reason to eat anything now.
Food recap: soaked steel-cut oats with unsweetened coconut milk, one of my sugar-free fudge bars mixed in and one on top, plus ground flax and more milk; gluten-free pasta coated in kale-hemp pesto, with kale, romaine, olive oil packed sun-dried tomatoes, & lots of lemon; coconut curry with broccoli, peas, carrots, & red bell pepper; a few snap pea crisps.
Day 3
The headache from the night before was gone. This finally felt like a day where I didn’t have cravings and I felt pretty good. I’m low-key wondering if my dinner was sugar-free because the sauce tasted too good but I wasn’t going to obsess over it.
Food recap: Protein waffle made with pumpkin, brown rice flour, & vanilla protein powder—I ate it in a bowl with milk, cacao nibs, pee pollen, & peanut butter; rosemary sea salt crackers; spinach salad with quinoa, red lentil patties, avocado, tomato, lemon & olive oil, hemp pesto, & roasted red potatoes; Rad Na at a Thai restaurant; raspberry hot tea.
Day 4
I felt myself breaking through some mental blocks and writing was flowing out of me today. Also, despite trying to eliminate sugar, that doesn’t mean I should eliminate naturally sweet foods. This was perhaps the most joyless day of eating I’ve had in a long time! I blame it on the savory breakfast…I felt like I just started my day “off” because of that and, come the end of the day, I was reaching for the only “sweet” thing I could to compensate.
Food recap: chickpea flour scramble with red potatoes, broccoli, green onion, & hot sauce; spinach salad with hemp pesto, quinoa, Greek dressing, & red lentil patties; sugar-free fudge bar; sautéed broccoli, bell pepper, kale patty, beet chips & cream cheese; 2 more fudge bars.
Day 5
I had trouble falling asleep (eh-hem, perhaps from the cacao powder in my fudge) last night. I prioritized the inclusion of naturally sweet foods today and felt much better!
Food recap: chocolate protein smoothie with banana, 3 small dates, tahini, & unsweetened coconut milk; sweet potato with ½ large banana, almond butter, wild blueberries, & snap pea crisps with cream cheese; spaghetti squash with cauliflower bolognese sauce; one sugar-free fudge bar.
Day 6
All of my worst decisions happen after I drink coffee. I should know better by now because it has a way of raining my adrenaline and making me feel like I’m “hungrier” than I really am. And again, I may have been spiked with sweetened almond milk.
Food recap: almond-coconut cinnamon protein pancakes w/ butter & sautéed apple; “quesadilla” made w/ almond flour tortillas, sweet potato, broccoli, hemp pesto, & cream cheese; coffee with almond milk; trail mix of pepitas, coconut flakes, & cacao nibs; chickpea pasta in marinara with broccoli, spinach, potatoes, cauliflower, & vegan cheese; protein popcorn with peanut butter & fudge bar.
Day 7
I’m working on a balance between including naturally sweet foods and also not overdoing it on carbohydrates. I realize I build up this idea of “deprivation” in my mind. That is exactly the sort of mentality that leads me to overeating tendencies.
Food recap: pink lady apple; English muffins w/ sweet potato, half a banana, tahini, cream cheese, and bee pollen; tea and protein popcorn; stir-fried quinoa and chickpeas with greens & lemon water; snacking on batter for chocolate tahini date donuts; one & a half fudge bars.
Day 8
Those donuts that I made last night? Yeah, so, I overbaked them and tried to salvage them but they weren’t good. There’s this weird thing I notice I do where I still try to achieve pleasure from food after I already know it is not satisfying taste-wise. My breakfast made me super full and I felt icky for hours afterwards. The sugar detox is really bringing to light some of the patterns and habits I associate with food.
Food recap: vanilla protein and pear smoothie 2 chocolate tahini date donuts; ginger turmeric black tea with lemon & a large banana; bell peppers and onions sautéed with veggie sausage, served over salad greens with tomatoes, cilantro, vegan cheese, & lemon turmeric dressing.
Day 9
Despite stuffing myself these past several days, I realize I don’t actually need to eat as much as I thought. I used to eat “a lot” but, now that I’ve fazed out the refined and added sugars, I can feel pretty content with eating just plants.
Food recap: chia pudding w/ unsweetened coconut milk & chopped strawberries; blueberry larabar and mango chamomile tea; chickpea cucumber & tomato salad over jicama chips with an herbed tahini sauce; harissa tahini roasted cauliflower with chickpeas served over spinach.
Day 10
Today I used a lot of ingredients but it felt very plant-filled and eating in such a way made me feel “clean”, for lack of a better word. I felt like I was choosing better options and thriving on food in a way I hadn’t in a while.
Food recap: protein cookie dough made with applesauce, coconut flour, almond milk, vanilla protein, and a crumbled up fudge bar; reishi cacao elixir made w/water; leftover veggie sausage with peppers, onions, more greens, cilantro & lemon; fresh orange; pizza made with cauliflower and GF flour for the crust, topped with marinara, vegan mozzarella, mushrooms, & a side salad of romaine, cucumber ½ avocado, lemon, chickpeas, and fresh herbs.
Day 11
I feel like I approached my food with patience and was able to enjoy a post-dinner snack because I wanted a treat and for no other reason. It wasn’t necessary but it also felt like I was taking a balanced approach and that is all I’ve wanted to achieve.
Food recap: Buckwheat porridge w/unsweetened coconut milk, flax, ¼ banana, a tsp of almond butter & a fudge bar; mixed greens salad with chickpeas, cucumber, parsley, tomato, olive oil & lemon; sauté of garlic chickpeas, collard greens, & kale with roasted butternut squash, broccoli, cabbage, herbs, and ¼ avocado; protein mug cake with a drizzle of cashew & coconut butter; reishi cacao elixir.
Day 12
The place I’m at is one of balance. I really feel like I’ve come to a healthy place where I don’t crave sweets. I can do without them but I can also enjoy naturally sweet fruit or, if I’m craving a snack, opt for something more savory.
Food recap: unsweetened coconut yogurt w/berries, cacao nibs, bee pollen; collard green “tacos” with white beans, chipotle mayo, roasted mushrooms, vegan provolone cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, avocado; comfort wellness tea; half a bag of snap pea crisps; veggie stir-fry with brown rice noodles, cilantro, & kimchi.
My thoughts post-challenge
It might not sound like I made too much of a change in my meals and attitude towards food. I bared my honest truth about the struggles I had with overeating and reaching for foods when I knew that wasn’t what I needed. Prior to the sugar detox I was consuming way more sugary baked goods than I’d care to admit, I was drinking kombucha like if it came from the tap, and sweetened yogurts had replaced my plain yogurts. I needed help!
Obviously, behaviors and cravings don’t change overnight. I dealt with those for over half of the sugar detox because my habits still existed; I was just reaching for alternatives. Yet, there was a turning point where I took on a new perspective with food—I’ll have to share about this in another post! Anyway, soon I realized that sweets weren’t satisfying me. They weren’t what I was truly craving and, when I wasn’t filling myself up with food, I felt more vibrant and like a clear vessel for information. The days seemed brighter and I felt happier. It sounds silly, I know, but it is true!
I already have a really particular diet with being plant-based and gluten-free so I can’t imagine adding sugar-free to that list, too. At this time, it is too much restriction for me, personally. Though, I do see that my sugar consumption is something I want to stay on topof so it doesn’t get out of hand again. Therefore I plan to pencil a challenge into my calendar every few months. I think if I can do another 2-3 this year then that will be perfect for maintenance.
Have you ever done a sugar detox? I feel noticeably better and would recommend it to anyone. A 1-3 day challenge may be better to test the waters. Also, if you’re uncertain of how to even approach this, we could work together on removing sugar or any other health goals you may have in one of my 6 month programs! I’ll soon be taking on clients as an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach so stay tuned for that!
For years, I’ve been hearing that an elimination diet is the only reliable way to discover intolerances. It would be amazing if we could just KNOW if a food item isn’t well-tolerated. I mean, there are some companies which offer food-sensitivity testing but for a steep price tag; though, they are not scientifically proven to be accurate. As for elimination diets, there are established programs created by companies, like Clean Program or Be Well Cleanse. After lots of research—and to accommodate my needs—I decided to conduct my own elimination diet, loosely based off of established protocols.
Let me begin by breaking down why I decided to do an elimination diet:
I felt weighed down, bloated, and lethargic.
My appetite rotated between ravenous and nonexistent.
I found myself eating mindlessly or binging at night.
The times I would eat based on “hunger” often left me feeling sick afterwards.
My digestion was fickle and I was frequently constipated.
I was having trouble falling asleep and would struggle to get out of bed in the mornings.
My skin was breaking out and my face looked red with inflammation.
I felt insecure and uncomfortable in my own body.
When I started my 21 Day Elimination Diet, I had just experienced a painful break up and a whirlwind of stress at work. It was (what I thought was) the end of a series of challenges and my body showed the stress. Specifically, I gained a little bit of weight and felt like my digestive system was not functioning well. Gut health is definitely important so I knew I needed to address this. Now, I haven’t ever had reason to believe I am intolerant to any foods but I wanted to rule out the possibility of an intolerance. At the very least, I hoped cleaning up my diet would help me feel back to normal.
Personally, I based my pursuit of an elimination diet off of the Clean Program and read additional materials about how to do your own clean cleanse at home. Clean has a helpful list of foods to include here and foods to exclude here! This post is NOT is not in any way sponsored by the program; I just liked that they had a straightforward list of foods to focus on including and excluding for the duration of the cleanse. I stocked up on my favorite plant-based protein powders: Tone it Up and Nuzest. Plus, I purchased digestive enzymes and oil of oregano supplements, in addition to my usual probiotic, to aid in cleansing.
Here’s what a general outline of my first week of the elimination diet looked like:
The Clean Program, different than other elimination diets, encourages a breakfast and dinner smoothie so as to lighten the load on the digestive system and encourage “detoxing”. Of course, I made all smoothies, snacks, and meals with clean-approved foods! The program also advises to use the period of elimination as a time to identify natural and real hunger cues. In spite of this, I found myself reaching for snacks because I have been on a 5-meals-a-day structure for a while.
If you know me, you know I LOVE smoothies but, by the end of this first week, I was over them.
The trouble with the smoothies was the fact that they were cold. I am stating the obvious here but they felt really uncomfortable in me energetically (I’m pretty “vata” in Ayurvedic doshas). As I mentioned previously, I have had digestive issues. So, the idea of throwing cold and frosty liquids into my stomach made me feel like I was putting out my already measly digestive fire. Also, cold food—especially at dinnertime—doesn’t give you the feeling of having eaten something substantial. I restrained from snacking afterwards only because I knew the smoothie was meant to be the last meal of the day.
Also, it doesn’t help that I tried to make a savory green smoothie for dinner around Day 6 and it was the biggest, grossest, FAIL. At that point, I decided I would continue the elimination diet but without doing the breakfast and dinner smoothies. From that point on, I made some smoothies at breakfast sometimes but, for the most part, I enjoyed actual meals.
Meanwhile…
I read some boards online where people discussed their tips for short-term elimination diets, like I was doing. Most said the first few days were tough but, after that, it became easier. They felt lighter and more energized. #goals I experienced the contrary result. Unfortunately, I still felt all of my above noted symptoms of bloat, constipation, lethargy, etc. Basically, I was crawling by to reach Day 21. I even received comments from others who said I looked tired and not like myself.
Admittedly, situations at work were worsening and my emotional well-being was, simply put, sucky. So, that could have been a factor. Still, you would think eating good, nutritious food would have demonstrated some positive improvements in my body!
It was only when a coworker told me I should get my blood levels checked for anemia or maybe up my B vitamins that I realized I hadn’t been taking my supplements! I stopped any regular vitamins and supplements for the purpose of the elimination diet but maybe that wasn’t a good idea. The next day, I began taking my b-complex again and within a day I felt some energy come back to me. Now, that didn’t solve all of my problems, but at least now I wasn’t going to have to walk around each day feeling foggy-headed and weak.
The re-introduction phase also made me feel better.
I was living off of green vegetable sautés, avocados, and homemade gluten-free tortillas so I was excited to add in some old favorite foods. You can check out the excluded foods list to see what I eliminated but so far here is what I’ve introduced with no noticeable problems:
Peanut Butter – I like Wild Friends or Smuckers Natural Style (no added oils or preservatives)
Wheat – I use Alvarado Street Bakery Sprouted Whole Wheat Bread; One Degree Organics Spelt Flour (update: I’m actually gluten-sensitive, I just couldn’t detect it at this time!)
Oats – standard whole rolled oats
Tomatoes – No issues. I do like to squeeze out the seeds to reduce lectins
White Potatoes – I always had difficulty with blood sugar imbalance after eating these so I wasn’t expecting much. I did, however, cut them into fries and soak them for a few hours to release some of their starch before making them in this poutine recipe. 😀 That seemed to lessen their impact on my blood sugar! Read more about how I soak potatoes to reduce their starch here!
Food I found potentially problematic:
Eggs – They don’t give me any immediate digestive discomfort but I did notice my the skin on my face was a lot redder and had underlying inflammation that wasn’t evident before. I’m going to limit eating eggs (even more than before) so I can keep an eye on the inflammation issue.
Cauliflower – I didn’t eliminate this food during my elimination diet but I did after the first week. Cruciferous vegetables, while allowed, are very gassy and tough to digest. I steamed and froze my own cauliflower for use in smoothies and, yet, I would feel extra bloated and uncomfortable after eating. Roasted or pan-fried cauliflower did not feel much better. I’m going to gradually work on eating cauliflower as my digestive issues improve. I figure I will need to eat it well-cooked and in smaller amounts, too.
Almond butter/ Almond flour – Again, another food that wasn’t specifically excluded. Just like cauliflower, I discovered almond products did not sit well with me. I don’t know if I was overeating either of these but they would make me feel similar to processed food SICK. In theory, nuts are meant to be eaten in 1oz. or 1/4 cup portions. So, large amounts of almonds (or any nuts) in one sitting is bound to make me feel weighed down.
Coconut – I included coconut on the list for the sake of keeping track. I’ve eaten coconut in all of its forms but the only one to cause me issues was coconut flour. Very soon after eating coconut flour something, I would feel my throat tighten up as if it was hard to swallow. This was prior to my elimination diet and persisted afterwards. Additionally, after my diet, I would get the same throat tightening, though slightly less intense, with other coconut items like oil, butter, and especially dried shredded coconut. I don’t notice any other negative effects so I’ll keep eating coconut to hopefully redevelop better tolerance.
So, back to my elimination diet, I think my biggest takeaways were habits more than food intolerances.
I learned that too much of anything can become a bad thing.
This was demonstrated when I was eating two smoothies a day and (my favorite) protein powder just started to feel unwelcome in my body. I also developed a dislike for cold smoothies and moderate dislike of cold foods. While I still do crave some cold dishes, I prefer the way warm foods feel in my stomach. It’s also important to simply change up my food and not overdo it by eating the same thing.
I want to address the tendency of overeating. When there is delicious food or (my kryptonite) baked goods around, then the temptation to overeat is real. I am guilty of eating too fast and therefore reaching for more than my body can efficiently digest. Obviously, I need to train myself to know my limits because eating half of a fresh baked banana bread loaf, or anything in excess, isn’t going to make me feel good.
The elimination diet also made me super-sensitive to sugar.
Per the Clean guidelines, I cut out added sugar. The only times I used a “sweetener” was in the form of dates but that wasn’t often. As I introduced foods, post-elimination diet, I realized how deeply sugar affected me. The smallest bit of sugar in an afternoon or evening snack ended up keeping me awake later than usual.
The same goes for caffeine.
Now, I never drink coffee because I already know it will make me jittery as heck. Though, I’ve previously been okay with other naturally-caffeinated products. Green tea, for example, used to give me a steady flow of energy without a crash. Yet, I can definitely feel the micro-crash now and I don’t like it. Especially because the crash makes me snack-y. I certainly don’t want to be eating just because caffeine falsely affect my blood sugar/hunger levels.
Maybe these are feelings that everyone has with caffeine but I feel like it disrupts my rhythm. Unfortunately, my old fave chocolate can also be problematic. I have to be careful not to use over a tablespoon of cacao powder or cacao nibs at once. As well, I need to limit chocolate, so as not to throw off my blood sugar from the caffeine intake.
Habits vs. Need.
I don’t recommend anyone go on an elimination diet just to evaluate their relationship with food but it is inevitable. When my mind would tell me to eat, I would tune in to my body. Frequently, I used those moments to assess whether my hunger cravings were true or just boredom–or worse, habit. Most of the time during this cleanse, I didn’t physically need food as much as I thought I did.
My main reason for embarking on the elimination diet in the first place was to tackle my BLOAT. Was that accomplished? Unfortunately, no.
So, why am I still experiencing bloat?
My guess is: I might have continued eating a food that, unsuspectingly, is causing me digestive distress. My suspicion tells me nuts and nut butters (because I KNOW I eat a lot of them) and perhaps temperature of food plays a role, too.
I may have an imbalanced gut flora (more on this in follow-up post!). If I lack the proper “good” bacteria in my intestines, then that makes digesting anything a mission.
Lastly, stress. I don’t want to believe that this could still be playing a role because the stressors are technically over. It was two solid months of stressors drastically building up but I am no longer exposed to them. (Admittedly, I still think of them, at times). Still, I know stress can be the root manifestation of many evils such as the weight gain, digestive issues, and skin breakouts that I was experiencing. Its role is not to be underestimated.
It seems that the combination of issues I’ve been experiencing is a set of problems with no easy solution. Though, if there is anything I’ve learned from cycle-syncing, it’s that problems don’t surface out of nowhere. If unaddressed, the symptoms build up over time. They build and build until they finally become loud, noticeable, and demand attention. I’m now trying to provide that attention to some deep-rooted problems.
This post was quite an essay. Honestly, I put off writing it for so long –not just because I was slowly going through reintroduction but—because I didn’t know how to plate all of this information in a useful way. I couldn’t say, “Hey, I eliminated a food and now I feel better!” Still, I hope it was of some value or at least encourages you to think about the functionality of your health. All aspects, not just food, are important and can affect you.
Right now, I don’t have any clear answers. Though, I want to keep you all informed and involved incase you’re going through something similar. For this next leg of my journey, I will be revisiting a holistic approach to gain control over my health. If you feel inclined, please share any thoughts, advice, or stories you have in the comments! I love hearing what you guys have been through and your perspectives.
Welcome to Part 2! On my last post I described my suggestions for how to begin reducing sugar. See the full post for details but, to recap: we want to avoid added sources of sugar and ideally try a week without any added sweeteners. Whether or not you have yet tried a sugar detox, this post might be helpful. Whole foods are the best and ideal alternative to added-sugar foods that allow us to intake sugar in a balanced manner.
Before we get into today’s post, I will say it is important to recognize that sugar is a carbohydrate. Carbohydrates can come from simple sources, like a teaspoon of white table sugar, or a complex source, like an apple. Complex carbs are the better option and can be found in whole foods. Typical sources of whole food complex carbs are: fruit, grains, legumes, and vegetables. Although there are some natural sugars inherent in all complex carbs, we won’t feel the sharp rise and fall in our energy from whole food sugars as much as we would with simple carbohydrates.
Why do whole food carbohydrates react differently in our bodies than refined or simple carbohydrates? It all comes down to nutrition. An apple, for example, has slower-digesting carbs, minuscule amounts of protein and fat, but also fiber which plain sugar on its own simply does not have. Together, the nutrients found in a whole food, like the apple, help slow the absorption of the natural sugars in our bodies.
The take away point here is to choose whole foods over straight-up sugar.
Maybe you tried a sugar detox already but you’re wondering how well you can maintain the no sugar lifestyle. You might be thinking: okay, I want to reduce my sugar intake but eating an apple is NOT as satisfying as a slice of chocolate chip banana bread. I hear ya! We will feel the cravings for sugar most when we do not eat the previously mentioned, whole foods and slow-digesting complex carbohydrates.
Consequently, the key is to banish those sugar desires is to increase the satiating aspect of food. More than likely, the nutrient to increase is fat. Sugar is what contributes to cravings for unhealthier treats and quick carbs but, fat keeps us satiated. Most importantly, fat isn’t going to make you fat. 🙂 I digress.
Here are some of my favorite ways easy ways to swap out sugar from the food I already make:
In homemade salad dressing, simply omit the sweetener. If desired, chop up a little bit of fruit to accent the salad you are eating.
Balance out homemade sauces and dressings by adding a bit more olive oil or acid like lemon juice or apple cider vinegar to add more zing! This way the sauce will still be super flavorful but you won’t miss even miss the sweetness!
Substitute date paste for maple syrup or honey in baked goods. Minimalist Baker has a great date caramel tutorial and I’ve had success substituting it in muffins, loaves, and other baked goods.
Instead of drizzling honey on your banana toast, how about using nut butter or coconut butter + cinnamon?
Enhance the sweetness of foods with a pinch of salt. I love sprinkling pink Himalayan sea salt on top of fruit like peaches or bananas, on salads, and even a dash in my smoothies will enhance the sweetness!
Okay, I’m calling this a wrap now. Though, I’m thinking of assembling a list of some of my favorite sugar-free ideas and recipes but that’s still TBD. Is that something y’all would be interested in? Let me know what you think or what you want to see more of by commenting down below or emailing me. Thanks for reading! 🙂
Disclaimer: I am not a nutritionist or dietician. Nor have I ever claimed to be. I am merely fascinated by health research and have seen positive results from my own reduction in sugar. I am only sharing this to encourage others to reevaluate their sugar intake but, by all means, do your own research, too!
I’m not talking about your boyfriend or girlfriend. That form of sugar can stay 😉 Bad pun?
Right now, I am concerned about the sugar added to food. A few months back, I was startled to realize how much sugar I had on a daily basis. It doesn’t even have to be obvious culprits like candy or ice cream. There is sugar in other places, too. It requires some investigation and lots of label-reading but, once we have the knowledge of where to spot sugar, we can work to reduce our sugar intake.
Let’s start with the basics: any sugar that does not naturally occur in food is considered added sugar. The same goes for artificial sweeteners. Real or fake added sugars are most common in processed food. Processed food is anything pre-made like: store-bought granola, cereals, canned tomato sauce or marinara, portioned fruit cups, applesauce, and snack bars. As well, “sugar-free” snacks, gums, coffee creamers, or other products are often laden with artificial sweeteners (AKA fake sugar) that we want to stay away from. Occasional added sugar isn’t bad but the tricky part is determining how often you have that added sugar. You may likely have added sugar in each meal or snack throughout your day. See some common names for sneaky sugar here.
So, we’ve established there are lots of places sugar can sneak into our food. Perhaps, now you just wonder what the big deal is. Why should we reduce sugar intake? Well, a diet high in added sugars can contribute to:
Of course, this list is a slimmed down version of sugar’s detrimental effects. Please, do some research. There is lots of information about sugar coming out every day. Find your why and that will help you feel more inclined to stick to a goal to reduce sugar.
Also, I want to address the reason we may add sugar to our food in the first place. In my experience, we add sugar to make food: a) sweeter and b) taste better. Consequently, everyone’s tastebuds prefers a different level or sweetness. Nonetheless, we can all train ourselves to be satisfied with less sweet foods. Personally, my favorite way to do this is through a sugar detox.
I strongly encourage everyone to try challenging themselves with a week of no-added sugars. The “cold turkey” sugar omission allowed me to pinpoint times in my day when I craved food with sugar. If I decided to only cut out some added sugar sources, I would still sugar ingest sugar in other places. The goal is to clear your body of all added sugar and its effects. The week challenge allowed me to feel stable and energized at 100% added sugar free. From there, I could better recognize my sugar tolerance and sensitivities. I highly recommend checking out the Sugar Swap guidebook put together by my pals Dana and Mary Ellen from Eats2Know and MilkandHoneyNutrition. They hosted the sugar-free challenges that I did this year in and their guidebook can help you out if you want some additional guidance.
Again, you only need to omit added sources of sugar. You will be happy to hear fruit is not off-limits. I enjoyed fruit every day during the challenges but kept it in moderation so that I was not overcompensating for the lack of added sugar. Remember: we want to limit sugar in its granulated or liquid forms. In addition, let us stay away from artificial sweeteners like Splenda, Sweet N’ Low, and Equal—they are not good for our health. They only disguise and exacerbate our cravings. Instead, consider your savory options out there, too! I bet many of the meals you already eat (or beverages) can be made without added sugar.
Still, if you’d like some tips and recipe ideas, check out Dana and Mary Ellen’s Sugar Swap guidebook found here . I’ll be back with some ideas for how I ditch added sugar in the next post.
Disclaimer: I am not a nutritionist or dietician. Nor have I ever claimed to be. I am fascinated by health research and felt positive results when I chose to reduce sugar. I am only sharing this to encourage others to reevaluate their sugar intake but, by all means, do your own research, too!
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