Well, I've made it! I have successfully not had sugar or added sweeteners for 21 days. I have to admit it was much easier than I expected it to be. I kept fruit in my diet because I wanted to get the nutrients and the natural sugar isn't bad for me. It also helped me in a few moments where I needed the taste of something sweet in my mouth.
Because of my food combining rules I don't mix fruit with other foods as a general rule. So if I wanted something sweet I would make the fruit it's own meal. For example, I would have a stewed apple for breakfast or two dates so an afternoon snack. When I eat fruit right after a meal it affects my digestion so I would wait 3 or 4 hours after lunch for my snack.
I also found tea to be very helpful is avoiding sweets. If I started craving something sweet after a meal I would wait 30 minutes and then have a cup of tea.
At some point we were watching a show on Food Network about ice cream. The idea of ice cream sounded yummy to me on some level but once I thought about actually eating it I realized it didn't sound as yummy as I thought it would. I am going to take this lesson with me and next time I "want" a sweet I will ask myself how my body will feel after I've eaten it and if the reward of the taste in my mouth is worth the "reward" of not feeling my best. Sometimes the answer will be yes and other times the answer will be no.
The biggest thing I noticed from not having a regular sweet after lunch is that I didn't get as tired in the afternoons around 3 or 4pm. This is huge for me because I leave to teach my second class of the day around 4:30 which is much harder to do if I just want to curl up and take a nap.
So to sum all of this up from my Spring Cleaning I've learned:
1. I don't "need" as many sweets/sweeteners as my brain was telling me I needed.
2. My body actually feels better when I have less sweeteners.
3. I can train my mind to listen to my body.
4. Anything can be done for 21 days.
Question of the Day:
What habits do you have that make you feel healthier?
Way to go Emmalyn! I'm currently giving up gluten and it's easier than I thought too, especially since I'm in a town with lots of gluten free support. :) Angelle
ReplyDeleteAngelle!!! It's so nice to hear from you! Good luck with going gluten free. I have a bunch of friends who have done it and feel so much better. Let me know how it goes! Hugs and kisses!!!
DeleteGood job! I'm trying to consume less sugar. I noticed, too, that the less we consume, the less we crave it.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing at A Humble Bumble, Emmalyn. :)