My Journey to a Sugar-Free Life
Looking back on it, I cannot pinpoint the exact moment when I decided that I wanted to quit sugar. Was it the time over the holidays when I over-indulged in my mom’s delicious Christmas treats? Or that time when I finished a whole jar of Nutella by myself in a span of a few days? After two pregnancies, my baby weight wasn’t coming off and I was slowly coming to the realization that what I needed was a drastic change. No matter how hard I was working out at the gym, those last few pounds just wouldn’t budge…But it was so much more than just appearances. My health was on a decline, and I felt it. I was constantly tired, my hair was falling off at an alarming rate, my nails brittle and weak… something was going on. I have always been a big advocate in listening to your body and mine was definitely crying out for help.
Slowly I started informing myself on the internet about different diets and the effects of sugar on our metabolism. It was somewhat eye opening, especially learning about the amounts of sugar added to our food without us even realizing. I started walking around my local grocery store, roaming through the aisles, looking at ingredients on pretty much everything I picked up. Virtually everything had added sugar. It was shocking! How are they allowed to do that?? Why are we so unaware that this is happening?? It got me mad…. And then it got me motivated! If I was able to give birth to two children, I was certainly able to kick my sugar addition to the curb. To my surprise, this wasn’t so easily accomplished. It was actually a lot harder than I originally thought, but with a little bit of determination my progress was making leaps and bounds. Here is how I did it:
READING FOOD LABELS: This was by far the most important step. Everything I was buying at the store had to go through a thorough check of the ingredients’ list. If it contained sugar or its pseudo name (corn syrup, dextrose, rice syrup, maltose, sucrose etc) , it wouldn’t make it to my grocery cart
Stocking up on SUGAR ALTERNATIVE snacks such as fruits and treats made with honey or other sugar-free* substitutes. More often than not, these were prepared in advance because once that sugar craving hit, it was too late (check out this site for some sugar-free* cooking ideas iquitsugar.com)
Keeping my SUGAR LEVELS CONSTANT, with enough protein and healthy fats which are key to making you feel fuller for longer periods of time (great examples would be nuts, seeds and avocados, amongst others)
STOP DRINKING YOUR SUGAR!! Eliminating all soda drinks and most FRUITS JUICES, which pack in the sugar nearly as much as a single candy bar. In my family we have completely cut out store bought juices and now make our own fresh juice that include both fruits and veggies.
Early on I realized that getting healthy and losing weight is 80% diet. INVESTING YOUR TIME in the right place is pivotal to maintaining this type of a lifestyle. You are better off spending time preparing a lunch for the next day than doing a full workout at the gym.
STICK WITH IT. Persistence is key because results take time, however once you start seeing all the benefits from this way of life, you will most likely never want to go back. I know I won’t! I feel like a wool has been lifted off my face and I can finally see how much sugar was destroying both my physical and mental health.
Now let’s get down to the good stuff… Here are just some of the benefits I have experienced by cutting out processed sugar from my diet:
The most noticeable of all the talking-points would be the WEIGHT LOSS. I was able to lose all the baby weight gained throughout my pregnancies … and then some. The stubborn belly fat melted away, although I had not changed my workout routine.
My ENERGY LEVELS shot way up. I found myself having more stamina and vigor then I did in my teenage years. Over a year later and I am still benefitting from this phenomenon. My days of feeling sluggish and demotivated were over. I was starting to be way more productive and - well – happier! Which brings me to my next point
My MOOD SWINGS were gone. I began to feel happier and more focused than I have been in years. Whereas before I was plagued by general sense of fogginess, forgetfulness and lack of focus, now I was feeling a mental clarity. Additionally, I was absorbing information at a greater speed and actually remembering it!
CHANGE IN TASTE BUDS. Although there was an adjustment period at the beginning, I felt that my sense of taste was heightened, though now I realize that in fact it’s the reverse that was happening. When you are constantly overloaded with sugar, your taste buds become numb by lowering people’s sensitivity to taste. So suddenly fruits were tasting sweeter, and regular food more flavorful. My relationship with food changed as well. Although I still do get hungry, I feel in control, and my cravings have all but disappeared.
REDUCED RISK OF ILLNESS. Benefits of quitting sugar go way beyond just the things we notice on the daily basis. Experts now know that sugar causes insulin resistance, harms your cholesterol, triglycerides levels and causes deposition of the fat in the liver, all of which raise your risk of Western Diseases such as: obesity, diabetes and heart disease
Although results from a sugar-free lifestyle may vary from person to person, most people will report multiple benefits in these areas. But don’t take my word for it, try it yourself, and see what everyone is so excited about.
Refined sugar is hidden in the tens of thousands of foods that are packed in our grocery stores, it is hidden in the restaurant food we eat, and the packaged goodies we purchase at the convenience stores. Its addictive properties affect the brain in a way that is just as powerful as cocaine. Shockingly, an average American will consume 22 teaspoons of sugar a day, that’s 4 times the recommended levels by the American Heart Association and way more than our bodies were designed to take. Most of us have been addicted to sugar since our childhood. My hope is that as the future generations become aware of the risks and downfalls of refined sugars, our sugar-addicted society breaks free of this horrible trend. Going forward with this blog, I will be posting more articles and sharing further information about going sugar-free in hopes that this awareness becomes reality.
*For all intents and purposes sugar-free in this article refers to refined-sugar free