My Sugar Free Adventure & WIAW

Happy Valentine's (almost) Day! Take a minute to love yourself tomorrow, give yourself a hug, whisper sweet nothings to your own darling self and maybe, just maybe get yourself some flowers, a nib of dark chocolate or indulge in some other decadent way to say, I love you girl. If you aren't sure what WIAW is click on the icon above and check, check, check it out.

Click here for some Sugar-Free Valentine's treats.

Here I am in week 5 (previous reports here, here and here) of my sugar free adventures. I am on my cycle (aka Ladies Holiday) so this has been interesting- mostly because this is when I've felt the strongest pull for sugar and the worst side effects of indulging (Don't get me wrong sisters- if that's what you need to do to get through that time of the month- go for it, ice cream, cookies, cakes and all, but for me and sugar, I suffered more than it was worth.)

I've received a lot of comments by readers saying they'd never be able to go off sugar or that they'd like to reduce the amount of sugar they eat. I wholeheartedly respect and support both. For me it was a matter of my physical and mental health. I am convinced high levels of anxiety, insomnia and discontent were a result of the sugar I was eating. I am not a doctor or specialist, but I've had the inkling for years that I am sugar sensitive (read about me bouncing off the walls here) but have learned to listen to my body. No sugar, I feel pretty darn good. Add sugar and I turn into a crazy spinning head of doom. Really. It's wacky. So I dig deep into self-discipline and resolve and just say no.

You should also know that I didn't just have a sweet tooth. That sounds quaint and speaks of a cute little pastry picked up at a lovely bakery or cookies with milk. No I had/have sweet TEETH. As in plural, as in not just one bite of something sugary, but lots, like the whole lot, like I couldn't stop. Get the picture?

As far as never being able to quit sugar, then don't, unless for some important reason it really matters to you and your health. If you want to cut back, I support that and will be talking more about it here and recommend Sarah Wilson's book: I Quit Sugar. Click here to view more details I am an affiliate for her books. In her I Quit Sugar Program, she discusses why you might want to do so, the benefits and offers a 8 week guide to reducing and then eliminating the white stuff. She says do what you like afterward, but at least you have a clean slate and can make an informed decision based on the way you feel after having detoxed it from your body completely.

I am an affiliate because this book is like my sugar-free bible and I encourage you, if you're interested in testing the sugar free waters in giving it a read.

Click here to view more details



But now...onto What I Ate Wednesday.
I will start by saying I did not eat this.

However, like some kind of twisted exposure therapy I had to make this, birthday wish and all that...so I got hung out with 40 grams of sugar per slice (or in that neighborhood) and didn't lick my finger once. And you know what, after five weeks, it wasn't that hard. That's the thing about quitting sugar and actually sticking with it this time, I don't crave it like I have in the past. Pretty cool if I do say so myself.

But really, onto what I did eat.

Brekkie

This is a sample 'o mine...Just a variation on my basic smoothie. Today, I added pumpkin seeds and a teaspoon of coconut oil.


Lunch

My apologies, lunch has disappeared, but it was amazing and astounding, I tell ya! Okay, it was just leftover lentil soup, but it was darn good.



Snack

Yeah, like the name says people. Way better. Sprouted grains of goodness.



Dinner

Okay, so these don't look like the same pizza, but that is because in this house we have differing crust preferences. So top, rack up top, bottom rack, down below and every one is happy. The recipe for this leek, spinach, zucchini and eggplant pizza is lost and I offer my apologies. But the idea is, wash and fry up some leeks, add garlic and s & p. Then toss them on your fave crust, followed by a bit of roasted veggies as stated above. Next be generous with your cheese of choice- I opted for a mixture of regular mozzarella and Daiya. Bake...until your crust is the way you like it. Crusty.

I'd love to hear from anyone who is looking to quit sugar, wants to cut back or has successfully eliminated it from your diet. Tell me what you eat instead- I need to know!