Back in April I wrote a blog post about the evils of sugar. I read an article in the New York Times Magazine suggesting that sugar is toxic, and decided to start eating less of it. And at first, I did. I started eating less ice cream, I started drinking my tea without any sweeteners, and I started reading labels at the grocery store. I felt very virtuous.
That was almost four months ago now, and slowly my resolve has weakened. My family went on vacation, and everyone knows that you eat candy on vacation. Summer finally came to Vancouver, and I have an ice cream maker demanding to be used. I went to BlogHer and they had big statues made of Twizzlers in the lobby that left me craving red dye and sugar like nobody’s business. And finally, this weekend was Jacob’s birthday and I found myself eating two cakes (one for school, one for home) and licking chocolate frosting straight from the spoon.
Now, this would all be fine and dandy if it was working for me. I am not the food police, and I am not suggesting that your consumption of sugar is a problem. I am not even suggesting that my consumption of sweet foods in moderation is a problem. But the truth is I am simply not able to consume sugar in moderation. When something sweet is placed in front of me I will eat myself sick with it. I love sweet things, and I pretty much can’t get enough of them. And so eating all of the candy and cake and chocolate wasn’t working for me.
As I dragged myself, and my sugar hang-over, out of bed on Sunday morning I decided to conduct an experiment on a whim. I am going sugar-free for two weeks. As I was thinking out loud about it Jon decided to join me, but he caved by lunchtime on the first day. My children are still eating leftover birthday cake with glee, and I’m not about to demand that they go sugar-free, as well. So it’s just me, alone in the world, while my family noshes on sweetness. But I think I can stay strong and pull it off – it’s only two weeks, after all.
To increase my chances of success I made some exceptions to the “no sugar” rule at the outset. I am not going to sweat small quantities of refined sweeteners in processed foods. My bread contains sugar, and I’m still eating it. Ditto for my salsa and the ketchup I put on my burger. I’m steering clear of sweet treats and foods that are high in sugar, but I’m not going to worry about the small amounts I’m getting in my salad dressing. I am also eating lots of fruit, including dried fruit like raisins, and I’m consuming small quantities of honey and maple syrup.
Going sugar-free could be viewed as something of a fad diet. But speaking purely for myself, that’s not the point. I’m not trying to lose weight, I just want to see how I feel when I’m not constantly consuming refined sweeteners. Some people say that giving up sugar was the best thing they’ve ever done, and maybe I’ll feel the same way. Or maybe I’ll find that eating less sugar doesn’t make much difference for me. But either way, I’ll know.
In the meantime, if you see a short, blonde woman licking the outside of the chocolate store window, it might be me. Because resolving not to eat sugar does not remove the desire, as I am currently discovering.
Have you ever given up refined sweeteners? Did you consume alternatives like honey, or go cold turkey? How did it go for you? And if you haven’t, would you consider it? I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Oh those cupcakes look so good! I hope you do well, I think you are starting out reasonably enough! I try to limit here and there but it seems like we get off course more often than not.
Steph
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Good luck with this one! Sugar is my weakness too – tough one to cut back on, especially when you have kids!
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May I just say that it would help if you didn’t put so many great looking pics of sweets on this here post? Hello cravings!!! And this comment “Jon decided to join me, but he caved by lunchtime on the first day. ” just made me laugh out loud (though he should get credit for even considering joinin you in this – my hubby would never!).
I try to stay clear of refined everything as a general rule. I can drink my teas without sweetener, but if I need some I add raw honey. I only use whole brown sugar or sucanat in my recipes (and even then, I add much less than it calls for). And maple syrup and blackstrap molasses are a staple at our house.
I think it’s one of those things that seems harder to do than it really is. It’s like any ‘drug’ (and I do consider refined sugar to be a drug) you must go through the stages of withdrawal until you finally get all of the ‘need for it’ out of your system.
You’re going about it in a very smart way. The list of exceptions you’ve given yourself should make it reasonably easier for you to do this for the 2 week period and beyond… Good luck!
Ha. We did that once when we did a paleo-type diet which was low, low carb and no refined (or other sugars).
Then it was our Nanny’s birthday, so we got a cake from Save-on-Foods (chocolate, choclate mousse with chocolate icing). We each had a small piece and I swear I was drunk afterwards. I was literally shaking from the sugar rush. So just watch it with that first hit of sugar after you’re done.
I go more for savoury stuff myself, especially salt.
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I’m also on a two-week sugar free diet. It’s not that easy, especially when there is still candy in the house. Instead I’m focusing on eliminating high fructose corn syrup from the house, limiting white sugar and flour and seldom eating dessert. With those habits and my regular exercise routine, I think that I will lose some weight. It’s mainly cutting out unnecessary calories for me. Good luck!
Here’s a “the sugar detox challenge” from Naturally Knocked Up that I thought might interest you. http://www.naturallyknockedup.com/the-sugar-detox-challenge/
I’m diabetic so I already don’t eat a pile of candy or similar, however I really think that sugar-free diets aren’t something that many people can maintain for long periods of time. Plus, I have doubts as to whether sugar specifically is the issue. Our bodies turn all carbs into sugar. It doesn’t matter if that sugar comes from actual sugar or not. So, for example, giving up white sugar and replacing it with honey doesn’t have much effect on how your body perceives the sugar. I have serious doubts as to whether honey is that much better than sugar. I read that NYTimes article and don’t find that guy very compelling. I think he’s overstating the “toxic” and “evil” nature of sugar to gain exposure. And it worked. That said, reducing cakes and candy can only be a good thing. Good luck.
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When I decide to go sugar-free, which is every couple years or so, I do it exactly like you, and it’s not so bad, except in the very beginning and if people offer you sweets, which is very hard to turn down if everyone else is having some. But if you get to the point that you succeed in being sugar-free, you might even stop craving sugar all together and then cut out more. I was successful in that ONCE and it was great until it was someone’s birthday and I had a piece of chocolate cake – game over for me!!!
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I went on the South Beach Diet for a few weeks. Phase 1 restricts sugar and honey, as well as fruit, fruit juice and alcohol, but you can have artificial sugars. You also avoid high glycemic index foods like white flour products and potatoes. It was hard, but I did it. Of course, i gained all the weight I lost after I went off it.
The cool thing was that some foods that are normally not sweet to me (like parsley) tastes really super sweet to me while I was on the South Beach Diet.
I am currently on the same path, because I have a problem with recurring staph infections, and the number one advice I have found is to cut out white sugar. But yesterday I got to enjoy a sweet treat at Casa Dolce, as they have a sugar-free, dairy-free chocolate gelato that is fantastic! So if you are needing a fix, I totally recommend that one. I am also using agave syrup in my coffee, because I can’t stand the taste of stevia or artificial sweeteners.
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OMG, I have the same exact problem! About a month ago I started to pay attention to my sugar intake and started trying to curb it. My exceptions were also processed foods. I also excluded whatever sweets that are a part of my morning latte or machiatto b/c I don’t like coffee and need it to be sweet. (I figure I’ll let that be something I slowly wean myself off of instead of drastically. My coworkers can thank me for that lol.)
I’ve been slacking off a bit lately (drinking soda and eating desserts from time to time), but for me it’s amazing to not crave it intensely at the points of the day I used to. I feel a bit more in control, even though I recognize that I have a long way to go. My sweet tooth may still be winning some battles but I’m starting to win the war!
I look forward to hearing how your experiment goes!
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My friends have all been on a green smoothie kick which is supposed to help you feel better and reduce your sugar cravings – I’ve been thinking about trying it out and giving up my daily root beer at the same time. I’m not sure if I could completely give up refined sugar for long though, my husband bakes far too much.
Let us know how it goes, I’d especially love to know how you feel afterwards!
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Good luck on your sugar free diet! Can’t wait to read more about how it is going! I think it is a wonderful idea
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I dont think you can totally deprive yourself of “sweet”. Many cuisines recognize it as an essential taste. I have experimented with the gamut of natural sweeteners and I try to make things sweet as simply as I can most of the time. This is one reason I prefer to indulge in my own baking because I have more control of whats in in it, including how much sugar. My pumpkin pie recipe uses only honey and one of my all time fav chocolate cake recipes is made with date puree and stevia. That said, the few times a year I make things like my favorite carrot cake, I slather it in cream cheese icing because it just tastes so right. I think satisfying cravings is key to a balanced diet and practicing restraint more regularly.
Oh, I look forward to reading the results of this experiment. Sadly, this post has only intensified my late night cravings for a sugary snack. What I would give for one of those cupcakes with a gummy worm.
All the power to ya! Excuse me now, I hear a handful of chocolate chips calling my name…… Dang!
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