Rethinking Sweet

Move over fat, sugar is the new evil food. Now, I'm not saying I agree with this article, but I do want to chime in with a couple of my own ideas about sugar.  I am trying to reduce it in my diet and my family's.  I am much more careful about what cereals they eat in the morning, and what snacks they have throughout the day.  I am also trying to reduce artificial sweeteners in our diet, which means no more Crystal Light, diet sodas (we're having Izze instead when we want a treat), or yogurt sweetened with Splenda or aspartame. Sometimes I get more gung ho in my own diet and try to eliminate most sugar for a short period of time.

I have taken a break from eating sugar several times for 1-4 weeks.  I like to do it after the holiday season just to give my body a break.  I also choose to do it when I feel tired and sluggish, or that my eating choices have been poor and my clothes aren't fitting well.  Now that I've done it several times, it has gotten easier.  I've also found that some sweet foods (real soda, processed baked goods, straight up sugar candy) are too sweet for me now.  Because I've been injured and haven't been able to exercise as much, I've decided to go off of diet soda and sugar for the month of April (or until my clothes fit again, although I am off soda for the whole month!).  For me, being "off sugar" means

- no dessert items (cakes, cookies, brownies, ice cream, etc.)
- no chocolate (sometimes I cheat on this one with extra dark chocolate - like 75%)
- very limited syrup, jam, honey
- very limited sugary crackers (like graham)
- very limited fruit juices (and only 100% juice)
- very limited yogurt (one per week of Chobani pineapple - my fave)
- homemade baked goods must be sweetened with agave nectar or honey, and I reduce the amount   called for
- no chocolate milk or chocolate almond milk
- no diet soda
- avoid artificial sweeteners

When I know I'm going on a sugar detox, I have to plan ahead to be successful.  I have a few foods I choose as my "treats" that I have on hand so I can eat one of them if I feel a craving.  Having options keeps me from going cheating.

The first food I love is Larabars.  I get the big box at Costco for the best value.  They are made from dates, nuts, fruit, and spices, and they are filling and tasty!  I don't get the ones with chocolate when I am off sugar, unless I had a very bad day.  The apple pie and peanut butter cookie ones are quite delicious, but I do like them all.

I also love to have fresh fruit available.  I will spend a little bit of extra money on blueberries, raspberries, or pineapple and then enjoy that as my dessert.  I don't do too many dried fruits, as many of them have added sugar, but I do always keep raisins on hand, and I love home-dried pears and apples.

Instead of soda I drink sparkling water if I need a different taste.  Because I don't drink milk, I sometimes get bored of just plain water.  I have found that adding a few tablespoons of fruit juice (like pomegranate or cherry) to sparkling water makes a great drink to sip on.  Not too sweet either!

The last thing I do is to try a few recipes for sugar-free treats.  A lot of the time they taste pretty nasty, but every once in a while I get a winner, and it tastes just as good as the real thing.  Here's the one I'm going to try next.  

There are lots of benefits to lowering or eliminating sugar from your diet.  Weight loss is a big one for many people, but I actually love how good other food tastes.  I am amazed how sweet many vegetables are.  I will now often have sugar snap peas and hummus for "dessert" at night, or a salad of mixed greens, nuts, grapes or strawberries, and goat cheese with a light dressing.  Whole grains taste better too, and foods are just more flavorful when your palate isn't overwhelmed by sugar. 

I will add one caveat to this:  I am not above trying a bite or two of something with sugar in it.  If we are out to eat and Kyle gets some amazing gelato, I will have a bite.  But I do try to keep it to just a bite or a wee bit.  It's amazing how fast you can turn your mind and taste buds back on to treats.  The good news is, I think I make a little bit more progress every time.  But I know I will always have a sweet tooth!

How are you feeling about sugar these days?