Saturday, June 23, 2012

Reflections on Life without Sweetness

colored sugar in my kitchen...

So.....I did it.  Or almost.  I have 24 hours at least to go, but this is the easy part.

What did I do?
I survived two weeks without sugar.
Oh wait....there's more.
It was also two weeks without artificial sweetener.
And....
Without natural sweeteners like stevia, honey, and all of those other funny things that half of you have never heard of.
None.
Oh....and no alcohol.
Oh....wait.   There was one exception.
I did eat bread.  Bread I made myself.  And if you have ever made bread, you will know that it is really hard to make bread without any sugar for the yeast to eat.  But divided into portions for eating, the sugar in the bread did not amount to anything to speak of.

I was actually allowed to have sugar if it was included way down on the ingredient list.  I wasn't sure how to gauge that so I pretty much limited myself to none with the exception of my bread and about the total of  about an ounce of salad dressing divided into two occasions.

All fruits and veggies were allowed.

I found this easier than I thought it would be.  And there were some surprising results.

The first few days were the worst.  On about day two, I developed a wicked headache.  I don't know if it was related to sugar or not.  It could have been caffeine related.  However, I really think it was the lack of sugar.

I am not a huge sweet eater.  But the strangest thing happened.  The first few days, all I could do was think of sweet things to eat.  Brownies, cake, cookies, ice cream....anything sweet.  I think it was the mere fact that I had decided not to eat it that my brain was trying to convince me otherwise.  In fact, on one of those days, friends asked us to the movies.  When we got our tickets, we got a free snack of sour patch kids.  I do not like fruity, chewy candy.  I do not like sour candy....except while I was pregnant with one of my kids.  But sitting next to Ski while he had a few, I almost could not stand it.  I could smell the sugar.  Thankfully, the movie was really good so I was able to concentrate on that instead. 

Lucky me, my grocery shopping days also fell during this time.  I had already realized that when I was tired, overwhelmed, and stressed, those were the times that I really was challenged food-wise.  And so, I knew it was coming.  I stayed close to home and only did half of my shopping.  I made it home alive and unscathed from any mishaps.

We also happened to go out on a date during this time.  I ended up actually choosing a place I don't normally like to eat at...Panera.   It took me close to 45 minutes to figure out what to eat.  We sat at a table, menu in one hand, Ski's phone in the other.  One of the surprising things I found was that almost every single salad dressing I have looked at contains some form of sweetener.  Panera unfortunately does not have an oil and vinegar option.  So after going through a number of dressings, I found one that had much less sugar, asked for it on the side, and used it sparingly.  

As an aside, I found only four cereals in the mainstream market which are completely devoid of sugar/sweetener.  Also, mayo and veganaise have sugar.  Mustard usually does not.  Dijon mustard did have alcohol, but I was unsure if the sugars remained after processing or not.  In short, in the typical American diet, sugar and sweeteners are everywhere. 

My second challenge was an event including dinner that had been on the calendar.  I knew it was coming and dear Ski discovered the menu for me.  I knew there was a meat as a main course.  Salad would be there.  Bread would be available, but I doubted whole grain and so I made rolls especially for the occasion.  I brought balsamic vinegar and oil for my dressing.  Dessert did not sound promising so I also went out and bought my favorite fruit...an apricot...as my dessert.   I had planned on eating chicken, but when I got there, the chicken had bbq sauce on it.  Instead, I opted for the shredded pork which may have had additional ingredients mixed in, but was a less sugary option since the sauce for that was separate.  I had my salad and roll.  And I was surprised to see a big bowl of chopped fruit at the dessert table so I had some of that....and saved my apricot.

When I craved a drink other than water, I made some peppermint iced tea.

And finally, the last big challenge was when I got sick.  I ended up catching a nasty cold.  I longed for chicken noodle soup so I dragged myself to the store for a chicken and a few other items.  This was a tough trip.  I felt really awful and really wanted to stop for a coffee or something.  No, coffee was not out of bounds, but I'll talk about that later....  But instead, I got my stuff, went home and crashed while my lovely daughter, Hannah, made the most delicious soup ever for me.

So....Here are my major thoughts on the past two weeks

#1  I drank a whole lot more diet soda than I thought I did.   I didn't miss it except for when I was out and running errands.   But I've decided to refrain from artificial sweeteners in the future.

#2  EVERYTHING  tastes better without sweetener in your life.  We might stop by the store and try a sample and as I was raving about how sweet a strawberry was, I'd realize Ski was rather silent.  I'd ask..."Isn't it sweet."  Nope.   Not to him.    The first day was tough, but the second or third day, I'd eat a fresh picked cherry tomato from my garden and it tasted like sugar.  Just think of how many times you have bought fruit just to be disappointed that it was tart.  I didn't experience any of that this week.  I found it fascinating!!   So actually, it wasn't a life without sweetness.

#3 Going no sugar does NOT lead to binging.  Never once did I binge.  I did not give up and I resisted.  I was committed to doing this.

#4 I could never do this long term because ....I'd miss wine.   I really do enjoy having a glass with Ski now and then.

#5  I could never do this long term because....I'd miss chocolate too much.  There is just something about chocolate that I like...the creaminess.  And really, you can't find any chocolate without sugar.   I did find a banana dipped in cocoa powder to really help my chocolate craving.  But it just couldn't take the place of the flavor of good chocolate.   And there's the aspect of desserts.  Every now and then, you would just like something a bit decadent.  And sugar really helps that.

#6 I could never do this long term because....I'd miss my coffee.  I can drink coffee with simply cream just fine.  But just a bit of sugar helps.  I am sensitive to the tanins and the sugar makes my coffee a more pleasurable experience.  The good thing is I think I will be able to cut way down on how much sugar I put in my coffee.  I didn't drink much coffee the past two weeks and I missed it. 

#7 I have now decided that I will be low or at the very least lower sugar from now on.  I can now easily have a smoothie made with fresh fruit, a bit of plain yogurt and now sugar and find it tasty.  Giving sips to my family, they find it tart.  I'd rather not lose that aspect of the past two weeks. 







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