Week 5 - Definately detoxing

Week 5 - Definately detoxing



Just about to bake our muesli bars



This week has been relatively easy. In saying that, I have still had moments where I have craved a sugar hit. Even tonight. But I soon get over it. And that's the key. The craving passes very quickly. A simple cup of tea or glass of milk is all that is needed and I feel much better for it too. Herbal and flavoured teas now excite me and taste sweeter than ever and I look forward to a cup of tea after dinner or in the morning. I'm not too keen on the caffeine though, so I've purchased some decaf organic tea and I drink that after 2pm so that the caffeine isn't keeping me up. I have a newborn son that is already doing that!

Apart from the occasional craving, this week would be the first week that I actually feel like sugar has really lost its appeal. I never ever thought that this was possible. Not for me. Of course, it has only been 5 weeks, so I am not out of the woods yet, I just know which direction I am going. I am excited about what the future holds for me and my body with whole fat whole foods taking much more of my food intake instead of foods sweetened with sugar or honey or low-fat foods full of sugar. My husband Ben is also feeling good, he is a chocoholic and made a comment this week "If someone gave me a block of chocolate I wouldn't eat it anyhow". He's clearly making his way out of the woods too!

  

Making the peanut suprises



As for our 3 year old, Ruby, she doesn't know any better and as I can control what she eats 95% of the time (not when she is with friends or relatives) I am making the most of this opportunity. I know that one day she will be old enough to make her own decision, and staying off sugar might not be one of them. I do tell her why she is not allowed lollies, chocolate and ice-cream all the time. She knows that there is something called 'sugar' which is bad for her and she doesn't argue. She certainly has treats at Nannys house, and I just leave her to it. She also knows that this is another reason why she doesn't eat sugar at home, eating it at Nannys is enough.  

 



As a breastfeeding mother, I am also aware that what I eat goes directly to my son, so staying off sugar isn't only just benefiting me, it is also directly benefiting him. Another bonus. It has also helped stop me from having 'highs and lows' with my moods (as sugar does this). I am tired from breastfeeding during the night and have the potential of having big 'highs and lows', but I think that my diet is helping control this.



What I call 'peanut suprises'. Delicious.

This week Ruby and I tried to make our own sugar free muesli bars, which we took the recipe out of Sarah Wilson's sugar free cookbook. Unfortunately, they did not 'hold' and ended up as a crumble. I then tried to be creative and I used wonton wrappers, filled them with the nutty crumble, deep fried them and served them with cream. Delicious sugar free snack and it warmed the belly! I've attached a pic of what it looked like cooking them and the final product. Wonton wrappers are amazing - cheap and versatile - perfect!

As always, I have continued to re-read Sarah Wilson's blog (click here to visit her blog) along with her two ebooks & my two Sweet Poison books.

 I read something today that really made me think. David Gillespie talks in his Quit Plan book about smoking being an addiction like sugar. He talks about how 50 years ago everyone smoked - at their desk, in bed, at work, even on aeroplanes - everywhere. If you didn't smoke, it was kind of weird. Now, all these years later, smoking is seen as an addiction with life threatening side effects. There are now quitlines, quitting programs, graphic pictures on cigarette packets and advertisements costing millions trying to re-educate people on the implications of smoking.

Sugar is the same. Everyone eats it - at their desk, in bed, at work, even on aeroplanes - everywhere. If you don't eat sugar, it's kind of weird. Research is now showing the life threatening side effects of sugar, but it is not yet seen as an addiction. There are no warning signs on labels or graphic pictures on packets of sugar. There is no sugar helpline.

My opinion is that people spend $$$$$ on gyms and eating plans, but continue eating sugar. Does this have anything to do with our growing obesity rates? The gyms and diets are clearly not working for the majority, and how can it when sugar is in so many things that we eat and we're too busy buying low fat this and low fat that? Next time you buy a low fat item, compare the sugar content of it to its full fat sister. You may be pleasently suprised.