Sugar Detox

It is amazing that I no longer crave sugar!  I used to drink a pitcher of sweet tea every day...2/3 cup of white sugar per pitcher.  I craved butter cream frosting, donuts, frozen yogurt, you name it!  I ate high fructose corn syrup at every meal without even knowing it. It was ridiculously hard for me to give up sugar.  It took a little over a year, but I have finally kicked the sugar habit.  No carb cravings, and fruit actually tastes sweet to me!

I wish I had a magic formula to help you give up sugar, but I don't.  It was hard work for me.  I found all sorts of ways to justify using sugar.  I was convinced that I could get healthy, get to my goal weight and still use sugar.  Well guess what, I was only kidding myself.  At some point last year, I realized there is no such thing as just using a little bit of sugar.  For me, I had to just quit using it all together.

I didn't follow any set rules for sugar detox.  I looked at my biggest source of sugar and high fructose corn syrup and stopped buying it.  It started with my coffee creamer, I weaned from sweetened coffee creamer to half and half, and then I quit drinking coffee.  I didn't need the caffeine in coffee either.

I also quit buying processed foods, period, end of story.  It is ridiculous how much high fructose corn syrup is in processed food.  About nine months into my slow sugar detox,  I ate half a cupcake at my granddaughter's birthday party and paid dearly for it, ending up in the bathroom with horrible cramping, bloating and diarrhea.  I learned my lesson, not even a bite is worth that pain.

I squeeze a lemon every day and that is what I add to my drinking water.  I have also tried adding a variety of fruits and cucumbers to my water.  I haven't perfected any of those drink combinations yet, but this is a work in progress.  I have tried a few organic herbal teas that are naturally no caffeine, but haven't found one that really quenches my thirst yet.

When I started the anti inflammatory diet from my chiropractor, I had an advantage.  I had already detoxed sugar.  For me, that has been the hardest thing.  I don't mind giving up dairy, gluten, nuts and nightshades during the elimination phase.  If it is going to make me feel better, I will give it my best shot.

Since starting the anti inflammatory diet about a month ago, I generally try recipes that don't have any added sweeteners. I get enough fructose from the fruit I eat. But I do still use organic raw honey or organic pure maple syrup in recipes every once in a while.  But I don't crave sweets anymore, that is what is important to me.

And I have never, ever used any type of artificial sweetener.  I read a study in 1984 about aspartame that scared the pee wads out of me!  It was enough to keep me from ever using it or allowing my children to use it. Even as adults, they still won't use it.