I know what you're thinking.
That can't possibly be a real thing.
At least that’s what I thought before I decided to go on a 90 day, no
processed sugar challenge. An addiction
can be defined by many things, namely withdrawals when you go without whatever
the substance is that causes the addiction.
Sugar withdrawal is very real. I
am now at the 30 day sans sugar mark, and I can tell you that it was no easy
feat for me. The first week, I was
extremely tired all the time, and I actually had the shakes sometimes. The second week, I still had the cravings,
but I stood firm in my decision not to break the goal I set for myself. I started eating more fruit for my substitute
fix. My cravings were always strongest
in the evening, a couple hours after dinner.
Strawberries are my go to. I
can’t get enough of them. It was almost
like I had never tasted strawberries before.
Seedless grapes are great too. I
plan on freezing them when the weather gets warmer.
Before I started this, I didn't think I had a problem. I could eat an entire bag of sour patch kids,
the big bag. I couldn't go a day without
having something sweet. I couldn't go to
the store without buying cookies or ice cream, or both. To most people, that might sound completely
normal. However, when you add in all the
products that have sugar in them, it can be a mighty hefty amount at the end of
the day. Everything from sauces to
juices and of course that White Chocolate Mocha that I had almost everyday, sometimes
twice a day really adds up. Drinks are
the thing that most people think the very least about in terms of calories, fat
and sugar. I have been using
myfitnesspal for a few years now to keep track of my calories and exercise. The one thing that I noticed about my food
intake was that I always went over in sugar.
Not a little, but a lot. I
realize that this app calculates all sugar, and not just the bad kind, but this
was something I could no longer ignore.
The decision to cut out sugar came from some articles I had
recently read about the ways that sugar affects your brain. There’s been talk about a link between high
carb sugary diets with the onset of Alzheimer’s. Since both of my grandmothers died from
Alzheimer’s and they both had diabetes, I have a much higher chance of
developing this disease. I know the
average person doesn’t think the way I do, thinking about the possibility of
developing a disease that is years away.
Some might call me a hypochondriac.
Maybe, but, when you know that something is already bad for you, and
find out that it can have long term damage on your brain and body, why would
you continue to do it? If you’ve ever
known anyone with Alzheimer’s, you would know that this is a devastating
disease that leaves the loved ones of a person afflicted, feeling utterly
helpless. Watching someone’s mental
state deteriorate before your very eyes is heart wrenching. This is my biggest fear. That I will one day be the one that doesn’t
remember my husband and reverts to a state of perpetual confusion. We already know that alcohol, smoking and
illicit drugs has an effect on short and long term health. I don’t have issues with those things. Sugar was my choice of drug. I say “Was”, because I hope to continue this
lifestyle for the long term. I’m not
saying I will never again eat a cookie, or indulge in ice cream, but I will not
let it take over again. I will not give
sugar the power to change me for the worse.
Rebecca Evers, Client Relations Manager
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