A few months ago, I would have told you that I didn't really eat much sugar, that I didn't have a problem with sugar. Then I got gestational diabetes and I had to give it up- completely.
The first few days were soooo hard- I craved it so badly- I wanted sugar! Obviously, I wasn't doing quite as well when it came to sugar as I thought.
That's the reason for this challenge. By trying to cut out sugar, you'll be able to tell how dependent you or your kids are.
Look at each part of your kids daily intake: breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, drinks... and TRY to have a day without any sugar (other than the natural sugars in fruits, etc).
Cutting it out for more than a day, can be extremely difficult and you will actually experience withdrawal so I would not suggest going without sugar cold turkey for longer than a day. However, if you realize that you and your family are more dependent on sugar than you thought, you may want to start cutting down on the sugar more gradually.
I'm doing a low carb diet as we speak and I can tell you I'm such a sugar addict! It's crosses my mind for something sweet, (but not fruit) every few minutes! I know I have to kick this now because both my parents have type 2 diabetes, late onset and weight related...well not me. I can even see sugar addiction attacking my 4 year old...she constantly begs for cookies or ice-cream and only ate the sweeties in her bento,(so I cant pack fruit chews or cookies in her lunch anymore...she just wont touch the other things) It breaks my heart because I feel like its genetic.
ReplyDeleteIt's crazy how addictive it is... and you honestly don't realize it until you try to cut it out. I've recently tried coconut sugar and I know that it's different because when I do have it, I don't crave more sugar, instead I feel satiated.
DeleteAlso, I don't normally drink diet soda or use artificial sweeteners, but because I felt sorry for myself over the holidays, I had a few diet cokes. Unfortunately, I noticed this had the same effect as sugar. After having it, I craved sugar like crazy and instead of it helping me not eat the cookies, etc., it made me want it even more!
I can also totally relate to what you say about your daughter, and I'm not sure if it's genetic or if it's just natural for all kids- that's one of the big things I noticed when I cut out cereal for breakfast. If they had cereal they were asking for treats all day long, but without it, they don't seem to have the same cravings.
Luckily, my son inherited his Dad's taste for sugar. They can do without and not even think about it. I, on the other hand, am a chocoholic and sugar fiend. We simply cannot keep sweets in the house or I will eat them.
ReplyDeleteI hear you Keitha! It turns out that I may be the worst in the family. I've cut it out with the gestational diabetes, but I'm not sure that I'll have the same willpower once the baby is born. I know I shouldn't have it, so I don't usually buy things with sugar, but if it's in the house, I'm in trouble!!
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