Why (and How) I Gave Up Sugar, For Good
Okay, I know… this doesn’t sound very festive and holiday-ish. No sugar? What about Christmas cookies? Why not just have one, or a little bite? This is what I’ve discovered: sugar is a very addictive drug. Some people can handle it in moderation and some can’t. It’s like alcohol- if you’re an alcoholic, you can’t have “just a little” glass of wine. I’m a recovering sugar-holic. Growing up, I had a huge sweet tooth. Our neighborhood was near a small business district with several stores that sold candy. My best friend and I had all sorts of ways of scrounging up loose coins. and we bought so much candy that one time the owner of the store called my parents because he was concerned about me. I managed to finagle my way out of that one, and we bought our candy at a different store from then on. In college, things got worse. Left in charge of my own meals, I ate things like Frosted Flakes for dinner. I drank soda every day, made huge batches of cookies for myself, and basically ate whatever I wanted. Of course I ate “normal” foods too, but sugar made up a huge part of my diet. By the time I was in my 30s, I was having some serious digestive issues. I finally became concerned about my health, and made the effort, several times, to clean up my diet. I tried to cut down on sugar but I just couldn’t do it. I remember getting the advice to satisfy my sweet tooth with dried fruit, and feeling that there was no such thing as “satisfying” my sweet tooth. The more sugar I ate, the more I wanted. Every day I felt like I was fighting a losing battle. Then about six years ago I read Rikki Heller’s book, Living Candida Free. She explains that if you have an uncontrollable craving for sugar, you probably have a candida overgrowth. And if you have a candida overgrowth, it’s probably damaging the lining of your intestines. In her book she lays out a protocol to eliminate sugar and heal your gut, and I decided to do it. The diet is very, very strict for the first few months. No sugar OF ANY KIND, including fruit. You also eliminate all sorts of other things that can irritate your gut (coffee, tea, gluten) and anything that could possibly be contaminated with mold (like peanut butter.) People compare going off sugar to quitting heroin. I can’t speak for the heroin experience, but here’s what those first few days of no sugar felt like- it was one long hot flash. I literally couldn’t stop sweating. It was intense, but after the fourth or fifth day it ended, and I had renewed motivation to keep going. I knew if I cheated on the diet I would just have to start again from the beginning, and I didn’t want to go through those first few days again- I knew I had made it through the hardest part. It took many months, but eventually my digestive system returned to normal. I was able to add most things back to my diet (my beloved earl grey tea! Peanut butter! Fruit… in moderation.) But I still don’t eat sugar, and I don’t miss it. I have alternative sweeteners that I use, like stevia, monkfruit, and erythritol (that one in moderation- it can be hard to digest if you eat too much of it.) I make my own version of treats. They taste like a healthier (and sometimes, slightly strange) version of the things I used to eat, and that’s fine. Sometimes you just want the experience of sitting down with a nice cup of tea and a cookie- even a “healthy” cookie will do the trick in those moments. In a couple days I’ll bake the real thing for my friends and family… sugary and delicious Christmas cookies. Neither of my kids inherited my sugar addiction, so they’ll eat some cookies and stop when they’ve had enough. I’ll enjoy baking them, but won’t be tempted in the slightest. I know what a cookie tastes like… I don’t need to go back to eating something that made me so sick. If you’re able to enjoy sugar in moderation, then I hope you indulge this holiday season and appreciate it to the fullest. If you think you have a problem with sugar and need any help, please let me know. I can tell you more about what I eat, and what my sugar detox was like. It was hard, but totally worth it. Do you have any foods that you feel like you’re addicted to? Do you eat much sugar? Or avoid it?