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?
16 Responses
I try not to keep treats in the house. I will eat them but don’t need them. That being said, outside the house I do eat them and it’s a treat. It’s in moderation because it’s an ice cream cone and one and I try to share a dessert in a restaurant. But I do LOVE desserts! I am no longer a teacher and my kids are grown… hence no baking of cookies. Sigh! That was so fun!
You sounds like someone who can eat sugar in moderation (I’m envious!) I agree- cookie baking is so fun, even when I’m not going to eat them.
First, I love posts like this!!! I find it absolutely fascinating (scary and empowering, too) how much of an impact food has on our overall mental and physical wellbeing. It’s such a huge component of our lives and health.
I eat relatively little processed sugar, but that’s 100% a conscious decision because I do love sugar, just not what it does to my mind/body. I haven’t had a single chocolate item from the kids Halloween haul (it was easy for me to do, especially after I told the kids I would pay them $20 if they saw me breaking this rule). I think I have more of an issue with salty treats (like chips) so try to avoid them completely.
Overall I think my willpower has gotten better as I’ve gotten older because I’ve found delicious alternatives that don’t leave my grumpy/with mood swings! I love dried fruit. I make a very low-sugar gluten-free banana muffin that I honestly enjoy just as much as a giant slice of chocolate cake. I like kombucha. I drink sparkling water now. I’ve found I actually like to eat carrot sticks when I get a craving. I know they’re higher in sugar/carbs than lots of other vegetables, but I will honestly turn to carrots when I’m hungry or craving something slightly sweet. I also eat a lot of walnuts and pumpkin seeds.
And I try to drink very few calories (no juice, no pop, and usually just oat milk in a cup of tea a few times a week and kombucha every few days).
My issue is mostly around emotional eating. I tend to eat large quantities of food (again, mostly healthy – but I’m not necessarily consuming them in a healthy way/mindfully). That’s what I’d like to keep working on in 2021.
I blogged a bit about the big changes to my food habits a few months ago (what I used to eat/what I eat now): http://elisabeth-frost.com/?p=1494
AND what the kids eat: http://elisabeth-frost.com/?p=1515
I am really cutting back on the holiday baking this year (making a batch of peanut butter balls today – I actually love my healthy version with only a few T of maple syrup and coconut flour, but know I would have a family revolt, so am going the icing sugar route – and then a cheesecake for Christmas dinner and the cinnamon coffee cake for Christmas breakfast). I’ve frozen a few pecan pies (a family favourite), have ice cream, and know we will end up getting treats from friends + my Mom is bringing my favourite sweetened condensed milk sqaures. So there will be lots of sugar, but it should be pretty limited to the few days around Christmas?
I want to go back and read those blog posts! I’m always fascinated by what other people eat. Interesting you mentioned salty treats- after I stopped eating sugar, I felt like I was getting addicted to salty things. It was like I traded one addiction for another. Now I have a rule that I can only eat chips once a week, and I’m usually able to stick to that. Why is eating SO HARD???
I have significantly cut sugar out of my diet and I feel so much better. I also don’t crave it and I am leaner. I do eat fruit though. I steer away from Stevia (don’t like the taste) and erythrotil upsets my stomach. I eat desserts occasionally and I do notice I don’t feel great after large amounts of sugar. I could never give up coffee!
Yes, interesting how when you stop eating it, you don’t crave it anymore. Every once in a while something sugar-y will look really good to me, but I just imagine how awful I would feel if I ate it, and it’s easy to resist.
Luckily for me, I didn’t drink coffee anyway. I always have black tea, and I switched to green (blech) while I was doing that program. i was very happy to switch back to black when it was over though!
While I thoroughly enjoy all things sweet, I don’t think I have a true addiction to it. Of course, I could be in denial. My big temptation is the candy dish at work, which is within arms reach from my desk. I’ve gotten so I “allow” myself a piece after lunch, and don’t think about it for the rest of the day. I do notice so many coworkers, though, who are constantly swinging by my desk (I’m at the main reception desk, near the front entrance) on their way to the restroom or the break room and always grab a piece. They could take a short cut, but they come my way, LOL (I don’t think it’s for my smile, but the candy). Your post, though, has got me thinking I should make a better effort to cut back even further on my sugar, so thanks!!
So there’s a candy dish within arms reach at work, and you only have one piece a day? I would say you’re doing great. I would have emptied that dish quickly, ha ha. Or, I wouldn’t have gotten any work done because I would only be able to think about candy all day long.
I am more of a salty person than a sweet one, I can take or leave sugar, to be honest. I bake all the time and very rarely eat it. I do make dessert for our big Sunday dinners, and I will eat that. I like the occasional sweet but generally I abstain. Good job to you for recognizing your sugar addiction and overcoming it!
People who don’t have a sweet tooth are fascinating and mysterious to me! I literally can’t fathom it. Do sweet things not taste delicious to you??? But, I know other people like you. Just goes to show, we’re all different.
I think my husband might have more of a challenge, he can’t have ice cream in the house without eating it every day, whereas I don’t think about it. I do craze something sweet after dinner though…giving up fruit and peanut butter would be TOUGH for me, peanut butter is my pre-long run fuel!
Thanks for sharing this post, it’s cool to learn how and why you did it!
Yes, I really missed peanut butter! The good thing about eliminating so many foods is that it was a treat to add them back- even though I don’t eat sugar I can appreciate being able to eat peanut butter and drink my black tea again.
I am more into salty than sweet foods, although I will not say no to cookies, cake or ice-cream… haha, but I am (luckily) a “moderator”… I can have one cookie or a piece of chocolate and be good. These things last a very long time in my house (if I hide them from my husband, who is definitely more of an “abstainer”).
However, I’d be absolutely willing to cut out foods if I know that they give me trouble… so kudos to you for making the conscious decision to cut sugar out of your life. I think a lot of people would have a hard time with it, but I also think that feeling good in your body if you cut out certain things is a huge motivator!
Very good point San, about being a “moderator” or an “abstainer.” A lot of people believe that everything in moderation is healthier- but if you’re an “abstainer” like me and have a problem with a certain food, it’s better to cut it out completely.
It’s so interesting how sugar affects the mind/body connection! And how friggin addictive it is. One of my 2022 goals is going to be to lessen the amount of sugar I eat, mostly because the last time I had blood work done I was right on the cusp of prediabetes and I really need to rein in my sugar intake to make sure that doesn’t turn into anything more serious! I don’t want to fully cut it out of my life because I derive a lot of joy from sugary foods, but I do need to cut down for sure!
I’m glad that you’ve been able to have such success fully eliminating sugar from your life and that is has been so beneficial. That’s amazing!
Thank you Stephany! I hope you have success in cutting back on sugar- I tried that so many times and just couldn’t do it. I think I was physically AND psychologically addicted to it. But, so many people are able to eat it in moderation. My son will eat half a piece of cake and leave the rest- which is astonishing to me. I don’t know how people do that! I agree that sugary foods really can be a source of pleasure, and there’s nothing wrong with that if you know when to stop!