I will be honest. I don't eat sugar. Ever. I don't eat processed sugar, brown sugar, agave, honey, or maple syrup. I rarely eat fruit and I will occasionally dabble with coconut sugar and stevia, but that is about it. And this is what works for me and may not work for you. Let me back up first and give some back story.
I loved sugar as a kid. I loved cakes, cookies, gummies, candy, sugary cereals, chocolate. If it had sugar in it, I wanted it. Now as we have learned in the present day that sugar is as addictive or maybe even more addictive than cocaine, I understand why I wanted the stuff so badly. Eating all that sugary food as a kid though destroyed my microbiome in my stomach.
Bad bacteria and yeast feed and thrive off of sugars. So the more sugar you eat, the greater the possibility of feeding those bad bacteria and the less room there will be for good bacteria to thrive. And seeing as how 95% of our serotonin or happy neurotransmitter are made in the gut there is a pretty good possibility that your ability to feel happy can be compromised by eating sugar and highly processed carbs.
Once I learned this and slowly stopped eating sugar (which was a very slow process over many years) I just never turned back. So when I hear other people say to me, "but don't you feel deprived" or "what about everything in moderation," I think why would I eat something that is so addictive to my body and that makes me feel awful in my system?
Sometimes there are some foods that we just need to stay away from. If you feel emotional, unstable, ungrounded, lacking clarity, mental fog after eating a particular food ask yourself what is it about this experience of eating this food that feels addictive? Is there some part of you that is so used to your physical and emotional reactions after eating a particular food that you have become complacent that this is just the way life is.
1. With those foods you have to decide for yourself, is "in moderation" worth it if it makes you feel a certain way that blocks your ability to be your most vibrant self. (And I want to make sure I state that for you it may be worth it!! I do not believe in deprivation, but please understand I do not feel deprived not eating sugar when there are other foods and things in my life that bring so much sweetness. Whatever you decide, honor that decision that you are making the best choice for your health and well being.)
2. Next step is to ask yourself is there an alternative you can have in this moment? For example, if I really need something that tastes sweet I will go toward berries, cooking something with stevia, baking some vegetable that has a sweet flavor like acorn squash or spaghetti squash or sweet potatoes. Get creative! If your thing is chips, would making some kale chips satisfy? If your thing is a cheeseburger, could you make a burger at home and wrap it in a romaine lettuce leaf. Or if your thing is sugar, could you make your own chocolate with raw cacao powder and stevia and freeze it in the freezer. (more recipes to come soon on my blog ;)
3. Last, ask yourself what would happen if you never had that food. What emotions come up? This is a lot of information about how that food is possibly nourishing you on an emotional level but not a physical one.
At this point you don't necessarily have to give up that food altogether but you now have more awareness to make conscious decisions. And that is really what this is all about. Instead of asking yourself what would feel good in my system right at this very moment, you could ask how do I want to feel in an hour, two hours, the rest of the day, how do I want to feel tomorrow? Your choices today effect your future self. The choice is up to you and just remember there is no wrong choice. Every action just gives us information to make informed decisions.
I loved sugar as a kid. I loved cakes, cookies, gummies, candy, sugary cereals, chocolate. If it had sugar in it, I wanted it. Now as we have learned in the present day that sugar is as addictive or maybe even more addictive than cocaine, I understand why I wanted the stuff so badly. Eating all that sugary food as a kid though destroyed my microbiome in my stomach.
Bad bacteria and yeast feed and thrive off of sugars. So the more sugar you eat, the greater the possibility of feeding those bad bacteria and the less room there will be for good bacteria to thrive. And seeing as how 95% of our serotonin or happy neurotransmitter are made in the gut there is a pretty good possibility that your ability to feel happy can be compromised by eating sugar and highly processed carbs.
Once I learned this and slowly stopped eating sugar (which was a very slow process over many years) I just never turned back. So when I hear other people say to me, "but don't you feel deprived" or "what about everything in moderation," I think why would I eat something that is so addictive to my body and that makes me feel awful in my system?
Sometimes there are some foods that we just need to stay away from. If you feel emotional, unstable, ungrounded, lacking clarity, mental fog after eating a particular food ask yourself what is it about this experience of eating this food that feels addictive? Is there some part of you that is so used to your physical and emotional reactions after eating a particular food that you have become complacent that this is just the way life is.
1. With those foods you have to decide for yourself, is "in moderation" worth it if it makes you feel a certain way that blocks your ability to be your most vibrant self. (And I want to make sure I state that for you it may be worth it!! I do not believe in deprivation, but please understand I do not feel deprived not eating sugar when there are other foods and things in my life that bring so much sweetness. Whatever you decide, honor that decision that you are making the best choice for your health and well being.)
2. Next step is to ask yourself is there an alternative you can have in this moment? For example, if I really need something that tastes sweet I will go toward berries, cooking something with stevia, baking some vegetable that has a sweet flavor like acorn squash or spaghetti squash or sweet potatoes. Get creative! If your thing is chips, would making some kale chips satisfy? If your thing is a cheeseburger, could you make a burger at home and wrap it in a romaine lettuce leaf. Or if your thing is sugar, could you make your own chocolate with raw cacao powder and stevia and freeze it in the freezer. (more recipes to come soon on my blog ;)
3. Last, ask yourself what would happen if you never had that food. What emotions come up? This is a lot of information about how that food is possibly nourishing you on an emotional level but not a physical one.
At this point you don't necessarily have to give up that food altogether but you now have more awareness to make conscious decisions. And that is really what this is all about. Instead of asking yourself what would feel good in my system right at this very moment, you could ask how do I want to feel in an hour, two hours, the rest of the day, how do I want to feel tomorrow? Your choices today effect your future self. The choice is up to you and just remember there is no wrong choice. Every action just gives us information to make informed decisions.
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