...on my week of sugar-free eating. What were you guys thinking?
Today is day 4 of my sugar fast and I definitely haven't stuck to it like I planned. No, I haven't eaten any candy, chocolate, cookies, that kind of thing, but I have eaten some added sugars that I was really hoping to avoid. There are some foods I eat on a regular basis that I consider healthy, and I don't want to eliminate them from my diet. Some examples are:
Salad Dressing: 3 grams of sugar
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Strawberry Preserves: Low sugar but still some sugar!
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| No surprise here--it's vanilla flavored |
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| I just can't give up my ketchup! |
I'm okay with including these foods in my diet. Yes, I'm including some added sugars. More important for me is to get used to living without a "treat" after every meal. I think it's common to reach for something sweet after dinner, but I was doing it after lunch too!
I don't want anyone to think I have decided to commit to a sugar-free life. No way. This is merely a week-long experiment to see if my blood sugar levels even out, I can stabilize my moods (I tend to be a wee bit emotional peeps...) and break my daily box-of-nerds habit. They're like crack, seriously. So far, so good. Had a few headaches which I can only attribute to sugar withdrawal. I'll fix that on Sunday when I eat some sugary goodness. Woo-hoo!
I thought it might be cool to try different ways of eating for a few days/a week every once in a while. Examples would be vegan, gluten-free, raw, etc. Would anyone be interested in reading something like this every month or so? I'm finding it so interesting to learn about how many different people eat every day.
Can you suggest some types of eating that might be interesting to try? Do any of you eat a diet that's not typical--any allergies, religious dietary restrictions, anything like that?
I don't really have to limit much of my diet. I prefer not to eat much dairy or red meat, but I enjoy both occasionally.
Are you a Greek yogurt fan? What brand/flavor--or do you like regular yogurt instead?
I only tried Green yogurt a few months ago since coming to America and I love how much protein it has! I like vanilla for dessert, but also plain to replace sour cream.
I eat food. I know that sounds weird but that's really how I think. I avoid processed foods and refined carbs but other than that, I just eat food. I can tell when I'm getting too much of something (sugar, white flour, etc) because my moods change and I start to crave it more. That's when I look back on the past couple days and stop eating whatever caused it.
ReplyDeleteLove Greek yogurt! I only eat organic dairy and my favorite is Stonyfield Oikos! Soooo good!
Glad to hear your ok!
ReplyDeleteWe don't eat pork so no gelatin, marshmallows, gummi bears and the obvious stuff.
We eat vegetarian 2-3 days a week so we eat a lot of beans and lentils. I didnt used to eat a lot of dairy but my kid lives off of milk, yogurt, and cheese.
I've been veggie-centric for 5 weeks now, except for a big slide off the sugar-free path this past easter weekend, and have come to stop craving the sweet stuff.
ReplyDeleteOut of habit sometimes I still think I want it, but I don't.
Love Chobani Greek yogurt but some of it's pretty sugary. Love Greek yogurt in place of sour cream!
I'm obsessed with Fage Greek Yogurt. I don't know if you can get in an your area but if you see it definitely try it out! I use the plain for everything-in chicken salad, on tacos, soups, etc
ReplyDeleteI don't eat a lot of processed foods (except Dairy Queen Reese's Blizzards!) and mostly vegetables, fruits, lean meats. Pretty simple but it works.Oh and I'd rather die (for reals) then eat at Micky D's or Burger King or any other fast food restaurant. Food snob, maybe, but that stuff freaks me out!
It is so hard to stay away from added sugars! Thats why I dont even try. Even plain greek yogurt has like 5 grams of sugar...and its not even sweet! I love greek yogurt, mainly Chobani but it has been hard to find here lately!
ReplyDeleteIt is hard to stay away from added sugars--they are everywhere! But kudos to you for taking the steps you have.
ReplyDeleteOne challenge I've been trying of late is to look at every single thing I consider eating and asking whether or not it's real food. If the answer is no, I won't eat it. Not always easy! Another one is to try to eat only items with no more than four lines of ingredients. Another tough one!
Good luck!
i'm a big fan of choabni's plain greek yogurt. i pretty much use it as sub for sour cream like you mentioned, and a sub for mayo. it's also pretty killer as a fruit dip (mix it with cinnamon & all natural maple syrup).
ReplyDeletea nutritionist that i studied under, recommended in one of her books, to do 1 meal a day as something different than what you're used to. (ie, try a vegan meal for lunch, or a meal using dairy products for dinner, etc).the more i stay away from processed foods, the better i feel :)
***i mispelled*** it's chobani :)
ReplyDeletethat would be a cool blog experiment - let me know ahead of time and i'll experiment for a week at a time with you on different diet styles, i'd love to do that!
ReplyDeleteMy daughter has a lot of allergies - wheat, eggs, and peanuts. I eat with her a lot of the time. We also have discovered that greek yogurt is a great substitute for mayo (which has eggs and no one in my family likes anyways). We buy it at Costco and eat it up!
ReplyDeleteI don't know any kind of diets worth trying. I also try to limit my red meat intake, which I'm doing pretty well considering I'm a meat and potatoes girl, but I crave steak and burgers from time to time.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE Greek Yogurt, preferrably Fage. I love mixing Granola and fruit, but my favorite has to be drizzling some honey...YUM!
Mainly Chobani. Greek yogurt is a staple for me.
ReplyDeleteYou are right girl it is hard. I am sticking with my regular foods that have a little bit of sugar that I consider healthy as well. Dannon light and fit yogurt, Fiber 1 granola bars, and my honey flavored pretzels. I don't think the point is to quit eating sugar completely because as we have found that is nearly impossible, but rather to eliminate foods that the main ingrediant is sugar.
ReplyDeleteI would love to learn more about different diets especially gluten free. I think it is so interesting because everything seems to have gluten in it.
I absolutely love greek yogurt! I try to have it everyday for lunch. Fage greek yogurt is my favorite especially the non-flavored original kind. I like the original taste of the yogurt plus I can add my own sweetening to it like dried fruit, or fresh fruit if I have any on hand with cereal.
ReplyDeleteYou should give it a try!
I am definitely addicted to having something sweet after each meal. Just like you though I do have some things in my life I just cannot give up (i.e. yogurt!)
ReplyDeleteOh man added sugars are in almost everything, almost impossible to stray away. I tend to buy the plain stuff (oatmeal, greek yogert) and then just add splenda to it to spruce it up. Yes, I know artifical sugars are not that much better, but is keeps me a stray from wanting too much sugar. I would love to see some different diets that you try out.
ReplyDeleteI myself am pretty boring, same foods day in and day out...I just try to stick to a diet of lots of veggies with moderate carbs and fat and high in protien.
What a cool idea! I love it. PLEASE try a a gluten-free week and let me know, i'll totally do it with you...maybe we could even guest post?! I've been wanting to try gluten-free I'm so curious to how my body will react. I have some stomach 'issues' and always wonder if gluten has anything to do with it although i've never been tested. Let me know what you think!
ReplyDeletelove love love me some Chobani Greek yogurt! Hands down my fave... and I've tried a few brands out there.
ReplyDeleteI've heard of some folks making vegetarian dinners twice a week, vegan meals once a week, etc... I think it would be interesting and challenging. I've always thought about trying something like that but not sure how to work it into my week.
Yes, great idea to try different diets!
ReplyDeleteI love how greek yogurt has higher protein content than the reg...
I try & mostly avoid processed food. I'm far from perfect, but we try & eat most meals in & I like to cook, so that helps. My goals are to: stick to a specific calorie range (doesn't apply to you, but I'm trying to lose weight) & hit 5 servings of fruit & 5 of vegetables a day. As long as I do those things (and make sure I'm eating enough protein), I feel great.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I could cut out all added sugars either, but i like your philosophy of cutting out the treats to realign your eating expectations.
ReplyDeleteI love Greek Yogurt. I especially love honey flavor and the raspberry one too!
i am definitely interested in reading/trying out new eating habits...just not so much on the sugar fast!! but I keep hearing about GF and am definitely interesting in learning more and trying out some recipes!!
ReplyDeleteI also Love greek yogurt. Had to take a break for a while but just bought some honey kinds last week and am excited to give them a try!!
I tend to have lots of stomach issues and keep trying to go gluten free but it only lasts for a few days before I break down and have bread or crackers. Sometimes it is really difficult to focus on the health benefits and feeling better when the things you are eating taste so good!
ReplyDeletei'm a vegetarian...working being vegan. more because my husband can't do dairy or eggs. i'm having a hard time giving up sour cream and cheese.
ReplyDeleteHow did I not know that you existed? I mean seriously, how did I not know? I saw your comment on EMZs post and saw Gourmet Runner and had to head over.
ReplyDeleteGreat looking site with great looking food. You are now in the reader and be prepared to be hounded with questions. Endurance Sports and Eating are my passions.
Thrilled to have found you.
You eat so clean Vanessa! Wow! I have added WAY too much sugar in the form of candy this week and am feeling it.
ReplyDeleteHave you found your cravings to be subdued?
Oh man, I really should try to cut back on my sugars. Or, at the very least, start baking again so that I can use organic sugar and know what is in the dessert I'm eating, lol.
ReplyDeleteBTW, thanks for following me and for the comment! I'm now a follower! I can't believe you live in Georgia! That is where I'm from, but my hubby and I are in South Korea right now. :)
There's no way I could give up ketchup. I could give up chocolate before ketchup. But I did at least switch to one with no high fructose corn syrup.
ReplyDeleteI tried a sugar free week awhile ago for very similar reasons to yours! I am very interested to see your thoughts. I was also surprised about all the ways sugar sneaks in to foods. Luckily I'm a mustard girl so my condiments were good! I tried that Dannon greek vanilla yogurt today because I had a coupon, but I wasn't impressed. I LOVE fage 0% plain with frozen berries, and I also use it instead of sour cream or mayo (don't like either of those either!). Good luck!
ReplyDeleteI'd love to read posts like that! I had plans to go no-sugar added, vegetarian and vegan for a week at a time when I'm for the summer. I'd do it with you!
ReplyDeleteI think it's fascinating to try different diets here and there... I'm finding that everything SOUNDS much easier than it IS! I am the same way with my moods, in that sugar=mood swings, so what you are doing (cutting out the extras) would be the ideal diet for me!
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