This is going to be a relatively short post, as I’ve just been very busy this week and very tired from getting over some sort of monster bug. It sucked a lot of my energy, so I spent more time sleeping this week and last than in recent memory.
I’ll take this opportunity to tell you about the Harmonious Belly Facebook page and Harmonious Belly Twitter feed! Please feel free to become a fan and to follow me. My social network presence is still in the early stages, so I hope for the quality of my content to grow and mature as time goes on. I value the support I receive from you!
I mentioned above that I’ve been sick. I do not know what it was exactly but it hit me like a ton of bricks. I often cut out dairy when I’m sick, but this time I cut out all refined sugar and most unrefined sugar; I only put a little raw honey in my tea to help soothe my throat. I think this was an excellent decision, and apart from feeling better a couple days earlier that usual, I’ve noticed other positive benefits – improved skin quality, less crazy cravings, and less mood swings.
Also, ditching the sugar makes everything else taste… better, sweeter – it’s pretty amazing. I’ve now been off refined sugar for 12 days and hope to extend that as long as possible. I do anticipate eating sweet things again, but my focus will be on unrefined, traditional sweeteners – maple syrup, raw honey, and coconut sugar. However, the best fruit season is quickly approaching, so I expect that fresh fruit will accommodate my altered sweet tooth. We’ll see. 🙂
Now, I’m not saying that staying off refined sugar has been easy; I’ve definitely been tempted, mostly by chocolate. Being bed-ridden for a few days, and sleeping as much as possible, kept my mind off of the sweet stuff. This past week has been the most challenging – for instance, when I was bagging my bulk cashews, the chocolate-covered almonds were calling my name! I was able to resist, though, thank goodness.
I try to keep in mind how much better I feel when I don’t eat refined sugar, and how I feel when I do ingest it at higher quantities than my body can take (answer: not good). It can be quite overwhelming, physically. I understand that it suppresses the immune system, too – in fact, I ate a big bowl of commercial ice cream the day before I got sick! Coincidence? Hmm…
I will talk more in future posts about my struggle with sugar – it has been the most difficult thing to tame since eating a more traditional diet. There may very well be some truth in the idea that sugar acts like a drug.
I hope everyone has a great weekend!
Photo is of the Topa Topa Mountains in Ojai, CA, one of the most beautiful places on earth.
This post is participating in Fight Back Fridays, hosted by Food Renegade.