- I feel good after everything I eat, which isn't always the case in "normal" life - more often than I'd like, I have meals that make me feel heavy and sorta yucky. That hasn't happened this week.
- I've never done any kind of diet before. Now I know firsthand why they don't work. If you can't have something, you think about it and want it even more. That is no way to live and I know why it doesn't work.
- It is really tricky planning meals without sugar, white flour or dairy allowed. The salad I had planned for the week? Sugar in the dressing. The bolognese recipe I was going to try called for 1 cup of cream. Even when I thought I had planned meals that would work, they didn't. It's been tough!
- Sugar is in everything. Seriously. When you cut sugar, you realize how much you eat it. Now I totally believe the stats about the amounts of sugar Americans eat each year. That's because it's in everything we eat! Pasta sauces, salad dressings, cereals, dried fruit, the list goes ON.
- I was so hungry (and grumpy) the first 2 or 3 days! But that's getting better...I think because I'm figuring out better snack foods, planning our meals better, etc.
However, I am not going to simply revert to my old ways. I will definitely watch my sugar intake more closely from now on. White flour was the easiest to cut for me, so I think that won't be too hard to keep to a minimum. I'm not a huge dairy person normally, so there won't be much of a change there. I have to say, though, I can't wait to eat some cheese!
PS - Some of you were wondering why dairy got the kabosh this week. I don't have a good scientific answer for you yet, but here is a nice, short, balanced article about the pros & cons: Dairy: Good or Bad?
5 comments:
I'm impressed you could do that--we have a lot of family members going on radical diet changes lately and I just can't do it. I have been trying to cut the sugar (and all additives), and really the only way to do that is to make everything yourself. Even then there are some things that take sugar, but I guess everything in moderation. I really don't think I could dairy--it's one of the few nutritious things my kids will eat and we're mostly vegetarian so I'd worry about getting enough protein and calcium without it. I do skim milk and other dairy mostly though.
Jane,
I have really enjoyed following your adventure here- I am trying very hard to eat more "whole" foods and to cut my sugar- so hard but I think so worthwhile!
I've been eating more whole grains and trying to stay away from white flour. I'd love to cut out sugar too, but that's harder for me!
Love your blog - I'm a lurker - have never commented! :)
We're vegan and don't eat any refined flour...we bake alot but only use whole wheat pastry. Anything that calls for white, you can use whole wheat so there you go on the refined flours. Other than having nearly no nutrients, we just really don't care for the taste of anything with white flour. For "sugar, we either use raw cane, maple syrup, or agave nectar.
If you eat a diet that has an excess of protein (which meat eaters/dairy drinkers do) then you're body has a harder time absorbing calcium...also if you drink dairy or soda, you most likely have high phosphorous levels which also inhibits calcium absorbtion. We get all of our protein and calcium from kale, spinach, molasses, quinoa, almonds, walnuts, sesame seeds (and thus tahini), lentils, beans, brown rice, and everything whole wheat. And we don't have anything (dairy, soda, etc.) inhibiting our absorption. But poor absorption of calcium, as you know, can lead to osteoporosis so it's something to concern yourself with.
Also, dairy (and meat) is high in saturated fats, which leads to high cholesterol, which can lead to heart disease and whatnot...anyway, those are SOME of the reasons to cut out dairy. PLUS you have tons more energy!
Sorry this was so long - I just wanted to comment finally :)...Check out John Robbin's "The Food Revolution" if you're interested in more of the above. It's a great book.
about 2 years ago, I stopped cooking and baking with white sugar altogether. I use raw/turbinado sugar for everything. I also use honey and maple syrup. I also use alot of wheat flour as well. I've noticed a difference it makes not eating a lot of refined foods. Good Luck on your journey to better health! :)
Post a Comment