The Sweet Life
Day three of the detox! It’s getting easier – I’ve been making smoothies, cooking up soups, and I’ve given up on the juice. It’s just not filling to me. And I’ve been enjoying my dates.
Going into this detox, I thought it would be a great way to sort of cleanse and prepare for the month ahead. I rarely drink coffee so I knew not having caffeine wouldn’t be hard, and since I’m vegan giving up meat or dairy wasn’t an issue. Sure, I don’t normally start my day with liquids, but I’ve actually been enjoying the smoothies, and once I bought some almond butter, snacks have been fine, too. And I was excited about devoting four days to yoga.
What I have learned since eating this way, with so many rules and regulations, is just how much I crave sugar.
Boy oh boy, do I crave sugar!
I guess I knew that I ate some candy or chocolate after every meal, but I didn’t really think about it until those foods became “forbidden.” Candy is my friend, and I love it all – gumdrops, licorice, taffy, necco wafers. You name it, if it’s sugar-based I probably enjoy it. Now, I know all this sugar isn’t good for me and I do try to limit it to one or two pieces after a meal, but still – it’s there and I eat it.
Since I can’t have my candy, these last few days have found me reaching for dried fruits – dates, apricots, even raisins. Hey, it’s nature’s candy, right? Part of me wants to think: It’s fruit! That means it’s good for me: Go ahead and eat all you want. But the other part of me thinks maybe I should try to examine this whole “needing” sweets thing.
So I’ve been sitting here thinking about what to do about that. Obviously eating sweet things isn’t bad for us, and I don’t think I need to give it all up. But I do think I should probably try to be more mindful about eating – to REALIZE I’m having a treat and to enjoy it rather than mindlessly grabbing a few pieces of candy corn after I finish my lunch. And frankly, it probably wouldn’t be a bad idea to avoid all that high fructose corn syrup. (I’m a big fan of Dr. Andrew Weil, and he hates the stuff.)
I’ve decided I’m going to try to make January a candy-free month. I’m not going to stop enjoying sweet treats, but I’m going to try to make those treats a little more of an indulgence. Some dried apricots with dark chocolate, figs cooked in red wine (delicious!), baked apples, or even homemade cookies, something I can actually sit down and enjoy rather than pop from a box while I’m running out the door. Not that I couldn’t do that with cookies, but I think I’m much less likely too.
Going into this detox, I thought it would be a great way to sort of cleanse and prepare for the month ahead. I rarely drink coffee so I knew not having caffeine wouldn’t be hard, and since I’m vegan giving up meat or dairy wasn’t an issue. Sure, I don’t normally start my day with liquids, but I’ve actually been enjoying the smoothies, and once I bought some almond butter, snacks have been fine, too. And I was excited about devoting four days to yoga.
What I have learned since eating this way, with so many rules and regulations, is just how much I crave sugar.
Boy oh boy, do I crave sugar!
I guess I knew that I ate some candy or chocolate after every meal, but I didn’t really think about it until those foods became “forbidden.” Candy is my friend, and I love it all – gumdrops, licorice, taffy, necco wafers. You name it, if it’s sugar-based I probably enjoy it. Now, I know all this sugar isn’t good for me and I do try to limit it to one or two pieces after a meal, but still – it’s there and I eat it.
Since I can’t have my candy, these last few days have found me reaching for dried fruits – dates, apricots, even raisins. Hey, it’s nature’s candy, right? Part of me wants to think: It’s fruit! That means it’s good for me: Go ahead and eat all you want. But the other part of me thinks maybe I should try to examine this whole “needing” sweets thing.
So I’ve been sitting here thinking about what to do about that. Obviously eating sweet things isn’t bad for us, and I don’t think I need to give it all up. But I do think I should probably try to be more mindful about eating – to REALIZE I’m having a treat and to enjoy it rather than mindlessly grabbing a few pieces of candy corn after I finish my lunch. And frankly, it probably wouldn’t be a bad idea to avoid all that high fructose corn syrup. (I’m a big fan of Dr. Andrew Weil, and he hates the stuff.)
I’ve decided I’m going to try to make January a candy-free month. I’m not going to stop enjoying sweet treats, but I’m going to try to make those treats a little more of an indulgence. Some dried apricots with dark chocolate, figs cooked in red wine (delicious!), baked apples, or even homemade cookies, something I can actually sit down and enjoy rather than pop from a box while I’m running out the door. Not that I couldn’t do that with cookies, but I think I’m much less likely too.
Comment
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Comment by Adell Artemis on January 7, 2010 at 1:04am -
I'm a sugar addict aswell! I learned to stop beating myself up about craving sugar after a meal. I think for me, the simple sugars in say, fruits, help me to digest my meal. I make sure to stick to non-refined sugars in small amounts and then I can feel good about it!
My husband and I resolved this year to not buy any goodies like chips or candies. Like you, Leah, we thought if we put a bit of work between the goodies and us (like baking) that we would indulge less often and appreciate more.
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Comment by Heather on January 6, 2010 at 9:23pm -
Like you, I am a sweets lover. I've officially cut out anything with actual sugar/evaporated cane juice/corn syrup/etc in it. Instead, I use natural sugars--dried fruits (dates are my favorite! Larabars are my new candy bar), maple syrup, agave nectar, local raw honey, etc. But still, that NEED for something sweet is definitely some kind of addiction. Still trying to figure it all out too, but good luck to you!
I think I found this in Body&Soul a year or ago, but dried apricots dipped in dark chocolate and crusted pistachos? AMAZING. It's become one of my new favorites. Actually, any dried fruit dipped in dark chocolate is perfect.
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Comment by Julie Sargent on January 6, 2010 at 7:53pm -
Great points on making sweets an indulgence to be savored. That recipe for figs cooked in red wine looks amazing!
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