We made it through Chase’s Meet the Teacher day yesterday with no tears! (Let’s be real, the “no tears” thing was really a victory for me, not Chase.) He was cool as a cucumber and I hope his excitement over school lasts when I actually have to leave him for the first time next week.
Our morning yesterday passed by in a flash of breakfast, a quick workout and a stop by the grocery store to pick out flowers for Chase’s teachers. Thanks to those of you who chimed in on my Monday blog post question about whether or not bringing gifts to teachers at the beginning of the school year is a thing. The consensus: No, it’s not. But remembering teachers on holidays, birthdays, Teacher Appreciation Day, or supplying much-needed items for the classroom throughout the year is very much appreciated.
I still wanted to do a little something, especially since I had a feeling Chase would do better with meeting his teachers if he had something to give them, so I let him pick out flowers for Miss Debbie and Miss Jen and he selected a summery bouquet of daisies.
We arrived around 10:30 a.m. and Chase quietly said hi to his teachers (still no “Miss”) but seemed really excited about giving them flowers! He was way more interested in running past them and checking out the new toys all over the room so we played and met some of the other parents and kids before it was time to head outside.
Chase’s preschool apparently knows how to win over new kids because they had an ice cream truck show up outside of the playground. Chase’s love for ice cream knows no bounds (I wonder where he gets that from?) and he had a death-grip on his vanilla sprinkle cone while he explored and played!
I enjoyed chatting with the other parents and have the best feeling about Chase’s preschool. To be honest, I was having some serious regrets about enrolling him a couple of weeks ago because I truly do love our time together. I really had to force myself to shift my perspective and realize this is something he will love and is beyond ready for this year. Chase is already quite independent and social so I know in my gut beginning preschool will be a great thing for him. Plus, it’s only TWO days a week and he’ll be there for three(ish) hours each day, so it’s not a huge commitment even though it feels like quite a big milestone for me.
On the flip side, I am definitely looking forward to some extra uninterrupted work time and the ability to make various appointments in the morning without having to ask a friend to watch Chase or call a babysitter. I haven’t had that kind of freedom since he was born!
We arrived home from Meet the Teacher a little before noon, ate lunch (well, a snack for me) and did a little dinner prep together before Chase’s naptime.
“Help cook” is one of Chase’s current favorite activities and I’m not complaining one bit. It’s pretty awesome because it allows me to get some dinner prep done while he’s awake and he’s a lot more curious about the foods we’re preparing together which means he’ll often snack on the raw veggies I’m chopping while he “helps.” (And yes, this new activity means our kitchen looks like a disaster almost all day long until we do a big clean after dinner.)
Chase went down for his nap around 1 p.m. and I worked on the computer until I eventually got hungry. Yesterday’s lunch included chopped turkey burger with brown rice, leftover lentils and avocado.
Ninety minutes later, Chase was up again. I feel fortunate that I can usually count on a solid two hour nap from Chase in the afternoon but yesterday he was ready for action a little early, so I switched back into mom mode and texted with a few friends about meeting up for an afternoon play date.
We spent most of the afternoon at Gymboree’s Open Gym with my friends Carrie and Laura and their little ones before heading home to get a crack on dinner.
After being in a good mood all day yesterday, something seemed to flip in Chase around 5 p.m. because all the whines and fussiness he held in all day seemed to surface. When I got a text from Ryan letting me know he’d be home a little later than usual, I made the decision to do Chase’s bath earlier in the evening which seemed to help relax him a tiny bit.
We came downstairs after his bath and finished dinner which was a turkey and veggie skillet that tasted like a weird but delicious version of sloppy joes.
Ryan arrived home around 7 p.m. and after we were done eating together, we made blanket forts and read a book under them before Chase went down for the night a little before 8 p.m.
I’m not sure what it was about yesterday, but I felt 100 percent pooped at the end of the day. I also couldn’t resist digging into ice cream again after dinner while we watched Big Brother and enjoyed every last bite.
And on the subject of ice cream… I have a quick question for anyone out there who might also have a raging sweet tooth: Have you ever done anything to try to eliminate your sugar cravings? I feel like mine are at an all-time high right now and while I’ve never been one to do a detox or anything like that, I know I could benefit from cutting back on sugar (in addition to the ice cream after dinner, I also had ice cream at Chase’s school and chocolate after lunch). Since I know I’m an abstainer not a moderator, I’m kind of curious about doing a no-sugar challenge to try to get my cravings for sweets (specifically refined sugar) under control. If you have one you’d recommend, or if there’s something you’ve done in the past to help with sugar cravings, please let me know! I love fruit and wouldn’t want to give that up, but I know I could benefit from cutting back on refined sugar and think some sort of a not-too-intense challenge could be a good motivator.
I hope you all have a great Thursday and I’ll see ya back here tomorrow for Things I’m Loving Friday!
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I also have a sweet tooth and have a small handful of chocolate chips nearly everyday *and* some type of sweet treat before bed (either a bite of a cookie from a bakery, couple spoonfuls of ice cream, etc.). I noticed that, for me, it’s mental. I won’t abstain from sweets. If I tell myself I can’t have something, it leads to unhealthy behaviors for me. But if I’m finding myself wanting something sweet, I mentally check in with myself to see what the cause is. Am I tired? Am I bored? Am I thirsty? I try to “treat” those causes first, and if I’m still wanting a bite or two of something, I have it. 🙂
I am also an abstainer but I’m married to a moderator (note: he is not a moderator when it comes to Oreos 😉 ) . Over our nearly 3 years of marriage he’s come around to not having certain things in the house which I totally appreciate.
I feel SO MUCH better when I eat less refined sugar, it’s undeniable. What has helped me is to have a goal — one treat a week. On the weekends we’d each pick our “thing” for that week — we’d go to our favorite ice cream place, get a mini pack or Oreos, or pick up a cinnamon roll. So during the week I know my “treat” is coming so I can say “no” to the doughnuts at work, etc. OR if I want to indulge, then I know my weekend treat was “spent”. I feel like the wekend treats are a lot more speical/enjoyable.
I kicked the sugar cravings about 2 years ago after doing a 21-day detox of sorts. It was basically a “safe list” of food I could eat. Protein, healthy fats, veggies, fruit, raw milk, and oats/rice. No refined sugar. It was so painful, and I made it through without cheating. The biggest thing it did was teach me to stop snacking after dinner. I eat dinner, brush my teeth, and declare that the kitchen is “closed.” Now I “cheat” every Saturday night (dinner and dessert) and ice cream and such almost taste too sweet now! I love having Saturday evenings to look forward to, and his has definitely helped me stay on track the rest of the week.
I’m definitely an abstainer not a moderator as well, especially when it comes to sugar. I’ve been feeling like i’m at an all time high lately too and have been feeling so sick whenever I have any, yet still can’t stop it. I’m planning to do a Whole 30 and see if that will give me the accountability that I need (I’m an obliger re: Gretchen Rubin’s 4 Tendencies) and I’m doing it with a good friend of mine. We’re starting in 2 weeks!
Hey Julie!
You should check out Rachael’s Good Eats blog. She does a 7 Day Sugar Detox a few times a year and it’s quite an attainable way to reduce your intake of added sugars. Give it a try!
I’ve done two Whole30s and they have totally kicked my sugar addiction in the past. They’re intense tho- not something easy to integrate. I loved the feeling after those though- no cravings, when I did have chocolate it felt too sweet to me after 30 days abstaining. (My sweet tooth is so killer that I feel like I need 21-30 days to detox it!)
I too have become a sugar addict- mostly due to stress eating sugar. Why is it so good?! But I can feel the negative effects so I’ve been thinking of a detox too. Would love to follow along with whatever you end up doing!
The whole sugar thing is so tricky, I think. I feel like if I totally “abstain” from it, it leads to binges eventually or anxiety around eating. I hate that. It also is such a cramp on social life. It is life-giving to share a treat with my daughter or with friends.
I second another commenter who mentioned checking in mentally and emotionally about where my stress, emotions, boredom are at before eating sugary things. For me, sugar is totally comfort (which I think is fine and normal) but sometimes what I am really craving is a good conversation, a walk, a good book, journaling, or some other self-care behavior. That has been the most helpful lately for me. I haven’t put sugar totally “off limits” but I do try to think a little bit before digging in 🙂
This isn’t anything fancy, but when my sugar cravings are bad I try snacking on frozen or really cold grapes (so refreshing!), or a banana with PB and sprinkled with a few dark chocolate chips. It’s def no bowl of ice cream, but feels like an indulgence after sticking with it for a few days! I also love your banana soft serve. If the bananas are ripe enough I don’t even add any honey/sweetener.
it only takes a week and you only have to give up sugar cane and h.f. corn syrup products. you can eat all the fruit and agave you want, just stay away from sugar cane and h.f.c.s. on the glycemic scale, sugar cane is a 100 and the next highest is agave at 50, if that tells you anything. fruit sugar is in the low teens. plus, the bacteria in your gut that want you to eat the sugar (yes, that’s where the craving is actually coming from, not you) don’t really care for agave or other sugars. they want the good stuff and they’ll kick and scream the whole way down, but about a week and they’re all dead, no more cravings. you’ll be amazed at your energy levels. i gave up sugar last summer and haven’t looked back. BEWARE, sugar is in EVERYTHING, especially sauces. dining out is hard, but if you get away from it long enough, the thought of having any will be unappealing. it seems impossible, but i promise it gets easier and is so worth the temporary unpleasantness. more and more evidence shows us sugar is at least as bad for our bodies and minds as cocaine if not worse, especially considering the amounts we consume. good luck! it’s worth it! xox
OH! i almost forgot, coconut bliss is an ice cream brand that offers many options that are cane sugar free, only agave or fruit sugar. my favorite is the ginger caramel cookie, omg. some of them do have cane sugar, so watch out, but you can definitely still get your ice cream fix without the poison. it’s unbelievably creamy, pinky swear.
With all due respect, you might want to check your science when you’re talking about glycemic index as some of your statements are untrue.
please enlighten me
The more I indulge in sweets the more I crave them. When it starts to get out of control, I substitute sweet treats with fruit and the cravings subside.
I know nothing of sugar moderation, but I wanted to suggest you try Halo Top ice cream to healthify your ice cream habit. My husband and I switched to Halo Top and they are so delicious! They have a bunch of great flavors, but our favorites are Pistachio & Red Velvet. Publix and Walmart (much cheaper at Walmart – only 3.88 to 5.99 elsewhere!) seem to have the best selections if you’re looking!
I find it most helpful to give up added sugars for a given time 3 weeks usually does it for me!
I haven’t done it but my friends have raved about Diane Sanfilippo’s 21-Day Sugar Detox. Hope this helps!
I’m also very interested in cutting back on my added sugar intake. Dove promises were on sale (2 for 1!!) the other day so I bought dark chocolate ones as my after dinner snack. It’s helped knowing that I get my one piece of chocolate after dinner and that’s all. I’ve seen containers that only let you unlock every so often (12 or 24 hours) and sometimes I think those would help too!
I need to do a little sugar control over here too. I am definitely not a moderator either. Once I have chocolate after dinner at night.. I continually crave it for the next few nights too. I also am pretty bad at portion control too. 🙂 PS Chase is soo cute!
This doesn’t work for everyone, but I’ve had some success with pre-scheduling treats. I know it sounds kind of dull and restrictive, but it helps me mentally to know that I still get to have whatever treat I want, just not WHENEVER I want, which turns into twice a day! So I’ll usually schedule one treat each weekend, and one treat during the week. It’s usually something like going out for ice cream on a saturday afternoon, or picking up a slice of pie from a bakery on my way home, to enjoy after dinner. If I don’t have a scheduled treat in mind, I’m way more likely to eat cookies or donuts in the office break-room because I feel like, “oh I deserve to have a treat here and there, no big deal” but then it ends up being every day or twice a day! Sugar cravings are super hard for me and an ongoing struggle so I feel you. (If you are what you eat, I’m basically 80% sugar haha).
This works really well for me too, being a huge planner by nature.
I have a major sweet tooth, and share your love for ice cream…let’s get the ice cream review blog started!
Whenever I want to “cut back” on my sugar intact, specifically post dinner ice cream, I make a point to ask myself if I am truly hungry, or just eating ice cream out of habit? I’ll drink some water, make tea, and wait 20 minutes. If I’m still hungry, I’ll eat an apple with nut butter. It’s filling and sweet but more natural. That being said, I’ll never give up ice cream, but I try to only eat it when I really want it! Eating it every day almost makes me enjoy it less. Hope that helps!
I used to have a huge sweet tooth. the past 2 years we’ve given up sweets as a family for Lent. It was the idea of my husband and kids. I reluctantly went along with it. After, I realized how many sweets I did eat and I also rarely crave sweets after doing this twice.
I am NOT an abstainer and the thought of completely getting rid of sweets made me really sad (although I did a Whole30 once that was life-changing and once-in-a-liftetime since I feel I learned what I needed and do not need to repeat). A Whole30 can be a little extreme for “just looking to get cravings under control” in my opinion. I have been doing Fab4 smoothies every morning from Kelly LeVeque’s website (learned about from Gina @ Fitnessista) and oh my gosh have they helped get control of my eating during the day! As someone already following a loose paleo/real food lifestyle, I didn’t realize how much work I still had to do on balancing my blood sugar. I have had a smoothie every single day since! Not only do I not snack, but there’s a lot to be said for having a good habit that then helps you build others (another Gretchen Ruben lesson!) I DEF recommend checking out!
http://bewellbykelly.com/bewellfabfour/
http://bewellbykelly.com/bewellsmoothie/
Aww! I love that you had Chase pick out flowers to give to his teachers, if I were one of his teachers I would have been so touched! That is so sweet! I am so glad meet the teacher day went well! Having the ice cream truck show up outside the playground is awesome!! I wish we had that at every school I taught at! I am not a big sugar person, just natural sugar from fruits!! (I love fruit!) I hope you have a great Thursday, Julie!! Xoxo
i also have a massive sweet tooth for ice cream and chocolate. and let’s not pretend that i won’t sit on the couch and eat frosting from the container with my finger… or spread cookie butter on oreos… but i have found that simply eating COLD fruit helps the sugar craving. a friend of mine asked if i would do whole 30 with her for the month of september, so ill see how that helps with the sugar!
As a nutritional therapy student (graduating in November), I can tell you if you’re craving chocolate that is a common sign of having a magnesium deficiency. Craving sweets in general, is a sign of blood sugar dysregulation, a B vitamin deficiency, an overgrowth of yeast in the digestive tract, deficit went in HCl (stomach acid) and/or pancreatic enzymes, and possibly some hidden food allergies. Sugar increases out needs for B vitamins and Vitamin C. The adrenals also respond to sugar by putting out cortisolC which can lead to mineral deficiencies (see magnesium) by causing the body to dump minerals.
I would definitely look into a 21 day sugar detox (diane sanfilipo) is a great one. I’d also explore looking into seeing a certified Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, if there aren’t any in your area, many I know do 1:1 online consulting as well.
I did Whole30 in January and my sugar cravings almost went away completely! I find myself craving sugar during stressful times. I listened to a podcast called “Colorful Eats” on cravings- it really explains why that is and what you can do well!
I hope you don’t take this offensively but this post struck me a bit tone deaf. Lots of your readers, myself Included, have been leaving their kids as infants all day everyday at daycare. You are very privileged to be sending chase away for a grand total of 6 hours a week, still 3 hours less than my kids spend at daycare in one day.
Aw, it is so hard to let go of your little one to start schooling but Chase is going to love it so much, I can tell!
I think that the guidelines for avoiding added sugar in the Whole30 diet are pretty good, as you basically are only allowed natural sugars found in fruit. You probably don’t need to do the entire Whole30 but if you’re trying to avoid added sugar, the rules are very clear sugar-wise. (I’m an abstainer, too, so I definitely understand what you mean!)
I’m absolutely an abstainer as well. I know you said you love fruit and i LOVE fruit, too. Buuuuut, if you’re willing to give it a go, I highly recommend Sarah Wilson’s, “I Quit Sugar”. It’s a 12-week ‘abstain from fructose’ program. I’m a biologist by education (although not by career!) and I buy into the science behind the addictive nature of fructose. I am also very anti-abstaining in total from any food forever. However, as a reset, I found great success with I Quit Sugar. And I only read up on it and followed the program myself without paying any money. However, I know a couple of people who really appreciated all of the recipes/support you get from paying and officially joining the program. Sarah Wilson’s cookbooks are great, too. I was seriously skeptical, but I now am back on fruit (not as much as I used to) and sweets as treats and socially, but truly do feel less addicted to sugar (I’m also a total ice cream fanatic and feel I cannot have it in my freezer or it’s immediately on my lips/hips!). If you try it, I’d love to hear what you think! Good luck!
Honestly, I have had pretty good luck by cutting back on carbs in general. I started cutting back to 2 servings of starch a day (spread out depending on how I feel) and adding more protein, fiber & fat, and I really crave sugar less! I’m still tweaking because if I cut back too much I start craving sugar again, but overall it’s working well. I recommend reading Body Love by Kelly LeVeque – that’s what I’m following for the most part.
I’m an abstainer, too. I think trying to cut down to eating sugar once a day when you think you “need” it for a couple days and then to cut it out completely for awhile (until you feel like you’re no longer craving it all. The. Time.) is the way I’d do it. I sometimes need to pull
The reins in on myself with this. I’ve noticed sugar kicks my anxiety up a notch – so feeling calmer is my main motivation. Also – sometimes when I’m craving chocolate I’ll take a big drink of ice cold water and it helps a little.
I’m a huge sweet tooth too, but in my opinion life is about finding that balance between food, exercise and enjoyment. You seem like you’ve got a great balance going on so I wouldn’t worry too much.
What about trying to only have ice cream on weekends? My husband and I used to eat dark chocolate every night, but now we’ve switched to only eating it on the weekends and it’s now become a habit, and I don’t even think of it on weekdays.
Hi Julie
After doing a whole30 I realized how the sugar dragon can really impact your eating/cravings. It was an eye opener and huge game changer. Check it out-really simple. Have. a great day!
Yes – Whole30 was the best way for me to realize how much I depended on sugar, and then how much I didn’t need it when I cut it out.
You DO NOT need to detox. Your body does that by itself. Usually, if you are craving salty or swwet, there may be something missing nutritionally. The Real Life RD blog and immaeatthat explain it pretty well, but I couldn’t find a specific link for you to a specific post.
COMPLETELY agree with the Real Life RD. I know many times, when live is difficult and unpromising, we can want to feel in control of things and often times this is when focusing on changes in our food and body. You seem balanced and there are seasons when food is used for comfort and that is okay! Instead of trying to get rid of your sugar intake, I encourage you to sit with and accept the feelings that may have you craving the sugar for comfort in this difficult time.
Honestly, I think you’re so right about me leaning into sugar right now because my emotions are still very much all over the place. Thank you for this perspective.
Check out Dr.Robert Morse on youtube
Hi Julie! Long time reader, first time commenting. I 100% agree with the readers who suggested the Real Life RD and immeatthat. They take the non-diet and Intuitive Eating approach to nutrition and health. They are both very smart and knowledgeable in their field. They are also both tremendously relatable. I found one blog post where one of them talks about sugar. The whole post is geared towards educating others on all the incorrect things they may have heard about “Intuitive Eating,” but the part on sugar may be helpful to you. Hope this helps! And honestly, you are one of my favorite health, food, and mommy bloggers. Don’t change a thing- You are fantastic!
http://immaeatthat.com/2017/05/02/intuitive-eating-haters/
Ahh if you find any good suggestions please share!! I’m in the same boat- I love my sweets and never want to give them up for good but lately I’ve been “needing” sugar after every meal (yes even breakfast sometimes) and I’ve got to reign it in!
I’m a big fan of doing a Daniel’s Fast 1-2 times a year. It helps me get the focus off of food and into my prayer life.
I strongly encourage Daniel’s Fast too.
I also feel like you have a good balance and look amazing, so why mess with it! However- I’ll totally join you on your sugar clean up/detox because I have a serious problem after dinner and need all the motivation I can get to do something about it!
I brush my teeth after dinner. Then I don’t feel like eating with my clean teeth. 🙂
Whole 30!!! I’ve done it several times to tame my sugar dragon, and you can still eat fruit! I love that it’s only 30 days because it doesn’t feel like a “diet”…more like a “reset.” And it always helps with my digestion, skin, energy level, and hormone balance!
I’m an abstainer as well. I have a raging sweet tooth. I did the advocare 24 day challenge a few months ago to lose the baby weight finally. I did it but I still craved sugar throughout it. I recently read that sometimes sugar cravings are due to a candida overgrowth in the digestive tract and to start a probiotic. It may be placebo but I actually don’t find myself craving sugar like I was since starting. I still eat it and love it but I can actually eat it in moderation and not after every meal without feeling deprived.
I also have a problem with sugar. I’ve done this twice and have felt SO much better. I need to do it again! I just completely cut out any refined sugar. It is in EVERYTHING. The first week was ROUGH but so worth it!
Hi Julie! This sounds like a great day, I am sure Chase will have lots of fun once he really starts preschool! Mine started when he was only one, and he learned sooo quickly so many things from just watching older kids! So a very fun times are ahead!:) About the raging sweet tooth, the ONLY thing that’s helping mine is to increase the good fats a bit, and use them as a base for snacks. Fats are very satiating, and over time, really lead to less sugar cravings, as they balance out the blood sugar as well. I love coconut fat balls by Lee from America, or any other similar to them. When I am in a rush, I will just blitz some coconut flakes, almond, flaxseed in my coffee grinder (handy little thing!), and add a touch of coconut milk or honey (or stevia). It is really simple,soo yummy, and kills the sugar craving! Also, have you tried Triple Licorice tea by Pukka Herbs? It is sooo sweet, like a sweet powder, so I will have that often after lunch. Hope this helps!! :))
I struggle with sugar cravings when my hormones are different/out of whack and/or if I’m not eating enough during the day.
Hormones are (mostly) outside our control (I’m 4 weeks post partum from a surrogate pregnancy), but maybe do a check in as to how much you’re taking in during the day for healthy carbs, protein and fat.
I love how intuitive and balanced you are, so I’d hate for you to lose that, but maybe a short reset with tracking your macros (which would also ensure that you’re getting enough) might be helpful?
Lightly sweetened tea also helps me post meal.
Julie – I actually find that putting cinnamon on my icecream (actually gives it a nice flavor!) or on my fruit makes a HUGE difference. Cinnamon helps to control blood glucose levels and helps to minimize the spike of insulin which is super helpful especially if you are eating something with sugar! If the taste of cinnamon on some of your favorite sweet treats does not sound appealing, you can actually try cinnamon tea! Especially if a craving hits 🙂
Anyway, it worked for me in the past so may be worth a try too!
The whole 30 is a great tool. You already eat pretty close to it anyway.
I also have a raging sweet tooth that can get out of hand (sweets after every single meal) and it definitely helps me to cut out sweet treats for about a week or two to get a handle on my cravings. I think it becomes a habit for me to eat something sweet after a meal and when I take a break from doing that I realize I don’t actually need or want so many sweets. At first it seems really hard to abstain from sweets then after a couple days I kind of forget about it. That’s just what works for me!
I find that when I crave sugar I am usually thirsty … I am not a believer in detoxes as your body does that for you.
If I am dying for sweet I usually make a chai tea or chai tea latte as the cinnamon tricks me into thinking I have sugar in me.
Now as for school … I have friends who spend THOUSANDS of dollars on school supplies (okay, kindergarten on up not preschool!)
I would ASK THE TEACH WHAT THEY NEED … I tend to hit Staples when they have their insane back to school sales (10 cent pencils and pens, 17 cent binders and paper) and take it to school as a lot of teachers have to make up the difference to their kids who canto afford supplies on their own.
If I have dessert in the house, I eat it. Even if I don’t eat it every night, knowing it’s there is a huge temptation for me and going to bed without eating any of it feels like a daily struggle. When I’m really trying to reign it in, I stop buying it! That means no chocolate (not even chocolate chips!) and no ice cream. This is the only thing that seems to work for me, because apparently I have no self-control. I don’t do this all the time – I love dessert! – but it does work when I’m trying to cut down on my sugar intake. For me, once I have a little sugar I want more and more, and more, so it’s a slippery slope!
Hey Julie, I think you live a pretty balance healthy lifestyle (from what you post)-eating healthy, working out. I have a big sweet tooth as well but have cut back on sugar. sugar is like a drug and our bodies crave it if we feed it on a daily basis. When we cut sugar from our diet our bodies go “in shock”. So you might get a headache or other symptoms for almost a week. Kind of like cutting caffeine. I say if you eat sugar/sweets on a daily basis cut it down so you only have it on the weekends, or once a week. I did a clean eating program (with my Health and wellness business) and you eliminate sugar for 28 days. The first time I did this I thought it was going to be impossible. But I did it. My body doesn’t crave sweets anymore. Yes, I still have Nuberri or ice cream every once and awhile – probably like once or twice a month. *Ice cream is my weakness too!!
I think fruit is fine to eat because it is a real/whole food. Stay away from the more sugary fruits if you want to cut that out.
But don’t be too hard on yourself 🙂
I almost never comment but I have experience with detoxing, elimination diets, etc. I’ve tried a lot of different things with my diet. I actually think it’s fun… weird, I know 🙂 As far as sugar is concerned my husband and I did the 10 day sugar detox diet by dr. Mark Hyman. It was hard at first. You really feel like you are withdrawing from a drug! Then when you done sugary things you normally ate taste crazy sweet/rich! Very helpful and eye opening experience.
So, I have found that i don’t eat as much sugar anymore. I don’t know if its because I don’t put sugar in my coffee anymore in the am. Maybe try that and see if that helps!
Last year my husband and I decided to cut out sugar for a month and it helped so much! We didn’t eat anything with refined sugar and for the first couple weeks we didn’t have anything with honey, agave, etc either. Even just being super strict with it for two weeks was enough to help, I found that a couple dates were enough to satisfy a sugar craving. While we definitely have sugar in our diets now, my tastebuds have changed and a lot of junk food and sweets that I used to love are now way too sweet for me, so I rely on homemade versions that have less sugar in them.
Hello, I followed the book The Sugar Detox by nutritionist Brooke Alpert. She also wrote an article for CNN which outlines details about the plan which you can download for free. What I like about this plan is it was not overly restrictive and I felt it was realistic, healthy, and balanced. It starts with a 3 day reset without sugars, then over four weeks you gradually add back fruit, etc. At the end, desserts twice are week fine. Great recipes, too. This plan really worked wonders for me.
Thank you for sharing so much information about good health with everyone.
My husband and I did a no sugar challenge back in May for 2 weeks. We cut out all added and refined sugar (even honey and other natural sugars). We did allow ourselves to eat fruit during the challenge. It was tough but I’m glad we did it. I have a massive sweet tooth and I still go through times where I crave it and eat it more than others but I am definitely more aware of things that have sugar in them and try to have lower sugar or no sugar options on hand.