It seems like every time I turn around lately, I am reading/hearing
about someone who is giving up or has already given up consuming any
sort of refined sugar. I don't ever remember hearing about this before
the last year or so, but now I feel like I hear it all the time. I've
heard of some lately who are giving it up until the New Year (like some
sort of Mormon lent? I don't know.), and some who plan to give it up
for a year. I've even heard of one individual who claims that they have
given it up FOREVER (I'm skeptical on that one).
It's all the rage. Sugar is evil, and giving it up means you will have
more energy, less headaches, better moods, clearer skin, stabilized
blood sugar, have less yo-yo-ing with your weight, etc., etc.
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| Blueberry Lemon Cheesecake Bars | | | | | | | | | | | |
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I'm sure that all of this is true. And no, I'm not being sarcastic.
I'm sure that a diet of no refined sugar is very healthy. People say how great it makes them feel (although I've yet to meet someone who has successfully stayed away from it
completely for more than a month or so). I'm sure that it would technically be better for my health. But I'm not
going for it.
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| Chocolate Tart sprinkled with Sea Salt and Spiced Whipped Cream |
I mean, it really all does seem so noble - sugar does nothing good for
your body.
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| Peach Pie |
And you would think that I would be all over this. I'm an
exercise nut, and have been since I was in high school. I don't
consider myself a health "nut", per se, but I do try to eat very
healthy. I almost never eat fast food. I rarely eat fried food. I
don't binge on things like cheese curls or chips. Heck - I almost never
eat them, period. I don't eat white bread - whole wheat only. I eat
lots of fruits and vegetables (I am that weird person that actually keeps track
of how many I eat throughout the day to make sure that it totals at
least the recommended 5). I drink mostly water and milk (and yes, it's
skim). I only really drink juice in the morning with my breakfast (or
when I have a cold), and the only soda I drink is the occasional SIP of
Lou's.
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| Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownies |
But I'll tell ya - I love me my sugar.
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| Fruit Tarts |
I'm not saying that I'm crazy addicted to it or anything (no, you are
not going to catch me eating sugar packets at a restaurant), but I love
sweets.
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| White Chocolate Pumpkin Cheesecake |
Not ALL sweets, mind you. I can't even remember the last time I
bought cookies from a store (yuck), and grocery store sheet cake makes
me gag. Heck - I'm not even that nuts about box mix cake (think "oil
sponge", because that's what it is - gross). But homemade sweets - oh,
my. Love them.
And candy...
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| My mouth is watering |
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Ooooooh candy...
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| Chocolate Torte with Chocolate Mousse Filling |
And I'm not ready to say adios to any of these things for good. It's not that I can't (it would be hard, but not impossible). It's that I don't want to, and I don't
think that I need to.
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| Pumpkin Roll |
Yes, refined sugar is not good for you. Your
body doesn't need it, and in high doses, it does start to affect you
negatively. I have definitely found myself feeling addicted to it at
times. If I overdo it during the holidays (like Halloween, Easter and
Christmas, when my house is inundated with the stuff), I find myself
wanting it more and more, and end up getting to the point where I wake
up craving it, wanting to dive into the chocolates and cookies before
I've even had breakfast. Not good. Those are the times when I DO give up
sugar for a week or so just to sort of detox, as it were, so I stop
wanting it all the time.
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| Death By Chocolate Cupcake |
So I feel like it's all about moderation. Anything done in excess is
not good. Red meat has all sorts of protein and iron in it, which is
good, but if you eat it twice a day every day, it's NOT a good thing.
Ditto for carbs. Bodies need them for energy. But if we are stuffing
ourselves with them all day, we start to get sluggish (and fat).
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| Raspberry Oatmeal Bars |
When I eat sugary sweets all the time, I want more and more and start
to feel like crap. But if I eat them in moderation, then I don't crave
them all the time, and I don't get all the yucky physical effects of
overindulgence.
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| Sea Salt Caramel Hot Chocolate |
What works best for me it striving to restrict my
sweets to the weekends (it just the easiest way for me to keep
track of/restrict how much I'm eating). There have been exceptions, and
yes, I fall off the "wagon" from time to time, but hey - nobody's
perfect, right?
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| Strawberry Lemon Cheesecake |
But I just can't give them up completely. Because you know what? I
don't drink alcohol or coffee. I don't smoke. I don't do recreational
drugs. Having a piece of cheesecake from time to time, or homemade
cookies (especially at Christmas!) or a steaming mug of delicious hot
chocolate on a cold winter day, or some homemade jam spread on toast
(because yes, jam is made is LOTS of sugar!!) are some of life's simple
pleasures for me. And as long as I don't overdo them, I don't feel that
I need to give them up. And I'm not going to.
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| Lots of Ice Cream |
For those of you who want to go sugar free - go for it. I am skeptical
that anyone can really eliminate it 100% from their diet for life. I
mean, can any of you really imagine pledging to NEVER EVER AGAIN eat a
warm homemade chocolate chip cookie? Or a slice of pumpkin pie at
Thanksgiving? Or a fresh cinnamon roll on a crisp fall morning? Or a
piece of deliciously rich dark chocolate? (think Lindt truffles - mmmm)
Or a creamy ice cream cone on a hot summer day? No way. Not this woman.
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| Good ole' Chocolate Chip Cookies and Milk |
Now please excuse me - I think it's time for me to make a batch of my soft ginger cookies with orange glaze.
Care to join me? ;)
