I want to share a bit about my addiction to sugar.  If I can drastically cut my sugar intake, you CAN too!

I don’t remember eating huge gobs of sugar as a child, as a young adult that changed.  In college my friends knew where to go if that needed a sugar fix.  I was the one with the giant jar of candy.  By then end of my college years I had found a new love, OREOS with peanut butter.  I started my day this way.  I was not overweight and it was just two cookies so I saw no problem with it. By adding the peanut butter I was getting my protein in so it seemed like a good idea.

This was just the beginning of my addiction to sugar.  When I had kids things only got worse.  I was a stay at home mom and little sweet treats were a reward, not only for the kids but for me too.  When I got the kids down for a nap I would sneak into the pantry to retrieve the long awaited prize- a cookie, a brownie, or a small candy bar.  Often this was paired with a Coke or an iced coffee.  I told myself things like, “It has been a LONG morning, I earned this!”  The problem, I told myself this everyday.

I now looked for a sweet something after every single meal.  I was reasonably thin so it didn’t seem like a big dietary problem.  I was a runner and would joke that I ran so that I could eat sweets.  On occasion I would read something that talked about how bad sugar is for you.  This lead me to switch to Diet Coke.  If I was feeling brave and ambitious, I would try to limit my sugar (cookies and candy) only to reward myself at the end of the night with dessert.

Lyme was not my wake-up call, Candida was and now I thank God for it.  My eating and drinking habits look drastically different now.  I will post more about this in the future.  Here are the cliffsnotes on the role sugar has in my life now.

• Candy, cookies, desserts are out.  White sugar is out!  On a very rare occasion I will make a special dessert for myself.  These items are usually sweetened with honey.  (I will post recipes or links in the future.)
• I read every label.  If sugar is one of the first five ingredients then I don’t eat it.
• I no longer drink sugary drinks.  Soda has been replaced by sparkling water.  Tea and coffee are unsweetened.  On occasion I enjoy a glass of wine and it is WONDERFUL!  It is also a real treat!  I have swapped out alcoholic drinks for Kombucha (more on this later).
• I now enjoy fruit…like really enjoy it!  I generally stick to berries and fruits that are lower in natural sugars.

Trust me, if I can do this, YOU CAN DO THIS!