This week is the start of the No Sugar challenge for my husband and me. It has only been a few days but I am already learning so much, including how to deal with the sadness of having no added sugar, because there is added sugar in EVERYTHING.
Veggies straws? Sugar. Crackers? Sugar. CRAISINS?! Sugar. SO. SAD. Even SPAM has sugar!
Why did I decide to do this? Part of it, as I explained in a previous entry, was that I am finished with nursing my youngest son and want to give my body a bit of a \”reset.\” Keeping up with the caloric intake required eating extra food, which usually came in the form of junky, sugary stuffs, and now I crave these all the time.
Another part had to do with the fact that I want to learn to be a better steward of my body, this resource and gift that I\’ve been given, in order to worship with my whole self, as well as increase my capacity to love God and love people better.
But why Sugar?
Sugar isn\’t inherently a bad thing. It occurs naturally in all kinds of foods, fruits and vegetables. However, an overabundance of foods with added sugars (meaning, sugar that is not naturally occurring in the food you\’re eating) can increase your risk of type 2 diabetes, obesity, and other health complications (This is a serious level of simplifying what actually happens, so I\’ll leave some articles and websites below if you\’re looking to researching the mechanisms behind this).
I also happen to work at an integrative cancer clinic, and one of the things we stress to our patients is the importance of maintaining a healthy diet throughout their cancer journey, especially through chemo. So, we recommend to our patients that they eat fewer simple and added sugars, and replace them with healthier, heartier sources of energy. I\’ve seen that our patients are overall healthier and more active, with fewer complications and comorbid conditions. If ever I were to have a health complication or some kind of accident, I would want my body to have the resources and flexibility to get me through whatever challenge it needs to, as well as hopefully give me room to deal with whatever I had to deal with and still be present for the people I love.
SO, although we haven\’t been doing this diet for very long, if all of the above appeals to you, here are a 5 tips if you’re thinking about decreasing the amount of sugar in your life:
- Do a little bit of research beforehand.
We regularly eat breakfast sandwiches in the morning, so we looked up sugar-free bread, replacing our usual Sara Lee Honey Wheat with Ezekiel bread (the texture takes some getting used to). We researched easy recipes so we don\’t get too overwhelmed with food prep. Don\’t assume you know what does or doesn\’t have sugar added. Look things up. Google is your friend. - Find at least 1 restaurant that offers sugar free meals.
I have 2 young kids, and as much as I try, there are some days when it is just hard to do life. Feeding everyone can be such a struggle. So my husband and I brainstormed and thought of a Mediterranean place near us for emergencies on those days that cooking and thinking through a meal is hard. - Do this challenge with someone. Find an accountability partner.
Having my husband to do this with has been hilarious and helpful. It helps me to have someone I can discuss and troubleshoot with. He\’s also not in healthcare, nor has he done this before, so it\’s nice to have someone to fail with too!
I\’ve also had a few friends reach out to me to say they\’d be interested in trying something like this in future, and it\’s great to have people to complain to on days when it\’s hard! I\’ve even received a few snack recommendations to try out. As with many of life\’s challenges, having community to walk alongside with can be tremendously helpful. - Replace the unhealthy options with healthy versions.
Are there ways you can replace some of your usual foods with healthier options? It can start small. I crave chocolate, candy, cake, cupcakes, you name it. So I\’ve surrounded myself with alternatives like dried fruit, RXBARs, Lacroix, sweet potato chips, etc. so that when I reach out for a snack, at the very least, it\’s a more nutrient dense option. It doesn\’t mean the alternatives are all that healthy necessarily, but do your best to do your best! - Read the ingredients list!
Super simple, so annoying, but it helps so much. I\’ve been surprised by how many of the things I have around me that I thought were fine have contained added sugars. I\’ve had to put down so many packages while grocery shopping or looking for snacks in my own home.
And just remember, you don\’t have to be perfect from the get-go. Something that has helped me in pursuing a healthier mindset is infusing my life with a gospel mindset, which is full of grace. The struggle to be physically healthy is just a piece of what it means to struggle with and against sin. Whether it is because of unhealthy living or because we struggle with body image, many of us see our physical bodies as shameful things. However, if we believe that God can work in this part of our lives, we hope instead to see that these bodies we have are His creation. Sin may have broken a few things, but He can use them in ways we might not be able to see just yet. So we steward and nurture our bodies as well as we know how, as well as we can, knowing that we will not be perfect, but God is able to use these hands and feet in ways we have not yet imagined. And for the few things we know we can do, we can nurture our ability to do those things well.
Resources
I need to learn how to cite, which is another project. But until I learn to do it properly, I will at least do it improperly so that at the very least, I can honor those who have done the actual research. So here are some resources to read or look into. If I find more, I will update this post:
Sugar and cancer risk:
Chapter 18: Glycemia: Breaking Cancer\’s Sugar Addiction, in Life Over Cancer, by Keith Block
https://www.dana-farber.org/for-patients-and-families/care-and-treatment/support-services-and-amenities/nutrition-services/faqs/sugar-and-cancer/
On sugar as a possible addictive substance:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2235907/
On Sugar and Health:
https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/the-sweet-danger-of-sugar