Whole Parenting Family

Whole Parenting NoSugar30: join the no sugar resolve gang

No Sugar 30

I really love sugar. I mean, come on, my mom is an amazing baker. It’s always around: the fudge, the caramels, the cookies, the chocolate cake.

Feast your eyes on THAT:

cake countsSigh.

Wiping my mouth off.

Okay, so after finding myself eating stale marshmallows in the pantry in the dark (they weren’t even close to good), I think I hit my sugar bottom. This desire to eradicate unhealthy sugar from my diet is also largely informed by new science indicating your gut bacteria have a big influence on what you crave.

Read the full article here, but my layperson’s takeaway is that when you eat a lot of a particular food (in my case, sugar), your gut bacteria is populated with sugar-bacteria. If that reigns supreme, it tells your brain to eat more sugar and fewer peas, or what have you. I always felt like I just didn’t have adequate self-control when it came to eating copious nibbles (equally one huge bite) of brownies. Now I know it is part brain//part gut.

To repopulate my gut with good-food desiring bacteria, I have to feed it that.

Join my Facebook group. We are almost 100 strong!

Follow our Pinterest Board.

Be in community where we’re sharing what we’re eating, what substitutes we’re finding for the sugar-laced salad dressings, breads, yogurts, and ordinary parts of our food world that have been overtaken by sugar.

On a practical level, we know how bad sugar is for you. And yet, five days into this and I am humbled by how badly I want it. How many ways I can justify having it in my mind. And how having a group who I know is suffering these same cravings and hardships has helped steady my resolve. Sugar, I’m kicking you out!

A few tips that appear to be helping the group:

1. water.

So often when I want to snack, I’m really dehydrated.

Mine: the Klean Kanteen:

Do you like wide mouth or narrow? Straw or sippy? Or a plain ole mason jar?

2. identify your weaknesses and get away from that food.

Afternoons are a weak time for me. A few pieces of chocolate, a bowl of cereal that has organic cane juice (sugar!), and yet, I’m never satisfied. Appetite squelched for dinner but I’m craving ice cream after the kids fall asleep.

3. substitute for when you have intense cravings, or for when you usually consume the sugar.

I read a great book called the The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business last year. Highly recommend it. It talked about breaking a cycle and needing a place holder.

I’m drinking this tea instead of cocoa.

I’m eating nuts and dried fruit instead of fudge snacks. Also, FRUIT LEATHER!!

I don’t have a substitute for my late night ice cream. Suggestions??

4. read the labels and make your own or redo your shopping list.

salad dressings? yogurt? bread? yup yup yup. More on these on my Week Eats column tomorrow.

5. offer it up for a particular person.

One sweet girlfriend made this suggestion and I’m offering up my sugar cravings for the next 30 days for a very special intention near & dear to my heart.

Come & suffer with us!

 

17 Comments

  1. Mary on January 9, 2015 at 6:10 am

    This is so good. I have yet to do it…I probably should but the motivation is just not there. Yet. I do have to make a three day food log for my midwife and even that has been hard but very necessary! Accountability is so good.

    BTW, there is a hilarious spelling funny in your paragraph about the bacteria 🙂 Who knew those could be a good brownie measurement?!?!



    • Natural Mama Nell on January 9, 2015 at 7:37 am

      HAHAHA just fixed it!!! 🙂 XXOO



  2. Erica Saint on January 9, 2015 at 7:59 am

    I love the Facebook group. There is so much useful information and friendly support there! 🙂



    • Natural Mama Nell on January 9, 2015 at 1:04 pm

      I’m so glad! We cannot do this alone 🙂



  3. Laura M. on January 9, 2015 at 8:16 am

    My late night sweet craving substitute is a small glass of milk with ovaltine. I have no idea if ovaltine is whole30 kosher, but it’s helped satisfy my snacking wants.



    • Natural Mama Nell on January 9, 2015 at 1:03 pm

      Whatever it is you gotta do, you gotta do 🙂



  4. Adrienne on January 9, 2015 at 8:41 am

    My ice cream substitute is partially defrosted berries with a little cream on top. The cream kind of freezes so you still get the cold-creamy-sweet fix without added sugar. I can live with that.



    • Natural Mama Nell on January 9, 2015 at 1:03 pm

      YUM! I am totally doing this. THANK YOU!



  5. Amy @ Motherhood and Miscellany on January 9, 2015 at 2:54 pm

    I don’t think there is any late night substitute for ice cream 🙁

    But I will suffer with you!!



    • Natural Mama Nell on January 9, 2015 at 4:19 pm

      Waaaaaaaaa. But glad you are with us!



  6. Erika B on January 10, 2015 at 5:13 am

    Try this for ice cream substitute. Blend 2 small frozen bananas with A t ablespoon or a bit more of almond butter. Tastes like ice cream. No joke.



    • Natural Mama Nell on January 10, 2015 at 9:01 am

      YUM! Great idea.



  7. Erika B on January 10, 2015 at 9:05 am

    You should try two small frozen bananas blended with a table spoon or a little more of almond butter. Tastes like ice cream I swear.



  8. Erika B on January 10, 2015 at 9:06 am

    Ha I thought my comment didn’t post earlier. I’m such a goof.



    • Natural Mama Nell on January 10, 2015 at 9:30 am

      That’s okay! 🙂



  9. Katie B on January 11, 2015 at 7:27 pm

    My husband bought me this for Xmas and it has changed my water drinking life! I used to drink a lot of water but this has brought it to a whole new level! http://m.target.com/p/aladdin-plastic-mason-jar-tumbler-32-oz/-/A-15257361



    • Natural Mama Nell on January 12, 2015 at 11:06 am

      LOVE it!!