Not Sugar - Sugar-free for life

Day 1: Reset Today

In 2015, when I began this blog, I proved (to myself) that a daily entry, regardless of whether I have readers, was helpful in keeping to my no-sugar regimen. I made it to 82 days. Since then, however, I’ve been constantly falling off the wagon. So today, I am going to start daily entries again with the hope that I can get past 82 days.

For starters, I will try to get past 1 day. Starting now. Today.

Food Log

Breakfast
Steel cut oats (oatmeal), blackberries, flaxseed meal, a touch of cranberry juice (organic, no sugar added), 8 walnuts

Lunch
Kidney beans, onions, zucchini squash, baby tomatoes

Dinner
TBS

Tip: The key to getting past the first day is to never, ever give in to temptation. Go straight home and grab some pre-cut vegetables as a snack, then start dinner.

Save

Day 11: O Marzipan, o Marzipan

Some chocolate-covered marzipan showed up at lunch today. There’s an example of chocolate and sugar ruining a perfectly good almond treat. (Did I really say that? Chocolate used to be my main squeeze!)

Food Log
Lunch
Lentils, quinoa, banana, walnuts, hummus, avocado
Dinner
Kale, black-eyed peas, walnuts, red onions, red cabbage, yellow squash

Tip: A healthy food with sugar added is not a healthy food.

Day 10: Out of Sight, Out of Mind

No birthday parties or celebrations today = glad to have a bit of distance between myself and the sweets. I’m having more trouble staying away from the cheese than the cookies, actually – but the triple threat (sugar, dairy, bread) remains at bay.

Food Log
Lunch
Lentils, quinoa, grape tomatoes, cucumber, cashews, banana
Dinner
Blackberries, watermelon, kale, black-eyed peas, walnuts, onion hummus

Tip: If it’s a choice between cheese and cookies, go for “just” cheese without crackers. Hopefully it is low-fat and organic. Then, make a plan to eliminate dairy forever.

Day 9: Oh, Crumbs* (Don’t Lick the Dessert Plates)

A family get-together prompted this thought while cleaning up after dinner. “For a sugar addict like myself, eating crumbs off used dessert plates is like a tobacco addict picking up cigarette butts from the ground and smoking them.”

Food Log
Lunch
Lentils, quinoa, grape tomatoes, cucumber, cashews
Dinner
Baby greens (red and green swiss chard, tat soi, arugula, spinach ), red pearl onions, black-eyed peas, cashews, banana

Tip: When cleaning up after a dinner party, don’t lick the dessert plates.

*Editor’s Note: “Oh, crumbs” is an expression of surprise or dismay (old-fashioned, British English, slang).

Day 8: Cashew Paradise

I am trying an experiment. Can I buy a container of cashews and only eat a few? In recent months, cashews became a “sugar substitute” for me and were creating such an over-eating problem, I banned them from my diet. Nuts are calorie-dense and fat-dense, best limited to a handful per day.

Food Log
Lunch
Quinoa, farro, avocado, pistachios, kale
Dinner
Cashews
Watermelon
Blue Print cold-pressed juice (various greens)
Kiwi
Baby greens (red and green swiss chard, tat soi, arugula, spinach ), red pearl onions, squash

Tip: If you buy a container of cashews, eat a few and put the container high on a shelf out of reach (or have someone hide it).

Day 7: Carrot Cake is Sugar Cake

A visitor arrives, presenting us with another excuse for another birthday cake – this time, carrot cake. Carrot cake sounds healthier but in fact there are more than 30 grams of sugar in a slice. That’s more sugar in one slice of carrot cake than the daily “added sugar” maximum for an adult woman (25 grams) and nearly the daily max for an adult man (37.5 grams).

Food Log
Lunch
Chard, green onions, quinoa, kidney beans, walnuts
Watermelon
Dinner
Bok choy, red cabbage, flaxseed meal, apples, walnuts
Blueberries
Prunes

Tip: Just because it has the word “carrot” in its name doesn’t mean it’s not loaded with added sugar.

Day 6: Errands and Temptations Abound

While out running a million errands today, I detoured back home for lunch (dinner leftovers) to steel myself from the sweets and smells of the bake shops and fast food restaurants. It worked!

Food Log
Lunch
Quinoa, kidney beans, bananas, grape tomatoes, walnuts, green onions
Dinner
Chard, green onions, blueberries
2nd Dinner
Red cabbage, shallots, garnet yams, bok choy, walnuts

Tip: Be nimble, be fast. Take the time to return home for sustenance if you’re being chased by temptation.

Day 5: Autumn Bowled Me Over With Goodness

Today, I went to my favorite organic cafe, LPQ, and ordered a variation of the Warm Autumn Grain Bowl. I reluctantly ordered this without goat cheese and spicy pecans in order to keep dairy and sugar out of the meal – and substituted pistachios and avocado. Meal was the best (see photo). Black coffee instead of a latte with milk was another disappointing but necessary choice. Deal with it.

Food Log
Lunch
Kale, arugula, brussels sprouts, pistachios, quinoia, farro, avocado
black coffee
Dinner
Quinoa, kidney beans, green onions, grape tomatoes, banana, walnuts

Tip: When you find a restaurant meal that works for you, work with the chef to substitute the good for the bad.

Day 4: The Terrible Triumvirate

Avoiding the baddies:
1. Sugar
2. Bread
3. Dairy

It’s the 4th day, I’ve already lost some weight, I’m already feeling much better. Our bodies appreciate this kind of denial.

Food Log
Lunch
Red cabbage, kale, red onion, peas, walnuts
Dinner
Lentils, quinoa, peas, carrots, walnuts, apple

Tip: Focus on avoiding sugar. If you wish to also avoid dairy and bread, that’s “frosting on the cake.”