Sugar Fasting

I know its been a long time since I blogged on this website but I thought it would be interesting to journal about our family sugar fast during the month of July.


First, why? 

1) I've been wanting to do it for a while and finally got enough energy and enthusiasm
2) June was a big month for eating out, eating processed foods, and eating dessert.  Traveling to IL and back for vacation did my system in.  So July seemed like perfect timing to cleanse our system of the bad  and regulate the good.
3)  I have noticed my sugar addition becoming really bad.  I wanted a way to dial back the sugar need and intake.  Also I have also noticed a growing irritability in the children when a sweet was not part of the meal.  I thought this would be a great way to cut them off from sugars and let their bodies get back into a better mode of needing sugar.

Attitudes?
Sally- Super excited to do it.  I know it will be hard (Goodbye diet coke and DD iced coffees) but I look forward to ridding myself of an addition, even if it is an acceptable one in the US.

Aaron- very reluctant mostly because he feels "we're already doing enough by eating less processed" and "but I'm the one that has to cook for the kids when your at work."  I totally understand his viewpoint.  He has agreed to a week and will think about the full month.  To make things easier I have come up with a dinner menu for the entire month and a list of food options for breakfasts, lunches, snacks, and dessert that we can enjoy this month.

Kids- We didn't tell the kids until dinner on June 30th.  Amazing (and very surprisingly) they are super stoked.  They started volunteering how they would handle situations when people tried to give them candy and pointing out all the foods that they do eat that have sugar in it.  Its amazing how much they realize food has sugar.

Lily- ok so she's 7 months will she really notice?  Maybe.  I noticed when returning from my trip to visit family in IL Lily was starting to get cradle cap again and has a few red/dry spots on her legs. I think it may be from the (obscene) amount of processed foods and sugars I ate while on vacation.  I am very hopeful that it will regulate her system and get rid of these skin issues.

Second, What do you mean by sugar fast?

I have done a lot of reading about people who remove sugar from their diet.  People are all over the spectrum in what and what is not acceptable.  I have decided out family will not be eating any food with added sugars (HFCS, corn syrup, sugar, aspartame, stevia, agave syrup, etc).  You may think that list is a little off.  Yes I have "good/healthy/organic" sugars mixed in with the "death sugars" but I want to remove as many as possible.  I know the black and white of the topic and most of the gray have also been removed.

What my family can have is as much fresh fruit as they want.  And we will be using small amounts of honey and maple syrup.  Small amounts.  We will not be eating pancakes with maple syrup for breakfast every day.  But we will be making bread with a little honey.  Hope you get the idea.

Third, when?

All of July 2014.  We have started July 1st and will end August 1st.  For the next 31 days, I will blog about what we ate and how we are feeling.