How I Cut Processed Sugar Out of My Diet

sugar-free truffles

I've always been a label reader.
With a history of vegetarianism and whole foods,
I've continued to tweak my diet as I've gotten older.
It seems that your dietary needs change as you age,
(what doesn't?),
and so a bit of honing every once in a while can be advantageous.

Through everyday observation,
it occurred to me that most folks don't read labels,
and just trust that whatever they are eating is healthy enough,
with the exception of desserts.
I think my sweet momma helped me along
by always feeding us scratch-cooked meals
(Lord, that woman could cook!),
and very infrequent desserts.

Unfortunately, unless you are vigilant about those labels,
you will find processed sugar in everything from bread to soup to salad dressings.
With a long-standing bent on nutrition,
label reading is second nature to me.
With the discovery of our son C's multiple food sensitivities,
it's just a downright necessity.
I have taught him to look for as few ingredients as possible
when choosing snack or prepared foods.
He is also becoming better at spotting the ingredients
that are out-and-out no-nos for him.
 

banana walnut muffins

The thing is, we have total control over what we buy.
When our money is spent on products that agree with our beliefs,
eventually, the companies will get a clue and create better quality.
There have been occasions when I have written to food corporations,
to let them know how pleased I was with something.
We are especially grateful to those companies
that provide allergy-friendly options with clean ingredients.
I've always gotten a reply stating how appreciative they are
to hear positive feedback from a customer.

raw brownies

This drastic change in my processed sugar intake
was prompted by an elimination diet
that my naturopath suggested.
The goal for me was to determine what was causing
all of these strange, new-to-me symptoms
and figure out a path toward better health.
For six weeks, there was a long list of taboo foods,
some of which made up my favorites (like coffee).
I stuck it out and got some answers,
and then slowly reintroduced each offensive food.
I feel like I'm in a good place right now with my diet,
and know a lot more than when I began.

sugar-free peanut butter cookies

 I never really started out thinking I would cut sugar
completely out of my diet.
I mean, that seems so drastic!
I didn't see myself as one of those people!
But the longer I followed this regime,
the easier it got.
With the access to the internet,
it's been such an easy process.

There are so many brilliant resources

from folks who made the journey ahead of me

and were generous enough to share their discoveries.

One of my favorite websites/You Tube channels is

Minimalist Baker.

Dana has a boatload of sugar-free recipes,

(or ones that can be adapted),

that are tantalizing and healthy.

Another great resource is Downshiftology

Lisa has a good variety of menu items,

with a proclivity toward gluten-free and sugar-free.

And Lori, over at My Quiet Kitchen,

has a dynamite collection of yumminess to try.  

My new love, Lily's bars!

For the most part, I use dates, honey or maple syrup

for sweetening the things I make myself.

Often the amount of sweetener is reduced because

I just don't need as much.

My sweet tooth is fully intact, thank you very much,

but I feel much better about the ingredients I'm using.

These Lily's bars, for instance, are quite pricey,

but I am getting what I pay for.

chia pudding

You don't need to wait until you're having symptoms
or do a challenging elimination diet to change your eating.
All that's required is the desire to improve your diet, 
your health, your life for the better.
It does take a bit more planning, research and work.

But aren't you worth it?