Ermigerrrdd #jizzinmypants
My name is Shannon and I am a sugar addict. It's been four months since my last hit. It started with 'just a few lollies' and ended with me knee-deep in cupcakes, chocolate, ice cream, sticky date pudding & caramel sauce. This was closely followed by almost immediate rolling around on the floor with stomach pains & a week of achy joints, teenage skin & a bad attitude.
About 2 years ago now I quit sugar. A naturopath told me that I had a huge candida overgrowth that was the cause of my 'hay fever' symptoms, achy joints, intolerances to foods, an inability to go more than 2 hours without my head spinning & me almost killing people for food... among other symptoms. He said I had to stop feeding the candida and get off sugar. 'Oh I don't eat sugar' I replied quite smugly because I certainly avoided all processed sugar even then, I even ate everything low-fat, I thought he would be entirely impressed with me. Ah, no.
Little did I realise I was a total 'healthy sugar' addict. Dates, dried fruit, fruit, juices, honey, maple syrup sweetened treats, wine, I had no 'moderate button' when it came to those things and I thought it was fine to eat a kg of dried figs..... Cause they are healthy right? And they are fat free! I have since learnt that sugar is sugar & it causes huge amounts of inflammation in our bodies not to mention is going to make you fat. From soft drink or a piece of fruit, it is all still sugar. Obviously there is more to the story than that but that is not for now. I needed to get off all sugar ASAP.
So, in the only way I know how, I quit, cold turkey. I'm an all-or-nothing kinda gal. The first 2 weeks were foul. I had 'carb flu', I felt like crap, I was tired, irritable, achy & basically a cranky biaach. I was hungry & I craved sweets. I wanted to give up but I started reading more nutrition books, I listened to podcasts & I threw myself head first into Paleo. I started eating fat again & learnt not to be scared of it. I started to feel better. The achy joints I always had from old injuries went away, the hay fever stopped, I wasn't bloated every day, my skin felt great, my energy improved & I stopped getting 'hangry'. My blood sugar was stable so I didn't need to worry about packing snacks in my car/handbag/gym bag just in case I got hungry & turned into a crazy mo fo.
Today I still generally avoid sugar the majority of the time because I know I am an addict. A few dried apricots will soon see me face first into a tub of Ben & Jerry's. I love baking but I try not to do it unless I know I have people I can share it with & get it out of my grips. I don't crave sweets anymore & if I do, a glass of kombucha or some berries will normally sort me out. I eat 3 meals a day that are much higher in fat & protein than the 'old me' would have had but I don't get hungry in between & I am much happier with my body composition. I have more energy, I am stronger & I feel confident that I am nourishing my body every day with nutrient-dense food, not poisoning it.
Quitting sugar is a hard! Like, It is really hard.... For about a month. After that it is a new way of life. I no longer say 'I can't have X' I say 'I don't eat X'. Some people have a meltdown & can't cope with your choice but at the end of the day, it is YOUR choice. You choose to nourish your body or poison it. You are not forcing them to eat the way you do so just tell them to calm the heck down & go eat a Mars Bar if that is going to make them happy..... Just don't come whinging to me that you have a fat ar$e, crappy skin, inflamed body & deregulated hormones. Get off sugar. Eat more good fat. Avoid the chemical $hitstorm and just it real food. It will change your life.
Shan Cooper
Email: myfoodreligion@gmail.com
Website: www.myfoodreligion.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/MyFoodReligion
Instagram: @myfoodreligion
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