Friday, April 18, 2008

Going (Processed) Sugar-less this Summer...

Mom + K + Summer 2008 = Going Processed Sugarless.

Are we crazy?
Probably.
Are we going to cheat?
Most likely. Mom is not including a small bite of dark chocolate here and there.
Can we have ANY sugar?
Yes, if it's natural sugar, such as honey (and I'm not positive if molasses is 100% natural, but i'm including it in "ok" category)
Do we need support?
Big time, yo.

I made a list of all things dessert-like that I might encounter this summer so that I am fully aware of what I will be giving up (or at least trying to) for three months.

cinnabon • candy(butterfingers,gummybears among other favorites...) • dark chocolate/milk chocolate/white chocolate • ice cream • banana cake (mom's specialty)/cakes/cupcakes in general • gingerbread • carmel apples • gum • baklava • cookies • marshmellows • Fannie Mae candy • chocolate covered strawberries • liquor / sweet drinks like margaritas • popsicles • fudge • the cinnamon sugar butter at Blue Grass restaurant • cotton candy • pumpkin pie • donuts • cobblers • pies

My creative director went cold turkey on processed sugars after the new year and he says he has never felt better, but that the first two weeks are the hardest and once you get past that, your craving for sugar goes away and fruit tastes sweeter and he says he feels better.

It's an interesting experiment. I do not think that it is something I would/could do permanently. I blame my craving for dessert on college dorm food. What a cop out right? Before I went away to college we rarely had dessert at home unless there was a special occasion. In college i became accostomed to it always being available. Now, even after a delicious, healthy and filling meal, I still go searching. This is something I want to do for myself. Help strengthen my self-discipline and make me healthier. I still can't believe my mom said she wanted to join me in this adventure. Wish us luck!

3 comments:

Erin said...

Good luck! I'm in awe of you, and a little jealous. My hairstylist gave up ALL sugar for six weeks last year; she said she LOVED how fruits and veggies were tasting so much more complex!

I think you can still have yummy desserts, though. I went on a baking with honey kick for a while a couple years ago. Here's an article where they tell you how to do conversions, so you can make pretty much any recipe you'd like with honey instead of the sugar: http://www.ochef.com/91.htm

Anne said...

Yes, good luck, indeed Kristine! Definitely too big of an undertaking for me right now - and yet something that is so intriguing I think I would want to try it sometime. Just from when I gave up all that stuff for Charles I remember how much richer fruits and veggies tasted. Still, I'm such a wimp!!
Good luck!

Anne said...

I especially couldn't do it in the summer - I heart ice cream!!

:o)