Going sugar free cold turkey

It has been one month since I quit sugar cold turkey.  This month has provided many interesting insights into my cravings, emotional eating habits, and listening to my body.  Initially, I quit sugar due to the overwhelming amount of evidence that points to sugar as a health deterrent.  The tie between sugar and the major illnesses like diabetes, cancer, and heart disease is clearly traced.  

During the first few days of going sugar free, I was very focused on not eating sugar, and it was relatively easy.  I was able to supplement my diet with fruit which satisfied my sweet tooth.  I felt empowered and that I was making a powerful decision for my current and future health.

As I entered the second week, my craving started to get a bit a stronger, but I was still buoyed by the fact that I was improving health. During this time, when I felt hungry, I paused to identify whether it was hunger, or something else.  As a society, we are not in touch with our hunger, or full cycles.  Eliminating sugar allowed me to reset this pattern.

Prior to giving up sugar, I would quickly rush through dinner in anticipation of dessert.  As a regular practice, I would make dessert before I made dinner.  There was a psychological comfort in knowing that I had a dessert at the end of the meal.  When I reflect on this, I am shocked!  Here I am a Professional Chef, Certified Health Coach, and Nutrition Guru, focused on dessert.  Clearly there was a lot of digging to be done here.

After recovering from the shock of my emotional patterns, I took an honest look at this pattern.  See, we are all wired to be emotional eaters.  From day one we have been nourished, comforted, and rewarded with food.  As a human, this is a natural evolutionary process, our survival depends on this cycle.  Where it goes off the rails is when we fill this emotional void with foods that are not health supporting.

Many of us are unaware that we are eating out of habit or emotion.  Or maybe you are aware, but have no idea how to break this cycle.  We are bombarded with messaging about food, and generally it is tied to unhealthy foods and billed as a reward, treat, or cheat.  

Breaking through that noise, was a challenge, but the message of longevity and the life-shortening effect of sugar drove me forward.  So, here we are one month in and it gets a bit easier every day. I will back with more updates soon.