Why Do I Love My Sugar Recovery?

Let me count the ways. Reasons, actually. This post covers 4.

1.   Food Tastes Better

Taste buds seem to come alive when they’re not “deadened” by overly sweet foods.

When I stopped eating sugar, I also stopped expecting to have sweet foods at each meal — for dessert or for the entire meal. Only then could I appreciate the more subtle and nuanced flavors of Real Foods.

Sweetness I was never able to perceive, let alone appreciate, became obvious.

When I was eating sugar all the time, no one could have convinced me that sweet potatoes are sweet.

Compared to what? Not compared to chocolate or ice cream! So how could they be sweet??

Getting away from sugar opened new worlds for me in terms of enjoying food.

2.   Temptations Are Not Tempting

It’s easy to avoid desserts and other sugary treats when I’m able to think, “That’s not food.”

They’re not food, of course. They’re nothing but trouble for the likes of me. And I know many people like me are out there.

Once upon a time, in the bad old days, just looking at sugary foods put me into a state of true conflict: I wanted the sugar, but knew I shouldn’t have it. I remember the struggle. I can recall going back and forth, over and over, for many minutes on end.

Sometimes I even had to destroy the food itself — say, by pouring dish detergent into it — to end the temptation.

Since my recovery, there’s no conflict at all. It’s not food. The feeling is true freedom.

3.   Sugar Cravings Stop Altogether

Yes, really.

I had many cravings when I first quit sugar. As I stayed off the stuff, they decreased in number. And the cravings that showed up were less powerful and less tenacious.

But now they simply don’t happen.

Oddly, I read articles on – and hear “experts” talk about – sugar cravings. They say, “Sugar cravings never really go away.” Yikes.

Well, I don’t know what these folks are doing, because sugar cravings do stop. Completely. So I’d suggest that you avoid the sugar-quitting advice of anyone who says they don’t go away.

Getting rid of sugar cravings, potentially permanently, is an exhilarating feeling of … focus. Being off sugar long-term has given me the ability to do what I need to do without being distracted by cravings.

4.   My Moods Are Better

Getting away from sugar has evened out my moods. No more mood swings. They would bring me up one minute, down the next – over and over, throughout the day and the week.

To say mood swings affected my behavior is an understatement. When I was in a slump, I would feel irritable and not in control of my temperament.

The swings were from wildly fluctuating glucose. My diet was terrible when I was on sugar.

More significant still was what happened regarding depression.

Depression used to be with me all day long. I was never rid of it; it just felt part of who I was.

After quitting sugar, I don’t feel depressed. That’s not to say I haven’t had reasons to be sad in the 28 years or so since I quit sugar. But that underlying feeling of depression or hopelessness is just not there.

Believe me, I don’t miss it.

And the change has to do with food and brain chemistry.

I’ve also helped clients eliminate anxiety by changing their food and quitting sugar.

Do sugar cravings drive you off your food plan and keep you from reaching the health and energy you’d love? Would you like to stop your mood swings? Maybe you want a sense of freedom from sugar? Let’s face it, the stuff is everywhere, so freedom from it is worth a lot. Just visit www.LastResortNutrition.com and grab your free Empowered Eating Consult. Discover how easy it is to make a few small shifts and escape sugar’s grip. You got this!

Brought to you by Dr. Joan Kent, best-selling author of Stronger Than Sugar: 7 Simple Steps to Defeat Sugar Addiction, Lift Your Mood, and Transform Your Health.