“No diet can substitute for the wisdom of your body.” Brooke Castillo.
I am the first to admit that I have a sweet tooth! You name it, chocolate, cake, pudding, vanilla syrup in my latte’s, even fruit, I love anything sweet…………to be honest, why stop there; I also love starchy carbs, breads, pastries, pasta. I clearly love food!
Over the past 3 months I have reduced my ‘refined’ sugar and ‘complex’ carbs significantly. I still have fruit, refined sugar-free Nakd Bars
This conscious change took some adjustment, but surprisingly didn’t affect me as much as I thought. I didn’t feel deprived because I was still eating something sweet and starchy every day, just not every meal.
I would also like to point out that I don’t like putting a hard rule on “quitting” any type of food. I enjoy freedom and flexibility so yes, I have had pasta, bread and sugar the last 3 months but I can recall each rare moment.
What I really noticed was how my appetite changed. I no longer had cravings, not only for sweet things, but food in general! I was naturally consuming less and it no longer felt like an effort to say no to second helpings or unnecessary snacks. I was surprising myself, as suddenly I didn’t fancy any CAKE! It is empowering to not be at the mercy of food cravings plus I had an overall feeling of better health.
It is now December, a festive season where cakes, chocolate and sweets seem to appear out of nowhere. ‘Tis the season of course, so it is only natural to indulge.
But just one chocolate and wow could I taste the sugar!……..and then I noticed, one was no longer enough! I hadn’t realised that cravings had been a part of my life for so long and it only took 3 months of not having them to see how difficult it can make life! Feelings of guilt, lack of willpower, that little persistent voice whispering ‘go on, just one more’…. Argh go away already!
It has been a great learning, one that I think we all know too well. However, to consciously notice the changes different foods have on our body and mind is one of great importance. Food can affect us all so differently, what works for me may not work for you.
I ask you to be kind to yourself over this festive season and consider making a conscious effort to see how different foods makes you feel, because your body knows best.
Read more in our blogs about the effects of simple sugar and complex carbs here – ‘Oh Sugar, Sugar’ & ‘Sugar Sucks!’
So if you’d like to ditch the sugar cravings, come join one of our detoxing retreats to kick-start a healthy way of living.
Here’s to a thriving new you…