i’m sweet enough, thanks

i KNEW i should have eaten those waffles last night!
so, i’m reading this really fascinating and informative book called “Spent: End Exhaustion and Feel Great Again”. i first learned about it via the GOOP mailing list and immediately requested it from the local library. in one sitting, i devoured over half of it!
the basic principles in the book state that there are certain ailments which usually only occur in industrialized societies and the skyrocketing rates of depression, fatigue, joint pain, insomnia and digestive issues aren’t a normal human condition. that doesn’t mean you have to sell all your stuff and become a mountain man to get back to the natural rhythms of life, though. this book maps out forty-two small daily doses of change to slowly, over the course of six weeks, bring your spirit and your body back to equilibrium and health. you can read more about it here, at their website.
one of the very first and, according to the author, most important changes is ridding your diet of refined sugar in all its forms. in the book, there’s a long list of names sugar can disguise itself as in foods. i was a little shocked to find at least one form in almost every packaged item in my fridge!
with a little nudge from my lack of well-being of late, remembering how good i’d felt the last time i quit sugar and caffeine, finding this book and then learning Lent started today, i decided the time was right to go for it! i’m off the sugar effective today! not that i’m Catholic or anything, but giving up something for 40 days seems like a reasonable amount of time to commit to. at least to start with. saying i’m NEVER going to eat sugar again, EVER, for the rest of my life is a huge commitment. giving it up for Lent? not nearly as daunting.
now that i’ve told the internet i won’t eat any sugar (or artificial sweeteners — those are just as awful for you), i have to confess to a few exceptions i’m allowing myself, at least for the short term.
you see, i have a kitchen-full of food i can’t bring myself to just throw away. i’m not so rich that i can empty the fridge and pantry to re-purchase everything. so, things like the three loaves of organic multigrain bread in the freezer i will continue to eat, but once its gone, i’ll purchase bread without added sugar. the white rice and pasta i have stockpiles of, those i’ll eat but replace with brown and non-wheat versions when it’s time. the bottles of salad dressing i’ll use until they’re empty, then i’ll start making my own. the same goes for most of my fridge-full of condiments. some which are more overtly sugar-filled than others (jam, thai sweet chili sauce, ketchup, etc) i’ll avoid as much as possible.
so far, i think it’s all reasonable to accomplish. my PB&J this morning was sans J. i put a teaspoon of Agave Nectar in my coffee instead of white sugar. i’m going to give away my last pack of chewing gum. the one thing which is killing me though… that box of frozen waffles i bought last week. i haven’t even eaten ONE yet! *sigh* i hope my mom enjoys them when i take them to the island with me this weekend.