Healthy Eating: One Week

 

It's been a little over a week since we started eating healthier by cutting out the excess sugar, and so far it's going well overall.  The fact that I don't remember exactly how many days it's been is a really good sign for me!  It's been really helpful to find a couple of recipes to transition me out of eating so many sweets.  I was really terrible, I'm realizing now- I was totally addicted!  I made some
peanut butter coconut cookies sweetened with only stevia (decent, but taste more like a snack bar than dessert), some chocolate banana ice cream using only stevia besides the naturally-sweet banana (this was amazing; recipe coming soon!) and drinking some yummy ginger pear iced tea that I sweeten with stevia.  I don't know if there is a chance to overdo the natural sweetener (stevia is an herb) and experience side effects, but so far I have felt more stable this past week physically and emotionally (not as many "highs" and "lows" in my mood) as well as more energetic most of the time.  I remember feeling extra tired one night, but I know it can be attributed to a detox period while getting the toxins out of my system.  And, I'm still eating normal healthy foods, not anything drastic like super-vegan diet like I've tried in the past (and no longer believe in 100% for us).  I have been including carbs like usual, so I'm sensing the next step will be to cut those way down as well.
I am hopeful that even though this was supposed to be a week of some annoying PMS symptoms (mostly mood and headache for me), it wasn't as PMS-ey as usual.  I didn't have my normal overly crabby day which was my clear indicator of what was to happen the next day!!  I am amazed at this simple fact, as well as "aunt flo" arriving three days later than my recent schedule, which is more like what was normal for me before kids.  So if these minor things are improving in just a week, I am so excited to experience myself in a month!  And then in three months!  And then six!  It will be so great to watch things continue to improve.
My hubby and I are starting to feel like this can become a lifestyle change instead of a fad-diet phase (again).  Because we are limiting the main "culprit" in the Standard American Diet (SAD), sugar, it is manageable.  Once we have met some goals and feel we have sufficiently conquered the addiction to sugar, we may be able to add it back in for special occasions like birthdays and such.  Of course it will be more moderated than before, and only with God's help the whole way!!
Soon, I hope to post a couple recipes and tips for organizing the Christmas decor (the tree finally came down yesterday- it was looking sad and ready to join the rest of its family already put away in the bins.)
Stay healthy
~Sally