Notes on sugar
A week into my Quit For A Bit - no sugar challenge, I have realised a few things that I thought I would share, in case they are either useful or interesting.
It’s too easy to get hold of
250 gram chocolate bars are only 20p more than 40gram ones. Isle ends are packed with offers on biscuits, cakes and sweets. In comparison fruit is the more expensive choice.
It’s often hidden
When you start to look, sugar is in lots of things you wouldn’t straight away associate with being sweet; crisps, soup, baked beans and mayonnaise.
It’s added to sweet things
Mixed fruit and nuts have added sugar in them, the banana chips are sweetened and so is the coconut, even a bag of dried cranberries has lots of sugar added.
Times of day force habits
3 o’clock is the hardest time of the day. It’s the last time I have caffeine in a day and that mid-afternoon cuppa is often paired with a biscuit or chocolate. I miss that the most.
Your tastebuds change
I have noticed that cashew nuts have a naturally sweet after taste and raisins now blow my mind in how sweet they are.
Alternatives can be bad too
Plain crisps have no sugar, but are high in salt. Cheese is high in fat and salt. Cracker biscuits are high in salt. Nuts are high in fat - albeit not saturated fats. It’s hard to find a ‘healthy’ alternative.
I was on a two day come down
I had a headache in the afternoon for a couple of days after starting to quit for a bit, possibly a coincidence, but maybe my body had become reliant on a sugar hit to get me through the latter half of the day.
My habits will change
I will appreciate sugar more, and have smaller amounts when I can. Substitutes such as rye crackers and nuts will stick around and I’ll buy less chocolate bars to keep in the house and drawer at work. I will have more enforced breaks from sugar because it isn’t good for me and I have proven that I can live without it. (For a bit).