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Finding Solace in Food
For years, I was possessed by sugary foods. I learned this early on from my Dad who, if left up to his own devices, would have eaten a piece of chocolate layer cake as his dinner. On my own, in the first year of college without the watchful gaze of my Mom, I remember having Nestle Crunch bars for lunch. As a young adult living in San Francisco, I would savor nightly walks to the neighborhood bakery to buy 2 chocolate chip cookies. In mid-life, my favorite way to start the day was with a pastry. I was in a serious relationship with sugar, and it lasted for decades. Maybe it was sublimation. Somehow, I finally woke up (luckily before any discernible damage was done.) These days, I’m not completely sugar free, but I don’t long for it anymore. I view it as a rare treat. Do you have a food obsession?
Painting by John Honeywill
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How timely of you to post this, Wendy! Back in February, I started something called “Dry February”, modeled after the British Dry January (an alcohol-free month to counter the holiday season’s excesses). I’d been drinking more since dating my (now ex-) boyfriend. Weekends only, but before that I might have a cocktail or two only when at a dinner party or restaurant (typically weekend activities, though not every weekend). Still, my alcohol ingestion were too low for Dry February to be much of a hardship. So my Dry February included not only alcohol abstention, but also abstention from sugars (including honey and maple syrup and agave), white flour, white rice, white potatoes, and, a few days into it, artificial sweeteners. Granted, I had already cut down on sugar (but not artificial sweeteners), relegating most sugar consumption to the weekends. I believe because of that, I never had any true sugar withdrawal.
I did give myself two exceptions–if I was invited to someone’s home for dinner, I’d eat what I was served, including dessert. And the second was that I permitted myself an energy gel or two for my weekly endurance workout (since that was typically around 2 hours, sometimes longer).
How did it go? Excellently! My skin cleared up, I seemed to require less sleep, and I dropped a few pounds. I’ve largely continued this since the end of February, blogging about it occasionally. I’m really pleased with the results. I also read Robert Lustig’s Fat Chance, watched some documentaries on Netflix (Sugarcoated; Fed Up). These underscored my desire to live a largely sugar-free life (indeed, this past Friday I had my first full dessert since the end of January–I had friends over for dinner and served a rich homemade dark chocolate ice cream, which I slowly savored).
Like you state in your post, sugar should be a rare treat and that’s the way I approach it now. And I no longer do energy gels–I now use coffee to fuel myself.
And by March I realized that it IS possible to watch The Great British Baking Show and not be tempted to eat something sweet!
That is self control.
For years, my brother the doctor would tell me that sugar was far worse than fat. I ignored him. Now that I eat less of it, I don’t actually notice. But I appreciate that it’s a healthier way to live.
Petra, I have a similar approach to sugar. For decades I daily drank 4-8 cups of black tea with milk and sugar – just a scant 3/4 of a teaspoon. i gave up the sugar at the end of January and really haven’t missed it much. I don’t eat a lot sugar, mostly just when I go out or eat at someone’s home. i do notice a difference in how I feel and have also naturally cut back on the tea as well. So wishing you and Wendy good healthy and happy cooking trails ahead.
Thanks, Jules! What I really do miss most of all is the baking and ice cream making. But I will still do that (when I have people over for dinner, for instance). It’s a reason for me to step up my cooking vegetables game!
I love baking. I take pleasure in the texture of the batter, and the way that volumes change. And people are so happy when I bake dessert.
What difference do you notice in how you feel, Jules?
I have a terrible sweet tooth and lately have really let it get out of control. I need to lose about 10lbs that have crept up in the past year. Yesterday morning I suddenly felt like I didn’t want sugar for a while (reached the bottom of my sugar shame spiral?)and this morning the Freakanomics podcast was discussing sugar and it was mentioned giving up sugar is one of the best ways to lose weight. So hopefully I stay on the wagon for a while.
Someone I know has just created a “5-day no sugar challenge.” Check it out. http://www.thefresh20.com/nsc
I have a notorious sweet tooth.
What’s your favorite sweet thing to eat?