In case you missed it on Monday, our family is gearing up to kick our sugar addiction! I’m crazy-excited about it and so are the girls.
While we are starting out using some (healthier) sweeteners, I am really hoping we can completely eliminate all sweeteners by the end of June. This is a lofty goal, I know, but I’m shooting for it!
Sugar Dump
We had a little “sugar dump” this week and it was kind of fun! The leftover candy from a party was tossed in the trash, amidst cheers from three little girls. All sugary cereals, breads, and snacks were either stored or thrown away.
I ate the rest of the Kit-Kat bar I had stashed in the fridge. Ahem.
Sugar, Sugar… ah Honey, Honey
I am fighting some nasty pregnancy heartburn, and have been drinking an ACV/water drink and adding a few drops of stevia (to make it more palatable) to combat it. I have already decreased the number of stevia drops from 5 to 3, and I’m thinking I might be able to switch to raw honey soon.
While I haven’t found an “appropriate” (read: tasty enough) alternative to the organic sugar in my homemade iced lattes, I have decreased the amount of sugar the recipe calls for from 1 cup to less than 1/2 (for two servings). I think it helps that my raw milk is so rich and creamy I don’t miss the extra sweetness!
Slaying the Sugar Monster
Over the Memorial Day weekend, our family went on a little trip with Shane’s parents. While there, we enjoyed some Marble Slab ice cream. This has always been a huge favorite with me, but I found that I couldn’t eat much of it… because it tasted so sweet. I have never thought it was too sweet until now, so I feel like my taste buds are already making changes, thanks to the adjustments I have already made in our diet. Shane, on the other hand, didn’t find it too sweet at all, and is really glad we will not be on this challenge when we go on vacation with his family in July (because we indulge in Marble Slab quite often on that trip!).
(Side note: I plan to curb any further ice cream cravings with homemade banana ice cream.)
My shopping list for next week has lots of naturally sweet items on it. Strawberries, bananas, and watermelon make great snacks or sides for a meal. Plus, popping a few sweet morsels should help tame the cravings.
The Future of Sugar?
I am already reaping a the benefits of eliminating sugar. My taste buds are changing to acclimate this “new” way of eating. And if there weren’t enough reasons to break the sugar habit, Mandi lists several more.
Every Friday, we will have a wrap-up post (aka, Amy’s confessions!) discussing how we did that week with sugar cravings, challenges, successes, and failures. I’m bound to cave, right?!?! Ha!
I really hope you guys will join Mandi and me! And if dropping all sugar is too overwhelming (after all, our family isn’t eliminating all sugar right off the bat), start small. Trade your white refined sugar for organic, turbinado, or even sucanant. This isn’t about competing to see who can drop the most sugar. It’s about doing what works for you and your family!
Written by: Amy Norton
Amy is a youth pastor’s wife and homeschooling mom to three girls, ages 8, 6, and 3, and has a baby boy on the way. When she’s not writing at Kingdom First Mom, you can find her cooking, getting crunchier by the day, and trying to stay on top of the laundry. She enjoys writing about her homelife adventures at Amy Loves It.
We make banana ice cream several times each week and sometimes add extra milk to make creamy delicious milkshakes. My son is allergic to milk and this is his favorite snack. We don’t add any extra sugar but love to add in fresh fruit, cocoa powder and even peanut butter for a Reece’s flavored treat. We don’t even miss real ice cream since this is such a delicious guilt-free snack.
@Tracey, Yum! Those toppings sound great… thanks for the ideas! I added milk to mine and it was soooo good. Thanks for sharing!
Wow. I discovered Mandi’s blog just now…..then clicked on the Break the Sugar Habit link within a minute….and then made the decision to do it within another minute. I’ve got a SERIOUS sugar addiction – even though I’m a vegan!
Very soon after that, I found your blog, and when I read that “it’s not about competing to see who can drop the most sugar” but about doing what’s best for our family, it sealed the deal. I’ll do it even if I do it alone :0) Don’t know about blogging about it though, that’s a little intimidating! I’ll certainly be watching your journey though!
Very, very awesome! This is a no-pressure, do-what-works-for-you kind of thing. Don’t worry about blogging it… if you want, you can add what you are doing in the comments on our posts (and if you don’t want to, that’s absolutely fine, as well!). I’m thrilled to have you joining this journey with us!!!
– Amy