Hard Times Ahead

Some people would have you believe that sugar is the root of all evil. They claim that we would all be not only much healthier, but also much happier if we removed sugar entirely from our diets. Perhaps this is true. But to be honest, I love chocolate (and cookie dough and jelly beans and birthday cake) too much to really care to find out.

And yet, I also know that I don’t feel particularly good when I eat too much sugar. I mean, I feel good at the time, but afterwards I will feel a little bit ill, and guilty to boot, and I know in my heart of hearts that if sugar is good for me at all, it is only good in moderation.

That’s why I’ve let myself get sucked into this three times now. It’s never my brainchild. I never willingly say, “let’s give up sugar for a week!” Instead, I provide moral support when someone else says, “let’s give up sugar for a week!” “Okay” is a very easy word to say. And actually, it usually sounds like a good idea when the word first exits my mouth. And then I’m committed. And then I’m scared.

The first time was with my roommate back in Provo, and we were strict about it. From Monday morning until Thursday evening, there was no sugar allowed (except where it was unavoidable, since so many things, like spaghetti sauce or whole wheat bread contain sugar as an ingredient). That meant cranberries and cinnamon in my oatmeal instead of brown sugar (ugh) and spreadable fruit on my peanut butter sandwich instead of jam or honey (ugh again).

This time, my third go-around (with a different friend) we are less strict. I put brown sugar on my oatmeal and jam on my bagels. I eat sugar-free instant Jell-O pudding (though you have to be careful with which sugar-free things you allow because there are so many sugar-free treats in the stores nowadays that you could eat candy and cookies all week and almost completely defeat the purpose). I told my friend she was allowed to eat a frozen fruit bar. But a loose definition of “sugar” doesn’t necessarily mean this is easier, especially since we’re going seven days instead of five, which means the no-sugar challenge has oozed into the weekend when it’s most difficult to deny my sweet tooth.

When I went shopping on Saturday, I shopped healthy. I bought lots of fruit, and fruit juice (the expensive but really good kind made with real fruit and no added sugar or colorings), and I made myself get excited about this endeavor by finding a black bean soup recipe loaded with vegetables to make on Sunday and eat for lunch throughout the week. The recipe called for either fresh or canned, and I went all out and bought fresh everything, right down to the corn and the jalapeño pepper. After church the next day, I spent a good half hour or more just chopping vegetables (something I actually kind of enjoy doing, except for the jalapeño, which scares me). It was such a beautiful day that I even took the corn outside and sat down on the steps to our apartment building to remove the husks. The soup turned out great, and my enthusiasm for it as well as all the time I put into preparing it helped to keep my mind off of what I couldn’t eat.

The first couple days are always the hardest. It’s not so much the lack of sugar as it is the knowledge that I can’t have any even if I want to. I think I go through sugar withdrawal because I feel a bit moody. But what I remember from the last two times I did this is that by the end of the week it’s not such a big deal any more, and in fact I stop counting down the days (nay, the hours) until I can eat sugar again. When I am finally allowed to eat that piece of chocolate, I find that I don’t really want to, not that badly. (Except I usually eat it anyway and immediately remember what I was missing. Ah well.)

I think the benefit of doing this is to convince myself, psychologically, that I can live without sugar for more than a day. For an entire week, in fact. I won’t lie—I hate doing this. I’m eager for the week to be over. I am wondering why I allowed myself to be pulled into it. I wouldn’t ever dream of doing it for longer than a week. And although I like to hope otherwise, realistically it has never yet had a lasting impact on my sugar consumption. But give me a couple days and I might feel more positive about the whole thing. And at least I know I can do it.

And thus begins day three.