False Start

I just spent 5 frustrating minutes rinsing my salad.  Not my greens, like the whole thing: cheese, edamame and very expensive sliced turkey breast.

I have debated blogging this in fear of the response.  I’d rather be telling you about how I lost my temper this morning with Elam playing with that dumb snow speeder Star Wars Lego at the table AGAIN.

I’d rather confess how overwhelmed I got this weekend with house projects, cleaning, laundry and cooking while trying to work my part-time job.  Oh and trying to get some sleep too.

Instead, I’m going to tell you about an experiment I am trying: to go sugar free.  No refined sugars, high (do they make low?) fructose corn syrup, added sweeteners and whatnot. Detox for 2 weeks. Then gradually add in natural sugar like honey or pure maple syrup.

It hasn’t gone well.  Take the salad for instance.  I just had poured some dressing on that I thought was “safe” – then I Googled “xanthan gum” and voila! Guess what?  IT IS SUGAR.  If found a great article that asked if it was bad for you to eat xanthan gum and they asked, “do you know anyone who cooks with it?” GREAT question.

I don’t know particularly why I am doing this.  I eat a fair amount of peanut butter but am relatively low-sugar (minus the Ben and Jerry’s I eat on a regular basis if I’m running a lot!).  Maybe it’s the articles posted on Facebook.  Maybe it’s the energy dips I feel in the day.  Maybe it’s an excuse to avoid that loaf of banana bread I seem to make every week for the kids after school treat.

Well I decided to start (with minimal participation from the hubs) yesterday.  I ate eggs, cheese, potatoes and peppers with some sausage thrown in (gasp from the nutritionists).  Then for lunch I waited to eat (even though I was starving) while our community group from church served the college meal after church.  I came home and ate homemade soup with veggies and lentils.  Ate some tortilla chips, cheese and what may become a new addiction: Triscuits.  Ate some fruit while en route to grocery shopping.

Then the sweat began as I shopped, reading labels.  For pete’s sake: the inability to find stuff without sugar was so stressful: tortillas (finally found one made with some kind of tree pulp – i know what?!–, which I may find it added sugar eventually…) spaghetti sauces and meat.  Impossible.

I eventually paid .64/serving for tomato sauce in a can instead of .7!  YIKES.

I bought tons of veggies and meat, cheese and eggs.

Then I came home and ate my yummy, sugar free dinner (pork chops – watch out for those seasonings!, grilled yellow squash, zucchini and brocolli and brown rice with salt and butter baby!).  I ate an orange for dessert and served applesauce for the family.

I started to think through my day and realized: only 1 meal was sugar free.  My breakfast sausage and chicken bouillon cubes that started my soup: SUGAR.

Rats.

False start.

Hence the rinsing off the dressing that I thought was sugar free.

And the new pot of soup on the stove.

And the fear that my friends are going to think I’m nuts as I publicly confess my experiment: and my failures.

I wonder if I screw up again if I have to start all over.  Like just now, I wonder if I tasted some dressing?

But I am excited that my sugar free peanut butter tastes awesome, fresh veggies roasted or raw are fabulous and I can eat some chips, cheese and Triscuits 🙂

(Apple vinegar, olive oil and salt actually aren’t a bad replacement!)

Well, here goes everyone, let the comments begin.  Please be nice.  I am not a nutritionist nor am I a chemist. Nor am I going to study how we have gotten here or will I start a revolution, telling you to join me.  Just learning here people. And trying to take care of this mind, body and soul of mine.

PS: kids are not in the deal.  Hubs is luke warm about the idea.  Flying solo.