Like All New Converts, I'm Zealous and Annoying

It's now been over a week since going sugar-free and you know, although I initially set a goal of the 22nd December before I was allowed to eat sugar again, I'm not sure I will ever go back. How crazy is that!? (Pretty crazy since I really love the stuff)

I'm actually taken aback at the difference I've noticed in the short period of time going sugar-free. Before, I was ALWAYS thirsty; no matter how much water and sugar-free juice I drank, I was always thirsty. I had an annoying insatiable thirst that I just couldn't quash. Two days after going sugar-free, that thirst had hugely subsided; I've given up almost all sugar-substitutes alongside sugar so who knows which one was the true culprit. I still drink about three litres a day but I don't have that horrible sense of urgency I did before when I was on the sugar. 

Another side effect (alongside farting), is that I actually feel like I have more energy; I don't feel lethargic and beastly, like I did before after eating stuff laden with sugar. Rather than feeling a slump in the late afternoon and wanting a cookie/ chocolate/ candy with my tea, I feel a lot more alert than before. Which isn't too suggest that I don't miss it - I do! - just, I don't need it like I used to. 

People's reactions have been interesting; when I recently told someone that I had given up sugar, they replied, "WHY?! You need it!" Some people have reacted like I just told them I decided to start smoking opium. But then again, perhaps that is just indicative of my sugar addiction - most people know I love to eat sugary garbage. 

The thing is though, you don't need sugar. AT ALL. Indeed, if you think about, it's only recently entered the human diet; most people couldn't afford to eat sugar until the early 1800s.  There is no other food group/item - fat, protein, carbohydrates - that you can give up, without losing out on essential vitamins, minerals and nutrients. There is a reason why people say sugar is just empty calories - mainly because it literally is just that: calories that you add to your food. There is no benefit to eating sugar (apart from it tasting amazing). 

Anyway, if you're interested in reading about why sugar is bad for you (and it is), I would recommend John Yudkin's now somewhat infamous and prophetic book, Pure, White and Deadly. 

So now that I am off the sugar, it's not to say that I'm not eating sweet stuff, because I am, just not the normal crap I would normally consume (I'm eyeing you, Tunnocks caramel wafers). Last night, for example, I made a recipe from my new favourite website, Chocolate Covered Katie: Fudge Babies. 

Using Katie's recipe, I added walnuts, dates, vanilla and cocoa powder to a food processer and whirled it all together. Yes, that's it. Simple as, right? And to top it all off, they tasted really good too. I did, however, add more vanilla than the recipe called for. Was it as good as actual fudge? No. Of course not. Do I feel as smug as fuck for eating these instead of actual fudge? You bet.