goodbye, sugar.

 {photo by 365 Days of Breakfast, via Mary Ruffle}

Today is the day.

I've been slowly trying to wean myself off of sugar so today wouldn't come as too much of a shock. I've yet to discover if that was at all helpful. Instead, I'm focusing on taking this project one week at a time. Forty days doesn't sound like a lot (at least to my ears), but when I realized Lent coincided with March Madness, well, I started to panic a little. Easter feels very, very far away, but remember: I am determined. And I have lots of people to hold me accountable. So here we go.

This past weekend I spent a lot of time at the library and online, trying to find information about what exactly "giving up sugar" really means. Here's what I decided it means for me.

Over the next 40 days, I will be eliminating the following from my diet completely:
- sodas and juices
- sweets (meaning processed desserts, cookies, etc.)
- white bread (sadly, I am a white bread eater. So this will have to go.)
- breakfast bars and cereal
- frozen meals
- most salad dressings (though I may attempt to make my own)
- most pre-packaged items
- fast food

And here are some things I will try to eliminate, but will not panic about if they slip in on occasion:
- potatoes
- corn
- white rice
- carrots

I plan to eat three meals a day, as well as two snacks, in order to make sure I'm not losing weight and am still eating healthily. Natural whole foods, like vegetables and fruits, are at the top of my list of things to eat large quantities of. I'll also be experimenting some with smoothie-making and with some dessert recipes found in the Babycakes cookbook I picked up from the library.

For those who are curious or who are joining in the Lenten journey, here are some helpful resources on giving up sugar:
- Goop newsletter
- Sugar Busters
- Cutting Refined Sugar from Your Child's Diet
- How to Eliminate Sugar from Your Diet

I'll try to blog my progress each week, probably on Wednesdays. That way the blog doesn't become overrun with talk of refined sugars and gluten-free dessert recipes. Please remember, too, that I am not a nutrition expert, so I'm learning as I go. Overall, though, I think my plan is fairly common sensical: Eat less processed foods and more fruit and vegetables.

If you're also going sugar-free -- or giving up anything else you love and enjoy -- I'd love to hear about it. Feel free to blog your own thoughts or comment here.

---

Come, let us bow down, and bend the knee, and kneel before the Lord Our Maker. For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand. Oh, that today you would hearken to his voice!

- Psalm 95:6-7