Two Months Without Sugar

I've now been sugar-free for two whole months!! Okay, so there was a couple of guilty little nibbles here and there, like my son's birthday cake, and the time I had to drink some lemonade because there was no water to be found anywhere (grrrrr....me and my lack of organisation and planning.)

Anyway...

All in all, it's been a great learning experience, and I'm absolutely committed to being sugar-free for life. Yep. No Cadbury's or Tim-Tams for me. Sounds horrible, doesn't it?!?!

But it's not. I'm actually bursting with energy and optimism. But it took about 6 weeks before I noticed a rise in energy levels.

I cut out a lot of stuff, not just sugar. I cut out yeast, MSG, chemical beauty products, and fluoridated water, and a lot of white flour products.

The stuff I've learnt about myself is astounding. For instance: a couple of months ago, I would have looked you in the eye, and sworn with absolute certainty that I was not allergic or intolerant to any foods. I could eat whatever I wanted without any ill-effect.

Ha!!

My body was obviously struggling under the onslaught of toxins and junk, and couldn't tell me anything. (The thing is....I thought I was pretty healthy, back then. After all, we didn't eat fast food very often, I hardly ever bought soft drinks or chocolates. It wasn't until I stopped, that I realised how much junk I was eating.)

Since cutting out some things, and then eating them once or twice without thinking, or unknowingly, I can tell you that I definately do not tolerate some things very well.

For instance: I can tell you that if I eat MSG I get an achey head (No doubt, that's my brain cells exploding and dying - no I'm not kidding. MSG does that to you...), and a flushed red face. When I eat sugar, I get a thumping headache across my forehead. When I eat white pasta, I get....er....bloating problems (to put it politely....Ahem).

I am now moving onto new challenges in my quest to get healthy. I am now starting a weekly 24hr fast. I did my first one last week. Now, I have to confess that I have NEVER fasted before in my entire life, 'cos I love food, and I would not give it up voluntarily, thank you very much....But, all in the name of health!

I didn't quite last 24 hours, (about 22 hours actually), and despite having a grumbling tummy, I had good energy levels all day, and by evening I was a bit head-achey, which is to be expected, as my body cleanses itself.

Then I went and ate food, and the most amazing thing happened. Afterwards, I felt so fatigued and drowsy, I almost fell asleep while giving my kids a bath. Tsk, tsk!!

Other stuff I'm doing in this new phase, is taking organic apple cider vinegar every day, starting the day with a glass of water with lemon juice and MSM powder, drinking raw cow's milk (that is, not pasteurised and not homogenised ) increasing raw food (this one's a struggle, because I love cooked food. I would pass over a salad for a piping hot lasagna, any day...), and completely eliminating white flour.

In the future, I want to add vegetable juices, and go completely organic, but our budget just doesn't cover that yet.

My hair and skin and scalp are still detoxing after quitting chemical beauty products (think pimples and dandruff) . I've read that this might continue for up to six months. I figure it's taken a few years to accumulate toxins, they can't be expelled overnight.

So, if you do any kind of detox or cleanse, please don't feel disheartened because you don't have glowing skin and boundless energy after a week. It can take months for your body to push out all the accumulated toxins.

I know that many people will think about what they have to give up, and decide it's just not worth it (I used to be one of them). I'm here to tell you it is. And I'm only a tiny way into the journey to get healthy.