This year I have chosen to fast from refined sugar and corn syrup for Lent. Here are a few things I’ve learned so far.
- The first thing I discovered is that these ingredients show up in foods that they have no business showing up in. For example, I found these items in beef broth, pretzels, Worcestershire sauce, and just about every condiment in my fridge.
- I am making my own bread, since I know lots of store-bought breads include corn syrup.
- I have also inadvertently given up my favorite kind of potato chips (Sour Cream and Cheddar Baked Lays) because they also include sugar.
- I’ve discovered that generic brands are more likely to have sugar or corn syrup than the name brands.
- I am not giving up honey or maple syrup or fruit sugar and this may save me.
- The first few days I would have given my left arm for a cookie. That’s subsiding slightly.
- I am not going to be a sugar nazi- which means that I will give up sugar if its inconvenient for me, but not if its inconvenient for others. So, I will not refuse to go out to dinner, or enjoy a friend’s hospitality because there is sugar involved. However, if there is dessert at a function, I will forgo it. Also I try to avoid things that I know have sugar or corn syrup in them at restaurants. So last night I had veggie burgers without barbecue sauce. I have not removed all the sugar from my house, since there are others who eat at my house, but I also won’t buy it for myself. I’m hoping this will be a good compromise. It will be tempting to cheat a bit, but I think I’ll know if I’m cheating too.
- Finally, I’m testing a theory that my insomnia is linked to sugar. Part of me hopes it is, because this means I don’t have to deal with more prescription drugs, and part of me hopes its not, because it will end sugar consumption in my life.
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Again, you are the bravest woman I know. Also, I would like to give you props for the “inconvenient for others” rule. This is something that I lived by when I was a strict vegetarian (and still do as a not strict vegetarian) that some vegetarian nazis don’t seem to understand. It’s not hypocritical if you eat something that someone offers you, even if it doesn’t fully conform to your current diet choices; it’s returning the consideration that they are showing you.
Also, I miss you.
I remember going to the grocery store one time determined not to buy anything that included High Fructose Corn Syrup. I know it’s in a ton of products, but I was still amazed at where all it showed up! As you’ve discovered, it’s in so many things that you don’t expect it to be in!