Food Shift

I decided after Christmas that I am giving up sugar.  As in, SUGAR.  Now, that doesn't make me a mutant that won't ever eat desserts.  It just means that I will either bring my own stuff or go without.  This doesn't make me virtuous or anything.  I gave up soda at the end of July.  THAT made me virtuous.  This just makes sense, since my edema isn't getting any better and I'm at my wits end.  Really, imagine walking around all day every day with your lower legs feeling like you are a week away from giving birth. 

That is my world.

So the day after Christmas, the gig was up.  My days of sugar consumption were over.  And on the third day, I felt like screaming my head off from the detox headache.  Now I am three weeks in and I'm fine.  It helps that I haven't been anywhere that had desserts to drool over.  Tomorrow is my first test.

In order to do this, I asked my two food gurus for ideas.  Barbara has about a gazillion recipes for desserts with no sugar.  One of these days I am going to go sit in her living room meditating until she types them all up and gives them to me in a cute little folder.  Just kidding.  I need her to do other things right now.  Instead, I read her blog and steal her recipes off of there.

My other guru, Rachel, referred me to the Feel Good Cookbook.





I know - $26?!  What?  However, having now cruised through every page of this book, I am finding it to be absolutely brilliant.  There is no sugar or dairy.  In fact, I think that they are all free of soy as well.  The recipes are made with whole foods.  And a ton of the recipes are just sauces to throw on chicken.  She has found unprocessed alternatives, and tweaked recipes that are beloved by me so that they aren't quite as unhealthy.  

I made a list of the things that I didn't have in my pantry and headed to Harmon's to get them.  In the future I will probably go to Sunflower or Good Earth, but have you noticed how dadgum cold and icy it is out there?  I'm not willing to venture too far from home these days unless it is really important.  

I watched Food, Inc. a few months ago and was freaked enough to make some changes.  And I am happy to say that I do feel good and I am working on feeling guilt-free over the things I eat, because Rachel is empowering me to actually make a choice to feel good and treat my body well.  What I am going for this year is just overall health because in 2012 I turn 40 and we know it is all downhill from there. 

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