Sugar Free/ Dairy Free/ Gluten Free - Are you ready?


I have mentioned multiple times my frustration with the high amounts of sugar pushed on us and my many food intolerances, well as I stick with a gluten free diet I have strayed from the strict diet I once followed and can tell. I’m sure it is a combination of this never winter and high carb, processed food intake but I am lacking energy and quite headachey lately L Last weekend I started thinking it was time to get strict again. The gym is offering a 4 week detox but me not working doesn’t bode well with paying to give up foods so I was thrilled when Laura suggested a sugar detox. I am taking it one step further and also giving up processed foods and all animal products, gluten (duh!) and sugar. Sorry can’t do the full thing and give up my coffee, but more power if you can.
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Is this how you eat? Do you see any problems with the breakdown? Notice sugar/treats is now missing!
Laura did a great job talking about the The Sugar Addiction so I will focus on the reasons to give up sugar as well as the other ingredients.

Sugar Refined “processed” sugars are found in many foods and can result in obesity, tooth decay, increased blood sugar and high triglyceride levels (Source). We often reach for sugar when hungry and then quickly crash from the spike leading to a sugar-crash cycle. While I avoid refined sugar in my cooking I eat many processed foods and experience this almost daily. Remember alcohol is high in refined sugars.


Gluten is the protein found in wheat and can lead to inflammatory response in many, while it is something that we hear a lot about in celiac most people do not need to give up gluten. Those who have an allergy or intolerance need to avoid gluten but most others should focus on the change to whole grains and avoiding refined “white” grains. I can tell you first hand that a full gluten free diet is tough, but for me well worth it. If you have GI issues, headaches, fatigue or decreased energy you might want to give it a shot? (Source).

When's the last time this was dinner?
Animal Products Dairy is the one animal product I frequently eat, while I don’t drink milk I do enjoy cheese and yogurt but the side effects of dairy in particular are huge; congestion, GI problems (75% of people can’t fully digest dairy), sinus problems and allergies. Our bodies weren’t made to digest dairy and going dairy free can improve sinus problems, post-nasal drip, headaches, irritable bowel syndrome, energy, and weight (Source). While I could go on forever on giving up meat I won’t, but instead just encourage you to think about why you find it necessary to eat and think of other healthier sources of protein. Give it a try, no meat for 7 days, much easier than you would think, it has been nearly 4 years for me (no read meat and minimal animal products for almost 20 years) and I don’t miss it

Are you in? What are you giving up? Make sure to go to Laura’s post and sign up. Take the next few days to plan and be ready to start on Monday morning. Next week come back and share a recipe you discovered and a great resource.

Comments

  1. Good luck!!! Sounds like a great way to cleanse your body!

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    1. Thanks Mindy, I hope to feel much better. I know the dairy being gone will help my allergy symptoms.

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  2. Great post, Jen! I'm excited for you to take it a step further... I've been wanting to do that at some point, but I think I'll start with sugar and processed foods/gluten.

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  3. I signed up too! I can't give up all processed food for that particular week as I will be at my brother & SIL's house -- but I can def do the sugar! Can't wait! Good luck to yours -- can't wait to hear how you do :)

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  4. I am definitely joining in. I need to cut a bunch of things out, but I will start with Laura's challenge. Unfortunately I have lots of food "sensitivities" wheat, dairy, soy, eggs. So pretty much everything;) I haven't taken the plunge to eliminate yet, but I am sure it would help me be more energetic. Good luck!

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    1. Sounds a lot like my intolerance/sensitive list :( It is tough, but once it is gone I felt so much better.

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  5. I'm on day four of no sugar or processed foods. I don't eat red meat either but I do eat fish and some poultry. I am eatimg dairy right now but only a small amount of cottage cheese. I use rice milk in my smoothies. I also haven't had amy bread in four days but that's fine for me. Sonce I'm the only one who eats whole grain bread in my family, it tends to go to waste.

    Good luck!

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    1. Great job! How is the rice milk in smoothies? I usually do almond milk in my stuff and rice in nonsweet baking.

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  6. How do you sweeten your coffee? Surely you don't drink it black (?) If I shared how much sugar I consume, you would fall over from sugar-shock!

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    1. I used to have such a sweet tooth but have gotten much better, I ate one piece of candy corn at Halloween and it was too sweet!
      I do drink black coffee if it is good stuff, but I do use hazelnut creamer, yep my downfall :(

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  7. I'm totally on board with this. Sugar is a slippery slope. My sugar cravings go all over the place. Sometimes I crave it like no other. Other times (like right now)it's the last thing I want. I'm all about salty the past week. Which isn't good either. Good luck!

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    1. Me too, I rarely crave salt but sugar is crazy!

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  8. I've been dairy free for a while...just went wheat free the last 2-3 weeks and have noticed a marked improvement in energy and belly bloat...and my weight! I've been able to drop those pesky few pounds. I'm a believer!!

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    1. I have been gluten/wheat free for years with a couple "breaks" and regret it everytime. I feel great gluten free.

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  9. Good luck! I tried gluten free a few months ago, and I do try to eat as little processed food as possible. I'm already vegan, and I found it challenging to give up the gluten on top of that. I found quite a few resources (blogs) which were helpful sources of motivation and recipes. I will admit, though, I was happy when my gluten free experiment came to an end.

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    1. Gluten is challenging, glad you didn't need to continue it! I have been gluten free for awhile and it keeps getting easier :)

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