Wooow! I’m Halfway There!

It’s February 14th which can only mean one thing…yes it’s halfway through my month long ban on processed sugar. You thought I was going to talk about Valentine’s Day didn’t you? Don’t be silly! I’ve accepted my crazy cat lady status. Anyway I thought I would share with you my progress so far.

One thing I have noticed throughout this experience is how many times I have had to explain to people that I am only giving up PROCESSED sugar. So yes I can still eat fruit and vegetables. And yes gin contains no processed sugar! Only change I had to make there was using slimline or diet tonic water. A small adjustment but one I can happily live with.

So I knew this challenge would be difficult but I didn’t quite anticipate how many things contain sugar. Yes there was the obvious suspects like chocolate and cakes however I had no idea they add sugar to stock cubes! Like seriously!? Why!? That through a spanner in the works and for a full week limited my recipes by about 99.8%! Chicken or salmon with vegetables is super tasty but there is only so much of it I can have for dinner…and lunch!

Noticeable Issues:

Just no energy! For the first week I had very low energy levels-I had to take a week off the gym. I was constantly tired however that past and my energy soared to actually being chipper on a Monday morning!

Not being able to get a takeaway. Yes I know I shouldn’t be having takeaways anyway but when your energy levels are low and cooking seems like a massive chore, a Chinese would be amazing! But alas…that would contain sugar! Pesto pasta or cous cous to the rescue! They both contain no processed sugar, tasty and quick and easy to make!

Life has become a bit savoury. Snacking is a bit of an issue at the weekends. During the week in work I am busy enough that there isn’t as much time to just sit and eat a little. If there is then a handful of cashews does the trick. At home though there is only so many oatcakes with beetroot dip I can eat without going insane! Regardless of how amazing the dip tastes! However homemade flapjacks using nothing but honey, oats, seeds, fruit and nuts make for a yummy, healthy and sweet snack! Even my colleagues agree! Perfect for those sugar cravings.

Lowest point:

Eating vegetable stir-fry with noodles….with no soy sauce! Because of course soy sauce contains sugar! Bland noodles and vegetables for dinner and then again for lunch the next day was definitely one of the most soul destroying moments so far!

Highest point:

Finding an organic and all natural stock powder! Hooray! My cooking world was opened up again and life got that much brighter!

If you would like to support myself and Cancer Research UK by donating then you can do so by visiting my fundraising page. Thank you, every pound raised with help beat cancer sooner.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin