I'm Light. No Sugar.

I recently began conditioning myself to "like" coffee without the part that makes it especially yummy, sugar. Goodness knows why I am torturing myself like this... I used to take my coffee with half and half and a bit of raw sugar. I have not used white, granulated sugar in my coffee for over a year. I find if I begin my day with a sweet drink, my cravings for sugar continue throughout the day. My knees and other joints hurt a bit more too. So, after a summer spent eating too often and watching too much Netflix, I decided, enough. Enough sugar! Now, before you roll your eyes (I may be too late for this reaction) I am not giving up sugar all together but I am trying to be smarter about the types of sugar I consume and how often. 

Weaning yourself off of sugar is not easy. The more you eat, the more you want. Just think about the candy counter at the movie theatre or how grocery stores mercilessly put racks and racks of sugary treats at the checkout stands. The first few days you say 'goodbye' to those little granules of heaven are tough! You think about sugar, dream about sugar and drool when other people eat sugar... Then something happens. Something unexpected. Everything and I mean EVERYTHING suddenly tastes sweeter when you eat or drink sugar-sweetened treats. Your taste for sugar dissipates and becomes heightened. Your joints don't hurt as soon as they used to and you use less in your baking or use alternative natural sweeteners in your cooking and baking. The desire to make treats that require a lot of sugar subsides. It's kinda cool.

I have actually begun to enjoy my light, no sugar coffee. I notice the smoky nuances of the brew instead of the sweet notes of the raw sugar. I still take a bit of half and half (I know this has a bit of natural sweetness) but the creaminess of it balances the smokiness of the coffee in just the right way for my palate. I see an effect on my cooking and baking too because I am so "aware" of any sugar I add and want to take the best care of my family I can.  Maybe give it a try. Have you been eating too much sugar and sugary treats? Start slowly by decreasing the amount of sugar in your morning coffee  or go cold turkey like I did. Be mindful juice has lots of sugar in it so think about switching to green tea. (No eye rolling please.) The first few sips are a bit shocking but then you come to enjoy the light no sugar-ness of it all.

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