Sugar Free September

In the last few days I have heard a few mentions of a sugar free detox or Sugar Free September.  Previously when I have read about this I have thought about giving it a go ... what holds me back a bit is ... will I really be able to avoid sugar? 

Don't get me wrong, I don't eat huge amounts of sugar, I really do try to limit it in my diet.  I'm more concerned about the hidden sugars in my regular foods that will trip me up!

Oh, and the chocolate ... and milo for dessert ...

This time, it appears as though it is time to give this a go. 

Sugar Free September ... I'm  going to make a conscious effort to limit or eliminate sugar in my diet. 

Even Mr FitMum and the kids are going to get on the wagon! 

With all the talk about highly processed food and obesity, we are all pretty aware of why sugar ( particularly the white refined type ) should not be consumed in such high quantities.  The more sugar we consume, the more we crave it .. it's a nasty merry-go-round that we need to get off.

Now, I'm hearing you have a minor breakdown about how hard this would be.  Don't worry I've had a mini breakdown too!  And while I was at it I checked most of the packaged food in the cupboard that I really thought was not too bad .. well, I'm surprised to find that they've nearly all got sugar in them!  This may well be harder than I thought .. 

So, to compromise, I am going to eliminate the obvious .. chocolate, lollies, biscuits, sauces etc that are just loaded with sugar.  I am going to use my judgement when it comes to other foods ... for example, Weet-Bix, a staple in my house, actually has sugar listed as an ingredient.  Ultimately this isn't too bad a choice for a breakfast cereal, so it's a keeper.

And fruit, well, that's a keeper too because there are just so many other benefits to your health.   A piece of fruit or two will still be included each day.  Just give the fruit juice a miss and watch out for too much dried fruit and fruit flavoured foods. 

This month, it's going to be about making an informed choice .. for myself and also to try to reduce further the extra sugars that the kids are eating.  

I've added a few links if you want to look into how to start to reduce or eliminate sugar ... 

Some info from Susie Burrell & David Gillespie

Haley's Sugar Free Challenge

http://spoonfulofsugarfree.com/

I'm not imagining that I'm going to be able to eliminate every trace of sugar but I'm going to make every effort to avoid sugar for September.  I'll even provide regular updates on how I'm going .. the good, the bad and the cravings.  

Let me know if you would like to join me and keep me up to date on your progress.

What have you got to lose ... a sweet tooth and a kilo or two?? 


Fit Mum x