Sugar-free November

Last night I got this spontaneous idea: Sugar-free November. For quite some time now, I’ve been wanting to go back to my 100% sugar free life but as I’m sure you know, the first step is always the biggest. And the hardest. It is so easy to postpone the whole project until tomorrow, until next week, after the holidays or just until some other time. But the thing is: the perfect time never comes!

Last year in November, I was in the middle of my 100 % sugar free challenge (which ended up lasting for 8 months). I so enjoyed reaching that point where I would never even think about sugar. I would hardly notice it if it were around me. It felt great. And secondly, it meant that when December came with all its temptations, I was so deep into not eating sugar that it seemed easy to just continue.

SUGAR AND MOOD
Sugar, even small amounts, affect my mood and the way I perceive the world around me. Winter is not my best time of year and I do have a tendency to a low mood during these dark months. I call it “low mood” because it both sound better and is better than the full blown SAD (seasonal affective disorder)  I used to suffer from. Back then I would self medicate with sugar all through the winter but the truth is that avoiding sugar completely is much more effective in balancing my mood.

When it comes to sugar, not eating it at all is so much easier than to try to eat it in moderation. For me anyway! I’ve written about that several times already and you can read the posts again here:

Change your habits with the right strategy

100 % sugar free – my story

WHAT DOES SUGAR FREE MEAN?
Last time I did this, one of the most frequently asked questions was how I could call this sugar free when I still ate some natural sugars from lactose or natural occurring sugar from fruit. The answer was pretty simple: because it works for me like that.

I’d rather not be the one to judge which is the right or wrong way to be sugar free. That’s really none of my business. I do this because it’s something I want to do and I do it the way I know works for me.

To me, sugar free November means:

• that I eat no refined sugar (e.g. no dark chocolate, not even 85-90%)
• that I minimize my intake of natural sweeteners like Stevia and Erythritol
• that I minimize my intake of natural occurring sugar from dried fruit (which I hardly ever eat anyway)
• that I accept natural occurring sugar from berries, fruit and dairy products
• that I accept miniscule amounts of sugar (like 0-1 g per 100 g) from mayonnaise or other store bought products that make my life easier