When I was growing up, I had a serious sweet tooth. And if it wasn’t chocolate, it wasn’t dessert. As an adult, I still love sweets. But if it’s a cooked dessert, I now prefer a fruity dessert (like an apple crumble… mmmm…. Apple crumble). I still love chocolate, just in smaller doses.
For the most part though, nowadays I avoid refined sugar. And I feel a whole lot better when I do.
When I’m eating a clean whole foods plant-based diet, there are no processed sugars in the foods I eat. I feel good and any sugar cravings go away.
Feeling good becomes a baseline and I don’t notice that I’m feeling good until… I eat some sugar. Then I feel out of whack.
AND, once I eat a little bit, I end up eating sugar for a few days until I realize that I feel lousy, and then I go back to eating clean. I like the sugar. It just doesn’t like me.
My kids were home visiting a few weeks ago and I baked cookies for them. I also bought vegan ice cream and oh boy, after a couple of days of this my body rebelled. Refined sugars in treats are an immediate jolt to my system. I like the sugar. It just doesn’t like me.
And this sugar conversation extends beyond refined sugars.
When my kids were home, we went to see the Red Hot Chili Peppers concert at SoFi stadium. The stadium displays signs for veggie chili or veggie burgers, but they didn’t have them available. Come on. Really?
I was starving so I had a giant pretzel. That was my dinner. I don’t eat a lot of refined wheat because it has a high glycemic index and turns right into glucose.
It didn’t help that I also had a beer at the concert. I don’t drink much anymore because alcohol turns straight into sugar and even if I just have just one drink, I feel lousy the next day. Years ago, I was a wine drinker. I finally had to acknowledge that it no longer agrees with me. I just don’t like losing a whole day the following day feeling lousy. Life is too short. I still do imbibe occasionally because I like it. It just doesn’t like me.
It’s amazing how our bodies speak to us. The foods we put into our bodies are so important and our bodies respond. We just have to pay attention and be willing to cut out the foods that don’t serve us.
Once I’m on track and feeling good, I find it easy to stay on track. I don’t crave the sugary foods.
Yet, I also believe in balance. If I have an occasional pretzel or cookie or glass of wine at a special event, I make sure that I enjoy it while I’m eating it. If I have my wits about me, I don’t let it slide into a multi-day event and quickly return to eating whole foods plant-based.
So, what’s a girl with a sweet tooth to do? I still enjoy sweets and here are a few of my not-guilty pleasures:
🍓 I love fruit. I eat berries in the morning, often a banana in the afternoon. The nighttime fruit varies by season. In the winter I eat apples and dates and, in the summer, I eat peaches or melon or dates. Dates are seriously nature’s candy.
🌱 I almost always have homemade peanut butter oat bars in the pantry for when I want a little sweet snack. A small piece usually does the trick.
☕ I love unsweetened sparkling water (like La Croix). Many nights after dinner I want a little somethin’ somethin’ and a can of that is perfect. Or a cup of herbal tea. It satisfies my desire to have something yummy without the sugar.
Lastly, I have always enjoyed baking for my family. Since I know that refined sugar is not good for any of us, I will only bake with sugar in moderation. And I will continue seeking whole food plant-based recipes that are yummy too. Balance.
How about you? Do you have a sweet tooth? How do you satisfy it?