July 31, 2021 Day 18   The BBQ we’d been invited to for last night was cancelled, so instead I invited a few neighbors over for dinner.  It’s easy to control the food when you’re hosting.  Of course, I served wine too, but didn’t have any due to this no sugar year pledge to myself.  It would have been easy to have a glass of wine with dinner and carry on as others were, but thanks to my promise it was easy to say no. Read More

July 30, 2021 Day 17   Yesterday I got up and did beach yoga and played tennis.  My energy seemed really low all morning even though I had protein for breakfast. I had edamame, quinoa, and red pepper salad and a cup of homemade vegetable broth for lunch and just wanted to take a nap.  But of course, I had a whole afternoon of appointments so that was out of the question. I managed my way through the afternoon at my standing desk for one call, and then on the sofa for two more phone calls hoping I would somehow feel more energy. Then the migraine hit.  I very rarely (almost never) get headaches, and I don’t ever remember having a migraine.  But I couldn’t keep my eyes open and had to resort to Tylenol, no screens, and a nap. Read More

Thursday, July 29 Day 16   I was speaking with a friend yesterday who was following the sugar free diet and was trying to come up with ways to beat sugar cravings.  I suggested she eat more protein and fiber by filling up her plate with leafy greens, vegetables, and lean protein.  Like me, she also likes to follow a mostly plant based diet and was eating legumes and quinoa most of the time. I suggested she vary her food choices to include a wide variety of plant-based foods. Read More

July 28, 2021 Day 15   My first job at 17 was in a fine dining restaurant working in the kitchen making salads and desserts. Then when I proved myself, the cooks had me prep sauces and garnishes, and taught me how to debone and stuff ducks. I learned how to make baked Alaska, and more. At 18 I moved to the floor and learned about wines, and cocktails.  I learned the correct way to decant wine after doing it the wrong way the first time (long story for another time).  I learned how to pair wines with food, about aperitifs, dessert wines, cordials, and champagne. I continued to work in restaurants through my 20’s including full time at the Helmsley Palace in New York, and into my early 30’s even when I had a “real job”.  I devoured Kevin Zraly’s Window’s on the World Complete Wine Course book, dined at Window’s on the World, and visited wineries on weekends and when traveling to learn more. Read More

July 27, 2021 Day 14   After my visit to the brewery and distillery on Sunday, I had a comment about beer not being made with sugar. This got me thinking why do I think of alcohol as sugar?  So, I did some reading about how beer, wine, and spirits are made to clarify this for myself.   Beer and wine do contain sugar, and are made by fermenting the natural sugars from the plant ingredients. In beer, the sugar comes from the starch in malted cereal grain, typically barley. In wine it comes from grape juice. With spirits, starches such as grains or potatoes, and fruit are fermented, and in some spirits, the fermentation starts with cane sugar. No mistake there - that is added sugar. Read More

July 26, 2021 Day 13   If you’ve been keeping up with my daily sugar free lifestyle posts, you know that I had some digestive issues on Saturday. After a bit of reading and investigation, I learned that jackfruit can have a laxative effect.  Aha!  That must have been it.  I was feeling much better on Sunday and visited a lavender farm in Central NJ, and later discovered a farm to table restaurant nearby.  We drove in to the Brick Farm Tavern parking lot and little did we know there was a brewery and distillery on the 45-acre farm, with another 400 acres for the animals, produce, and herbs nearby. About 60 or 70 people were standing on line at a “take-out” window of the brewery.  What was going on?  It turns out that this brewery has a real following and today was the launch of a new brew. Each adult on line walked away happy with two cans of the new lager. Read More

July 25, 2021 Day 12   Something went wrong with my gut yesterday and not to get too personal or graphic, I had to stay near “the facilities” in the afternoon, and still this morning.  I’ve been trying to figure out what went wrong with my food.  Could it have been the after-dinner cherries at the fire pit on Friday night?  Could it have been the unidentified salad dressing that unexpectedly appeared on my restaurant salad yesterday?  I also have a headache and feel tired this morning, but that might be because I was up early for the past week with only 6 ½ - 7 hours of sleep instead of my usual 8. Read More

July 24, 2021 Day 11   The women in my neighborhood have a tradition each summer to get together for an outing on a few Fridays during the summer.  Yesterday we visited the Empty Sky 9/11 Memorial at Liberty State Park in Jersey City. We walked a lot (0ver 11,000 steps) and had lunch. Again, my restaurant go-to is a salad, no dressing, or just oil and vinegar on the side, and broiled salmon.  When I order like this and am specific with the waiter, I can see what I’m getting, and nothing is hidden.   Read More

Friday, July 23, 2021 Day 10   I feel a shift in myself and yesterday paid close attention to my yin and yang balance which I’ve studied and practiced when I was doing my heath coach training.  I’ve been feeling really grounded, confident and clear. But I still had a slight craving today not for sugar, but for meat. We think cravings as a weakness but they can be important messages meant to help us keep the balance. The body is always looking for homeostasis. Read More

Thursday, July 22, 2021 Day 9   A few cravings cropped up yesterday that made me talk to myself.  “NO” was the first thing that came to mind, and then I thought, if I have sugar, I’ll have to start all over again at Day 1, and that wasn’t a palatable option.   Eliminating added sugars has made me think even more about food and how to nourish myself.  I find that all day long I am asking myself if I’m really hungry, or if it’s just an urge to eat.  It sounds like I am torturing myself, but I am still really curious and committed to this challenge.   Read More