Last week I called the 7 days without refined sugar ‘a challenge’, however it was nowhere near as challenging as I was expecting?! And no one is more surprised about that, than me!
Midweek was probably the most difficult, but I think that was simply due to breaking the habit. I LOVE a sweet treat after dinner and had to work fast to find an alternative to conquer the craving.
The most common question I’ve been asked is ‘how did you do it?’, so I’ll pop a selection of my food choices below. It wasn’t that different to my average diet, I just cut out the cake and biscuits 😉
Breakfast – Banana Caocao Smoothie (I’d sometimes have one for pudding!)/Scrambled Eggs and Smoked Salmon
Morning Snack – Berries/an Orange
Lunch – Baked Potato/Fish and salad/Vegetable Soup
Afternoon Snack – Nuts/Carrots and Hummus/Dried Fruit
Dinner – Meat, Vegetables and Saffron Rice/Chicken Salad/Fish, new potatoes and greens
Here’s what I noticed:
MY SKIN!!! I am really not exaggerating when I say I’ve seen a visible difference in my skin. There hasn’t been a single breakout (TMI but I am pretty hormonal at the minute, which makes this even more incredible!) and my complexion is glowing! We all know I take very good care of my skin, but it was fascinating to see the impact of my diet, with just a tiny tweak
My Mood. I’m naturally positive and upbeat the majority of the time, however sugar can cause me to be running at full speed in one moment and curling up on the sofa for a nap in the next. By removing refined sugar from my diet I found my days were much more balanced and allowed me to fire on all cylinders, all of the time.
Sleep. I slept like a baby! Again, I’m a generally a great sleeper, but sometimes it takes me a little while to get to the land of nod. Not this week though, my head hit the pillow and I was out for the count.
Food Choices. I made great food choices all week because I was super conscious not to ruin my 7-day mission and I found myself wanting to eat all the good stuff anyway! I was forced to find alternatives to my beloved biscuits and I actually enjoyed it! One of my clients gave me a great recipe for a banana and caocao shake and I 100% preferred it to my usual snacks.
I am aware this sounds like a total sugar cliché, but ALL of the above is true and proves ALL the things we’re told about this over processed product. I’m not going to cut it out completely, I wholehearted believe in ‘everything in moderation’. I will be far more conscious of my food choices though and try to limit my refined sugar intake and enjoy it just as a treat.
For all those currently concerned with inflamed, blemish prone skin or anti-ageing, I’d highly recommend giving this challenge a go. We are what we eat and small changes have a huge impact on our entire bodies and our complexion too! If you choose to try it, or you did it along with me, let us know how you got on – We’d love to hear all about it!
Love, Amy x
Side Note – Just to confirm, I’m not a nutritionist… this was just a personal experiment :)
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