My Week Without Sugar

Several weeks ago I planned the My Own Narrative content I wanted to write this month. However, life changes and we’ve got to be flexible over here. On December 31, I went to my naturopath appointment and got some homework I did not expect. 

I’ve been going for a few months trying to solve inflammation on my skin and constantly waking up in the middle of the night. My skin is looking a lot better and is 70% back to normal, but sleeping has been a major issue for me the past few months. 

Every night, I would wake up around 3 or 4 AM and stay up for at least 45 minutes to an hour and I’d have a hard time falling back asleep. Apparently this sleeping pattern was very popular during medieval times. People would break up their sleep into two chunks of time. In between sleeping periods, they would read, hang out, smoke tobacco etc. (Yes, this is true — see this link here). 

For someone who has to work a 9 to 5 schedule, this medieval sleeping pattern does not work. 

The combined inflammation and sleep disruption called for something nobody (especially this food lover) wants to hear: Elimination Diet. 

• No dairy — tough, but OK. Healthy January right? 
• No alcohol — taking a break after the holidays is good, but worst case scenario I can have vodka 
• No caffeine — EEK. 
• No sugar — NOPE. 

I struggled the first couple of days doing this. I felt lethargic. I wanted to nap. AND I realized I was very much addicted to sugar. 

By day three, I started to feel amazing. I slept great, my energy was through the roof, and I felt inspired to create fun things in the kitchen. I’ve been posting my food creations on my Instagram stories and lots of people have been commenting on how yummy my food looks. Here are some of the recipes I tried out this week! 

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1. Spicy Peanut Tofu Bowls by Pinch of Yum 

2. Fried Rice Poke Bowl – a kitchen experiment by me combining leftovers from the tofu bowls and adding some cucumber and avocado. 

3. Coconut Lime Chicken by Real Simple Good with some sauteed kale and mushrooms 

4. Creamy Curried Cauliflower Lentil Soup by Minimalist Baker

5. Kale and Crispy Chickpea Salad by Minimalist Baker 

Going to write up another post next week with some tips and more recipes. You can also take a look at my Pinterest board too! 

Have you done an Elimination Diet before? What are some of your favourite recipes and go-to meals?