I hope all of the mothers out there had a great Mother’s Day.
Yesterday was my third mother’s day and I hope to celebrate many many more in
the future. Being a mother is such a privilege and although my rugrats can
drive me crazy sometimes they are the reason I started to focus on my health
and wellness. I could not imagine not being there for all of their special
moments – big or small.
My sugar detox was something that I knew I had to do
although I dreaded it for quite a while. I had way too much of a weakness for
sweets. I did not have one specific reason for completing this detox but a
number of them - a desire to lose the baby weight and wanting to rebalance my
sugars, and sticking to my goal to focus more on nutrition. I really also
believe that after having my baby girl naturally I felt a greater sense of
empowerment over my body.
That empowerment helped me complete this detox - one of my
biggest personal challenges. The detox definitely left me with physical changes;
however the mental changes and realizations I gained far outweighed the
physical. If you are considering this detox I would highly recommend it. Below
are just a few of the outcomes I experienced.
1. Smaller Waistline
It could or could not have been the detox but I am only an
inch or two away from fitting into my pre-pregnancy pants. In addition to my
smaller waistline I also feel a lot lighter and less weighed down.
2. Energy Increase
As a result of feeling lighter my energy increased. It was
easier for me to get up in the morning even while I was getting up multiple
times throughout the night to nurse. I also
didn’t have any slumps throughout the day.
3. More Health-Focused Family
One thing that made the detox easier was that hubby also
participated with me. If you plan on doing this and live with other people I
would encourage you to get them on board as well so that you have a support
system and less temptations.
Additionally, I also cut out added sugars to baby boy’s
meals. Surprisingly he ate everything up
and it made me wonder why I even added sugars to his food to begin with.
Knowing that my family is eating healthier makes me feel so
good. I have a long way to go with baby boy, but the small changes that he’s
accepted makes me very hopeful.
4. Smoother Skin
My skin is one of my biggest insecurities. In my early 20s I
had very bad cystic acne, which left me with A LOT of scars. I always had a
suspicion that my diet could have had something to do with it but I never
wanted to admit it. My skin has a long way to go but I really believe the detox
helped it become smoother and keep new breakouts/pimples at bay.
5. Exploration of New Foods
Instead of thinking about all of the foods I couldn’t eat on
the detox I changed my mindset to consider all of the foods I rarely eat or
have never even tried. I went to the Farmer’s Market weekly (now part of my
routine) and bought a variety of foods, often times picking up something I have
never cooked with before. This exercise opened my eyes to how boring my diet
used to be and how much more food I have to choose from. The pictures below are
just some of the things I created and ate in the last three weeks.
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| Daikon Fries |
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| Roasted Zucchini Salad and Steak |
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| Homemade Tomato Basil Soup and Salad |
6. Cravings for Sweets Decreased
The first few days of the detox were hard. All I wanted was
a chocolate bar and going to the store and seeing sugar everywhere made it even
harder. After the first week however those cravings slowly died down, which of
course was part of the purpose of this whole thing. A month ago my heart used
to jump for joy at the mention of ice cream or dessert and although it still
sounds good now, the level of excitement is not nearly as high and knowing what
sugar does to my body gives me the strength to pass it up.
7. Thirst for Nutritional Knowledge Increased
Out of all of the effects of the detox the greatest one in
my opinion is my newfound thirst for nutritional knowledge. Throughout the
detox I watched so many documentaries and have read so many books that I don’t
think I could ever go back to the way I used to eat. I have learned that food
is powerful and has the power to heal and any food that destroys the body
really isn’t food at all. Overall, this detox was one of the best things I
could have done for myself and I am excited to continue learning more.
I am sure I will have days where I consume some unhealthy
food and sugar, but I now know that those days will be few and far between. Moving
forward I am committing to a diet that will nurture my body, not destroy it.