GIVING UP SUGAR

Receiving that Cheshire cat grin, you know the broad smile children of all ages give to their mom's comments or questions.

"Good luck with that!" exclaimed my daughter in response to my parting comment, "I believe I have to give up sugar."

The weather couldn't have been better. It was one of those beautiful, perfect Spring days. In fact, it was the 15th of May 2018. She was on a mission with her large blue purse slung over her shoulder, key chain in hand, leaving with my granddaughters. Errands were on the agenda.

***

It was Flag Day! If you are wondering, it was Thursday, the 14th of June 2018.

After finishing my third physical therapy appointment that was ordered by my Medicare doctor, my plan was to stop by my former primary physician's office. Four years earlier, the doctor changed their specialty from the family physician to integrative practice, and the doctor's office no longer accepts any type of insurance. Now, it was strictly an out-of-pocket expense. Pay and go!

Conveniently, the doctor's office was less than two blocks away from the physical therapy office. My purpose was twofold. One, the supplement, which was prescribed by the doctor many years ago for acid reflux, was no longer giving me relief from the burning discomfort and stomach pains. This led to purpose two, an appointment was wanted the sooner, the better.

Luckily, my doctor overheard my conversation with the receptionist. Amazingly, the doctor was able to see me immediately. Either the doctor's patient was late or the scheduled patient had to cancel, the reasons were irrelevant. My medical issues were going to be addressed. Grateful, there wouldn't be days or weeks waiting to be seen.

Fortunately, the night before, with so many aches, pains, and feeling unwell, a list of medical issues was written on paper and neatly folded, placing it in my purse. Being prepared, gave me comfort and confidence.

Following the doctor, normal procedures were in order. First, my weight was required and noted. Really, my weight wasn't good. It was totally dreadful! No matter how much walking or eating less, my weight continued to climb.

After the weight in, the doctor quickly walked into their office with me trudging along behind. All the vitals were taken, then the doctor inquired, "What seems to be the problem?"

Have you noticed the doctor always starts with that same question? At that point, my purse held the answer to the doctor's question. Pulling my list out from my purse and unfolding the paper, my medical issues were read from top to bottom. Of course, the doctor was reviewing my chart and attentively listened to each item mentioned.

"What have you been eating for breakfast, lunch, and dinner?" the doctor quizzed. My brain wondered, "What? What have I been eating?"

Slowly, my recall button kicked in. Briefly giving the doctor a few of the meals eaten over the last day and a half. After recalling food eaten over a twenty-four to thirty-six-hour period, the routine exam began of ears, nose, throat, and abdomen in that order.

Finally, the doctor proclaimed, "You have a toxic digestive system." My ears could barely hear the words. The doctor automatically reiterated their diagnosis.

Then, the doctor added, "No sugar!"

"No sugar!" I stuttered.

While my brain was thinking, did you or did you not mention giving up sugar a month ago? The doctor walked away and returned, giving me a copy of the diet. Thinking, this diet is really good since it provided boundaries. Doctors like to give you ambiguous diet instructions. You have heard them.

"Cut calories! Cut carbs! Cut out salt!"

Terrific, a written guide was what had been missing all along. Everything was spelled out as to what could be eaten and what was to be avoided.

Reading the heading on the 8 1/2 x 11 paper, the Initial Phase Diet was formerly known as the Phase One Diet. By the way, when asked, I often refer to my no-sugar diet as Phase One.

Along with the Initial Phase Diet, the doctor prescribed medication which had to be taken as instructed and started two weeks after maintaining the diet. As I drove home, my body was tired and my stomach was hungry.

Naturally, my return home caused emotional turmoil with me crying inwardly. Unthinkable, there was ample food in the pantry. In fact, there was plenty of food in the refrigerator too. However, the food that we had wasn't on my new diet. Except for one lonely green Granny Smith apple, the apple was peeled, sliced, and devoured.

Nevertheless, the no-sugar diet kicked off a new lifestyle change. It was a new challenge, becoming a new learning experience. Learning as we went, do we buy online or locally? For starters, we purchased vegetables locally. Now, vegetables like zucchini, cauliflower, and broccoli were on the shopping list.

Unfortunately, peas, corn, and beans with the exception of green beans were excluded from the shopping list. Of course, goat yogurt, cream cheese, berries, and nuts moved up to the top of the grocery run list.

Naturally, during the first few months, my google search went into overdrive. My search for almond flour led me to Thrive, but after three orders, you had to have a membership. With two food club memberships, my budget did not justify a third. Gradually, our online searches for Keto recipes rewarded us with many exceptional dishes and wonderful meals

Along the lifestyle change journey, Costco started to carry more Keto items. For me, it was a game-changer. Since the Keto items were allowed under my no-sugar, Phase One Diet, our shopping became easier. By Googling items, such as coconut Aminos, almond flour, almond butter, avocado mayo, avocado oil, etc., Vitacost became an online source along with LuckyVitamin for purchasing items that weren't available or found locally. In fact, I kept a food journal for the first year and a half. This is highly recommended, it simply helps to stay focused and on track.

Recalling, the Initial Phase Diet paper, the first item listed is Sugar None, artificial and herbal sweeteners like Stevia, and Stevia Plus were allowed. Thankfully, Costco carried a year's supply of stevia packets online. Initially, it was expensive but worth it. Sadly, as they say, all good things come to an end. Costco stopped offering stevia online. Now, Costco carries the stevia monk fruit packets in their warehouse stores.

As for fruits, all berries, green apples, avocados, lemons, grapefruit, limes, and fresh coconut are wonderful. Which is a nice selection of fruits, did you notice that bananas, peaches, pears, watermelon, pineapple, papaya, etc. were excluded from the list?

When it comes to meats, virtually all meats were included such as fish, poultry, and beef. But, don't touch the breaded meat. Yep, breaded meat was excluded. However, eggs were on the allowed list. When it comes to dairy, milk and butter substitutes are out, while sour cream, unsweetened whipping cream, organic cheese, sparingly cream cheese, butter, and organic yogurt being the best. Obviously, we do purchase our fair share of unsweetened almond milk and coconut milk as our dairy substitutes.

Indeed, a lot more vegetables have found their way to our table. Since most fresh, unblemished vegetables were allowed; however, giving up potatoes, corn and legumes really weren't as bad as it sounds. I can't say enough about cauliflower. Indeed, cauliflower is a great substitute for potatoes and even pasta. We found a great recipe for mac & cheese using cauliflower. During the Summer, cauliflower, broccoli, and shrimp salad are delicious. Then, we discovered a pizza crust recipe that is made using cauliflower and mozzarella cheese that makes my day.

Learning that food processors sell prepackaged shredded cheese dusted in corn starch, we gave up purchasing the shredded. Now, we grate our own cheese. Remember! No corn is allowed on a no sugar diet. Zucchini is so versatile and can be used as a substitute for spaghetti when spiraled. It's fantastic in smoothies. Oh my, I can't forget the yummy zucchini muffins.

If you are wondering about beverages, herbal teas, bottled or filtered water, freshly made lemonade with stevia as a sweetener replaces all those coffee, teas, and regular or diet sodas. Keeping in mind, you are allowed zero grains. No grains! In addition, there's a big no for pasta, rice, corn, wheat, buckwheat, etc. Besides no grains, you can't have any yeast. It's just not allowed.

When it comes to oils, there are several choices, such as olive, grape, virgin coconut, and avocado oil. You probably guessed that corn oil, peanut oil, and trans oils are a no, no. As for nuts, all the nuts are on the eat list with the exception of peanuts and pistachios.

Now, we don't use soy sauce, commercial salad dressings, and pickles. On the other hand, we can have vinegar, black olives, and unpasteurized apple cider vinegar which is a must-have in our pantry.

While no corn chips are allowed, we found Natural Grocers has the Siete chips and the chia almond flour tortillas. After two years, my doctor has given the go-ahead for brown rice and oatmeal as an occasional or minimal food choice.

In my opinion, it's best to focus on the foods you can eat. No matter whether you are eliminating sugar or making any other dietary changes, you need to stay positive. No negatives allowed! Really! While a food journal isn't necessary, from my own personal experience, you will stay focused and stay on track. Writing down what you consume for each meal and snack, you can comment on the good, the bad, or the occasionally ugly. As a matter of fact, it's good to write down your reactions to a new recipe that you thought was going to be good only to discover it was exceptional. It's star-worthy!

At the end of the day, what you eat affects your body and your health. It's always important to stay healthy! After over three years following the Initial Phase Diet also known as Phase One Diet and no-sugar diet, I'll leave you on an encouraging note, "You got this! You too can eliminate sugar in your diet!"

Writer's notes: Thank you for reading my non-fiction story. With all my love, this story is dedicated to my grandkids.