Putting my sweet tooth to rest for awhile

Today is day 25 of a life without soda -- namely my favorite Diet Sunkist Lemonade and it's close rival, Coke Zero.  The caffeine headache was a dull, off-and-on, nagging but not debilitating pain that lasted about 4 days.  Sleeping was restless for about 5-6 days but then the physical discomfort was over.  The psychological craving was strong for about 2 weeks.  I found that putting slices of lemon or lime in my water helped a lot.  I am trying to go completely off of artificial sweeteners, namely Aspartame (NutraSweet) and Sucralose (Splenda), and here's why:

1.  When the temperature of Aspartame exceeds 86 degrees F, the wood alcohol in Aspartame converts to formaldehyde and then to formic acid, which in turn causes metabolic acidosis. (Formic acid is the poison found in the sting of fire ants).  Acidosis is defined as a disruption of the body's acid/base (pH) balance that can be a mild symptom or can indicate a more serious problem with a major organ such as the liver, kidneys, or heart.

 

Fire Ants?  No thanks.

2.  Sucralose (Splenda) was discovered in 1976 by British scientists who were trying to formulate a new... pesticide.  So the happy (!?!) accident was, they came up with Sucralose. (Maybe it will work on those Fire Ants...)  Sucralose has caused gladular and organ disorders in rats, and is also known to decrease good bacteria in our digestive system.

3.  One of the ingredients in Diet Sunkist Lemonade, and many other citrus drinks, is Wood Rosin.  Wood rosin is in that little pouch that baseball players smack in their hands to keep them from being slippery.  You've heard of fiddlers saying "Rosin up the bow!" -- more wood rosin.  It's also a major ingredient in lacquers and shellacs -- yummy.  It's put in citrus drinks to keep the citrus oils from separating from the water in the drink.  Does my body really need it's daily dose of Wood Rosin?  I think I'll be all right if I go without it.

So while I seem to have successfully conquered the Pop Monster, I am only on Day 5 of a Sugar-free and White Flour-free diet.  I am in the trenches.  This is hard.  I love all this stuff.  Day one was difficult, kind of antsy, but I got through the day.  Day 2, the bottom fell out -- a screaming, and I mean SCREAMING headache that no ibuprofen could shake, and it lasted a good 36 hours.  My whole body ached.  I felt like I was totally dazed.  It was a Sunday and I stayed home from church -- I felt like I had a bad case of the flu.  My eyes started watering like crazy.  Day 3, I had to go to work... what was I going to say?  "Hello, I'm suffering from sugar addiction withdrawal, and I won't be in the office today..." so into the office I went, the headache now starting to wind down, but feeling very fatigued and kind of spacy.  Days 4 and 5 are getting better physically.  Little intermittent headaches, not enough to warrant medication - I am trying to eat something about every 2.5 hours and that helps with the headache, so I think my blood sugar is just trying to figure out the new normal.

I am still REALLY craving carbs however -- so far I am able to keep everything in check.  While I am cutting out sugar and white flour, I am not yet "dieting" in the official sense of the word -- I want this to work once and for all and I'm eliminating the unhealthy stuff in baby steps.  Trying to have some protein with every snack and doing this in a manageable way that will work for me.  My favorite snacks at the moment are:

• Beef rollups - 2 slices of good, non-nitrate roast beef lunchmeat spread with chive cream cheese, and some shredded cabbage from a bag -- the cabbage seems to satisfy the craving for crunch that I miss from chippy/crunchy things.
• Sauteed apples and cottage cheese - I slice and peel a Granny Smith apple, saute it in butter and lots of cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger, and plop it on top of some cottage cheese.
   
• Bell pepper slices and hummus
• Almonds and walnuts

I am realistic and know that this is going to get boring after awhile, but I really want to feel better, have the energy that I need for the months ahead of packing and moving across country so I am very motivated right now... I'm going to use that motivation in my favor!  Hopefully in a week or two my energy level will be higher, my mind will be clear from carbo-fog and the cravings won't be as strong.  I am hopeful!