Sugar Jitters!

Is it possible to go through sugar withdrawal? I'll let you know. I decided that for Lent, I was going to try to restrict my sugar intake just like I have with Braden. It's not that sugar is necessarily bad, but we consume way too much. What makes it even more difficult is that there is no dietary guideline which tells you how much sugar you should be eating. I initially started this research about a year ago, after we were having some aggressive behaviors with Braden. Sugar has been shown, and I think we all know, to cause hyperactivity in some kids. And since Braden has been known to be addictive to certain types of food, we knew we had to try to reduce his sugar intake.

Diet for Braden has always been important to us. It was the one thing that we could do to try to help Braden when we first received his diagnosis. At that time, we didn't know where to start, when we would get in to see doctors, or even what to do. This was about the time that Jenny McCarthy's book came out about her son and all the therapies/strategies she had tried, with success. The big idea that hit home with us was diet. Braden LOVED dairy. He was addicted to it. If I would meet the mommy's out for lunch, I had to pack his yogurt and cheese stick or there would be a melt down at lunch time. We started with eliminating dairy, or really casein. We took out any food item that contained it. I chuckle to myself as I sit here now and type this oh so matter-of-factly! But at the time, I was scared! I had no idea what Braden would eat and what we would eat! Cheese is in all of our favorite meals! But we learned to read food labels and avoid all dairy items and learned about all the wonderful products out there that he can eat. Rice milk became a staple in our house. And just recently we have switched over to coconut milk, with a plethora of products out there, including coconut yogurt! Anyway, once we took the dairy away, yes, we had behaviors. The best way to describe it, as I once read, is that the casein is not digested correctly by some children and that it enters their blood stream and has an opiate effect on them. But once the withdrawal symptoms subsided, we saw major improvements for Braden. He did begin to talk more and more importantly, the cyclic behaviors that used to consume his day stopped! (One distinct memory that I will never forget happened when I was at class. I came home and Bob told me that he and Braden had walked in a circle for 40 minutes. Braden pushed a toy shopping cart while Bob had to walk behind - Braden insisted - for 40 minutes! No talking, no singing, no stopping!) Yes, there is true power to a healthy diet. Gluten followed the casein and although I have always felt that there was not a huge impact from gluten, it seems that whenever we play with gluten and try to add it back in, we have a hyper kid!

But, let's get back to the sugar. If I thought milk/casein was in everything, boy - was I in for a rude awakening with sugar! IT'S IN EVERYTHING! This was by far the hardest thing to try to eliminate. Braden's breakfast foods were loaded with sugar! His favorite snacks were loaded with sugar! So while trying to do some research for this, I read somewhere that, although there are no guidelines, 25 g of sugar a day is more than plenty. HUH? Did I read that right? So, back to the drawing board we went. And today, I can say, that we do a pretty good job. Breakfast now focuses more on protein. Lunch is typically a sandwich (usually PB and jelly, I have found low sugar types) with a pretty normal, healthy dinner. We do allow one "dessert" a day. Braden's favorite dessert is a chocolate coconut milk fudge bar. The sugar grams aren't too bad, I want to say 8g for one bar and it's pretty yummy! I don't worry too much about naturally occurring sugars in fruit. Otherwise, I would go crazy!

But, what does this all have to do with me? Well, last year for Lent, I gave up casein and gluten. I wanted to experience what I put Braden through. And the verdict? It's not too bad! I do have to say that with the rise in celiac's disease and gluten sensitivities, new products are hitting the market and it makes shopping, oh, so much easier! Daiya has come out with this fantastic "diary" shredded cheese, and it's actually pretty good! So this year's goal is to experience his sugar withdrawal :) This will just make a better me and will force me to look at what I eat. I don't think I honestly do too bad on a day to day basis, but when those before bed snack munchies hit me, what do I reach for? Sugar! Peanut M&M's, ice creams, cookies! I am also trying to watch my intake of aspartame and sucralose, aka splenda, as those "things" are just so bad for me, you, all of us! I have already, gasp!, given up diet sodas! And my coffee or tea has become sugar free, no sugar, no splenda, no nothing. It took a few days, but now it's not so bad. I'm also focusing more on the bento box approach. Actually, I think I am becoming obsessed with it. I ordered Braden a box for his lunch and my lunches, with some mix and match bowls, look more like it too. I think that this is such a healthy approach to food, a little of this and a little of that! My lunch today consisted of pepperoni slices (14 to be exact), 2 slices of mozzarella, raw broccoli dipped in dairy free organic ranch dressing, a nectarine, and 1/2 a container of coconut milk vanilla yogurt. It was pretty yummy! I'm sure I'll blog about my new obsession later, but now back to my sugar story....

So, for the next 40 days, and maybe longer (if I make it) I will be a reduced sugar junkie! Just watch out for the next few days. If you live near me and see my hands shaking or see a crazy woman running through the grocery store madly grabbing candy, it's just Heather going through sugar withdrawal! :)