Most of us caffeine drinkers and refined sugar eaters are completely content with our habits of consumption and find no need for reassessment. Even if we hear that we ought to reassess said habits, we think, 'no way, I'm handling it, and these things help me handle it and enjoy handling it!' Perhaps if you're reading this essay, you're like me and have realized that you're really not happily handling it and have thus reached a point of reassessment. Whether you've made a connection between caffeine or refined sugar and your chronic illness or you can't afford the habit anymore or are unhappy with the effects of it on your mind and body, you're in the right place to learn from someone who has already gone through the ringer.
In college, I used to wake up each morning and brew and drink an entire pot of very black coffee along with an average of four pieces of wheat toast with peanut butter, banana, and honey on top. Some mornings, I might trade out the toast for a big bran muffin or a bowl of oatmeal loaded with raisins and brown sugar from the cafeteria. And during the day, I'd have fruit and Clif bars for a snack. Lunch and dinner were savory meals with plenty of vegetables, but late at night, I'd always need something sweet like dark chocolate or yogurt with lots of granola or a cookie to keep going or to fall asleep feeling satisfied. On a really late night, I might even have another cup of coffee or caffeinated tea to help myself stay awake. Granted, I was an athlete, and that physical activity and lack of alcohol and partying in my life is probably what preserved the health of my otherwise sleep deprived and stressed out body. Refined sugar and caffeine were my crutches. Even before that, I can think back to high school, sitting in front of the television in the morning eating a bowl of highly processed cereal or mini cinnamon raisin bagels with cream cheese or running out the door with a PopTart. And as an even younger child, I was constantly eating candy, popsicles, cereal, and juice in between the healthier meals my parents prepared for us.
These old habits die hard. At the last few restaurant jobs I worked, I found myself guzzling discounted coffee and sweet snacks to work efficiently and get through my shifts with a smile. Even after I stopped working those kinds of jobs and spent more days waking up slow and doing what I please, I still continued my cherished morning ritual of brewing a cup of strong black coffee and enjoying it with some rice cakes with peanut butter and jelly spread on top. I had even cut out the wheat and dairy long ago and thought that my habits were now much healthier. The tastes and textures, the smells, the moments dedicated to eating and drinking alone (and feeling the sensation of caffeine and sugar hitting the blood stream) were glorious. Though the rush and the grind of working full time was gone, I still thought of my morning breakfast time as 'me time' in preparation for the day and dealing with the world, and I hated being interrupted. So, you can imagine my annoyance when my partner started suggesting that I quit coffee, 'joking' about my being addicted, questioning the cost financially and to my health, or when he would make a comment about sugar, even in abundance from fruits, being quite bad for a person. I ignored him for a while, but then a chronic health condition started to rear it's ugly head, and I realized that I couldn't ignore that any longer. I didn't even have to research to know that sugar and coffee make the body more acidic, and the body in an acidic state is in a sickly state. Alkalization allows for healing on the cellular level. This little bit of information combined with my increasingly painful symptoms and the weight I realized that I had been gaining around my midsection inspired me to re-evaluate my diet big time.
Here is a perhaps humorous compilation of evidence of my previous ways and how much I loved them:
For nearly three months now, I have not had any coffee or refined sugar. I have had lots of vegetables, some fish, olive and coconut oils, olives, coconut, 3-4 servings of whole fruit per day (not including lemons and limes) as well as an abundance of apple cider vinegar and select herbal teas, fresh culinary herbs, and spices! My skin condition is finally starting to improve, and my body is showing major signs of detox and re-balance. I can tell it's working hard to repair years worth of damage from what I ate and drank and put on my body in the past which culminated into this illness. I can say with confidence that my energy levels are more stable; I'm saving money by not buying coffee and as many processed foods that are so often laden with sugar; healing is happening; and I still love and enjoy eating just as much as I did before. This is not to say that I will never drink coffee or eat refined sugar again, but that I needed to make a change and stick to it for now until I am healthier again, ideally healthier than ever! Here's how I broke the sugar and caffeine addiction and you can too:
Quit cold turkey, and do a fast.
I quit drinking coffee, and then three days later, I started a three day lemon water fast, meaning that I did not eat or drink anything other than water with lemon juice squeezed in for three days. Once I broke the fast, I had no cravings for refined sugar or caffeine. All I wanted was real wholesome food! I have not introduced or felt 'tempted' to reintroduce refined sugar since. I recommend doing a fast when you have nothing else to do except rest and relax. I spent my three days surfing the net, watching movies, TV, listening to podcasts, and going on very short walks. Maybe the next time you have a long weekend or can take time off of work, give it a try. I know from personal experience that it would have been very difficult if not impossible for me to do this while working full time away from home. Perhaps if you cannot take the time off, maybe start with a one day fast, or just quit the caffeine and refined sugar cold turkey and continue eating whatever else you normally do, or try also eliminating other foods that you think might be problematic for you.
Another way that I have continued to stay off of the sugar roller coaster is with intermittent fasting. I can say from my personal experience in the last two months that this is not just a fad; it really works at helping to maintain healthy weight, body fat, and appetite! Intermittent fasting is simple and actually very easy. The way I do it is that I stop eating by 6 p.m. every night, and then I don't eat again until 9:30-10 a.m. the next morning. This means that I am fasting for 15.5-16 hours every 24 hours. This is proven to allow your body to rejuvenate itself more effectively. I learned a lot about ketogenics and intermittent fasting from Dr. Eric Berg whose 'Big Overview for Beginners' video on the topic can be viewed here:
Also, Ori Hofmekler shares a lot of information on the Model Health Show podcast:
Since practicing intermittent fasting myself, I now no longer wake up immediately needing sugar and coffee. I used to be a complete grouch until I got it! Now, I could probably actually go for most of the day without eating on a given day and be fine. Usually, I start my morning with warm herbal tea with lemon, and it gets my insides going just as well though less violently than coffee did.
Replace what you were after before.
The second step is to replace whatever you were after with the caffeine and sugar before which is most likely one of the following: nutrients, energy, joy/pleasure/comfort. Believe it or not, these can all easily and even more effectively be achieved without caffeine or refined sugar. Once you break the cycle and simply remove the stimulants, your body summons lots of energy on its own from itself and from the other healthy foods you're eating! I not only recommend adding in a variety of more nutritious foods but also a vitamin B complex supplement as well as mineral drops which can be added your drinking water. And as much as I loved my breakfasts before for how good they tasted, I enjoy them just as much now, along with all of my other meals, knowing that I'm nourishing my body by giving it what it needs to function optimally, and it tastes good. Fasting or just going without refined sugar for long enough also resets your taste buds in a way that makes whole foods taste more amazing than they probably ever did to you before. Now, some organic blueberries or strawberries or a fresh young coconut is a most special treat! I find myself craving dark leafy greens and good fats cooked and seasoned well.
Incorporate fruit well.
It's not 'sugar' that's the enemy; it's refined sugar. Fruits are delicious and extremely nutritious for a reason, though if you're having trouble kicking the habit with refined sugar or have a disease, it would probably best benefit you to modify your fruit intake. I used to eat fruit all day, especially whenever I was feeling low energy and craved something sweet. I especially liked the more sugar and calorie dense fruits like bananas, mangoes, dates, papayas, pineapples, and grapes. I loved dried fruits like the dates and raisins. If you are recovering from sugar addiction or another disease, I personally recommend 1-4 servings of whole fresh fruit per day incorporated well. This means no juices or dried fruits, and instead of just eating the fruit and the fruit alone, pair it with some healthy fats, fiber, and spices! Go ahead and make a meal out of it, and watch how the cycle of craving stops. Herbs, spices, and other strong flavored additions like cinnamon and ginger can not only satisfy your palate but also offer unseen, -smelled, or -tasted benefits that will curb your appetite and settle your stomach. According to one of my favorite websites for learning about the health benefits of the foods I eat—www.whfoods.com—as little as a quarter to a half teaspoon of cinnamon per day can reduce blood sugar levels, triglycerides, and cholesterol. The spice actually “slows the rate at which the stomach empties after meals” and can help people with diabetes improve their ability to respond to insulin. Here's a link to the page with more information on cinnamon: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?dbid=68&tname=foodspice. I highly recommend this website to learn more about food as medicine! Now, I'll go ahead and share a couple of my favorite medicinal meals that will help you incorporate fruit well without sacrificing taste, satiation, and the pleasure of eating something naturally sweet!
Favorite Fruit Breakfast Bowl Recipe:
This is the meal I break my fast with almost every day. You can use whatever fruits you have on hand, but I find the following combination to be the most satisfying.
1-2 ripe bananas
1-2 fresh organic apples
1 ripe red mango
1-2 T of fresh lemon juice or apple cider vinegar (organic with the mother)
1/4-1/2 a cup of unsweetened coconut flakes
Grated ginger to taste; I like a lot!
1-3 t of powdered cinnamon
Big pinch of sea salt or Himalayan pink salt
Simply dice all of your fruits and mix together in a bowl, and then add the remaining ingredients, stir it up, and eat!
Sweet & Spiced Pumpkin Coconut Bowl Recipe:
This meal is cheap, easy to prepare, and requires no special appliances and no ingredient you can't get at Wal-Mart. All you need is a can opener, knife, cutting board, and grater if you have it as well as the interchangeable ingredients listed below.
Pumpkin
1 16 oz can of pumpkin
(have used larger can or 2 16 oz cans when pairing with 16 oz can of applesauce or when I'm really hungry)
Fruit (combine so that you have no more than 3 pieces or servings of fruit)
1 16 oz can of unsweetened applesauce
1-2 bananas
2-3 diced or grated apples (organic makes a huge difference on apples, tropical fruits not so much!)
1 diced mango
Diced orange or Cutie slices (best when in season, i.e., when in abundance and on sale!)
Seasonings
Fresh grated or very small diced ginger (1 t – 1.5 T depending on your tastes)
Cinnamon (1 t – 1 T depending on your tastes)
Generous sprinkle of high quality sea salt or Himalayan pink salt
Generous squeeze of lemon juice or 1-2 T organic unfiltered apple cider vinegar
Coconut flakes
I usually put 1/3-1/2 of a cup on top.
Note that buying these in bulk is cheaper and usually better texture than the packages in the baking aisles at the grocery store.
I feel full, satisfied, and energized for hours after eating both of these meals. It covers almost all of the tastes and textures I love, and I never want anything else right after eating this. My blood sugar and body, especially my mind, feels more strong and stable than when I would eat, say, a rice cake with peanut butter and jelly and a strong cup of coffee for breakfast. If I don't have left over dinner to eat, I'll eat one of these meals for breakfast, or incorporate it once later in the day, and I don't eat any other sweets.
An extra step in embracing quitting caffeine and refined sugars very worth mentioning is to embrace food as your medicine. I no longer eat just for taste or just out of habit or just because 'I want to'. Quitting coffee and refined sugar was not a punishment. It was part of creating a deeper meaning to my food and drink choices that is making my total health and happiness a priority. It was also a part of my goal to not waste money on food by pretty much always buying what's on sale, utilizing food assistance that I qualify for, being creative and working with what I have (and saving gas on making trips to the store), and by eating a little less and intermittent fasting.
I wish you good eats and good health!