Confessions of a Sugar-Loving Mom

Two or three weeks ago, I wrote that I was going to cut sugar out of my diet.  I did...for a few days.  I continued to ponder it and decrease my daily sugar intake, but I didn't continue to cut it out completely.  I like sugar!


Almost two weeks ago, I was among friends and our kids.  The occasion was a beautiful day and a picnic at one  friend's house.  The other gals had the discipline to forgo half of an Eskimo Pie for dessert.  I didn't.  I never buy Eskimo Pies.  They were a treat to me.  So, I chose to have half of one as my dessert for the day.  I felt bad because my friends and I had been discussing forgoing sugar...  And there I was eating half an Eskimo Pie!  Ay Ay Ay!  


After talking with my husband, I've been trying to eat sugar in moderation.  If I cut it out completely, I am afraid I will crave it all the more.  If I'm able to choose a dish that has less sugar in it, I am.  I've cut back the sugar in my coffee and I still drink it before anything sweet in the morning--even yogurt.  I've also been taking acidophilus pills because a friend said she had greater success with those than with eating yogurt.  


So, that's me.  I needed to confess to you that sugar is a weakness of mine--but I'm trying.  I respect my friends who are much stronger than me and were able to forgo the Eskimo Pies!

Yeast Infections

This is a bit of an odd post, but it is a harbinger of what I suspect will be several future posts.  I, like many women, have struggled with yeast infections over the years.  Due to my recent bout with poison ivy and the antibiotics I took, I am faced with this challenge again.


I went to the Nurse Practitioner at my gynecologist's office yesterday.  I learned that the Diflucan takes care of about 80% of all yeasts, but not all.  


Basically, my best option to helping my body is to take sugar out of my diet.  Sugar feeds yeast.  So, I need to take my body off the sugar kick its been on.


Honestly, I've felt this coming for a long time.  I have a good friend whose mother discovered that sugar was the contributing factor to her mood swings.  When I heard her story, a seed was planted in my mind that sugar can have more of an effect on our body than we realize.


So, last night I felt I was faced with a choice:  do I take the medication the NP prescribed to me or do I wait and see if I need it?  Do I try to do something else?  I am opting first to take out the sugar.


Here's what I've found works:


1) 3 Tbsp of Apple Cider Vinegar in a pan with 2 cups of water.  This is a good soak and wash when the itching.  You can only use over the counter vaginal creams externally 3 or 4 times a day.  This is a natural way to help.


2) The NP says that cranberry pills work for some.  Not cranberry juice because of the sugar in it.


3) Probiotic/Activia yogurt works for some.  Not everyone.


4) Drink lots of water to flush out your system.  This is one I am horrible about and need to work on.


5) The final suggestion I've found is to take out the sugar.  That's the one I'm trying now.  


I'm going to be looking into what this means for my diet. I have requested a diabetic cookbook for review.  I cut the amount of sugar in my coffee by half this morning--I couldn't quite do without it completely.  I am realizing all the little ways that sugar is in the food I eat throughout the day.  We'll see how this goes...