No Sugar Please

Over a month ago, in desperation to feel better (see post below), I joined a gym and made the decision to slowly take our family off refined sugar. I now realize that all of that will definitely help me have better overall health but certainly not the direct reasoning for constantly feeling "under the weather". I'm getting used to going to the gym and it DOES make me feel better. I take two classes, Body Pump (weightlifting), and Body Flow (yoga, Pilate's, and Tai chi) and I'm addicted.

As far as the refined sugar, the kids are doing so much better off of it. It is a decision I made early on when Keilana was a toddler but got a little lazy and gave in. It's a very complicated thing to avoid because it is in EVERYTHING we eat, but I can see the results in my children and I, myself, am craving less and less sugar. I started this about 3-4 weeks ago and when I did I was fed up with Keilana and Kayden acting desperate for cookies, ice cream, chocolate and anything that was loaded with refined sugar. Keilana would throw miserable temper tantrums that would last 30-45 minutes and if I told her no to candy or "junk food", she would flip out and Kayden was following in right behind her. She is sleeping better at night, her temper tantrums are fewer in between and if there is one, it only last about 10 minutes, a little more if she is exhausted. I'm realizing that there ARE really good recipes out there for cookies, cake and even hot chocolate that use natural sugars instead of what our body's are so used to. Unfortunately, it IS more expensive to eat healthy but I consider it preventative care. So some might think I'm depriving my kids of their childhood and not allowing them to be a kid but in the end, what do you think the results will be?

*Add-on* We have also started going with browns such a brown rice and whole wheat bread. In fact, Kayden's birthday cake was made with whole wheat flour and Agave Nectar, a natural sugar. I'll explain more about that in an upcoming post about his birthdays.