5. OVERCOMING SUGAR
Since sugar is a plant food, sweets can be a temptation on a vegan diet. We all love desserts, but my severe stomach aches before I became vegetarian took care of my problem.
My neighbor cured her gallbladder by omitting sugar and fat. I knew I needed to quit eating sugar. I had never eaten a lot of fatty food, but I loved sweets.
The influence of another friend helped me in my battle. Lynda loved chocolate and often gave up eating chocolate food for weeks at a time. She told me that when she committed to stop eating certain foods, she wasn’t even tempted.
The stomach aches I had endured were a pretty powerful force to drive me to take necessary steps to end the trouble. I did not want surgery.
Remembering Lynda’s testimony, I decided to fast sugar. I didn’t make it a total fast, because that would have eliminated canned fruit and other items that didn’t contain a lot of sugar. I made a commitment: “I will not eat desserts containing a lot of sugar, such as pie, cake, cookies and candy.”
At first, my fast embarrassed me. We were invited to friends for an evening meal. When she served her pumpkin pie for dessert, I kindly asked, “Would you be offended if I refused your delicious pie to eat more of this tasty apple salad?” Of course, she graciously took my piece away and I helped myself to another serving of salad. That experience deepened my resolve as it made me realize we don’t have to eat everything we are offered.
Amazingly, my stomach aches ended, which encouraged me to continue my new way of eating. Another boost came with the knowledge that my choices set an example that could benefit many who suffered with the problems brought on by our sugar-laden food.
Everybody who has a sugar addiction may not want to go on a fast, but if you would like to lessen your intake, you can fold your hands over your stomach and say, “Stomach, sugar is not good for you and from henceforth you will have no more excessively sweet foods.” You may slip when temptation arises, but a determination to conquer the habit can help you rise up and begin again.
The most important step in overcoming addictions is to study the harm the addiction does to the body. After that small beginning of omitting excess sugar from my diet, I began to buy books on health and write programs to present in the communities I lived in. One of the books I have kept in my library since that time is HealthYourself by Elman and Gloria Folkenberg. A chapter in that book on pages 29 to 34 is as up-to-date as if it were written yesterday. In summary, this is what the Folkenberg’s have to say about sugar:
“Sugar destroys the ability of the 75 billion white cells in our bodies to fight in the millions of life and death battles against disease germs, bringing on sickness or death.
“When sugar is eaten constantly, adrenal glands are overworked, bringing on hypoglycemia, an exhausted pancreas and diabetes.
“Not only does sugar have zero nutrients, but it actually robs nutrients from the body, particularly from the bones and teeth.
“Excessive sugar consumption has been implicated in both high blood pressure and heart disease.
“High blood sugar converts to fat causing obesity.
“With the ingestion of large amounts of sugar, the body robs the nerves of vitamin B-1, causing depression, irritability and fatigue in adults, and hyperactivity in children.”
Fighting the sugar battle to the death bring great confidence and makes us an example in a sugar addicted world. Try the two recipes below. They are loaded with nutrition and satisfy the desire for sweets without containing any sugar.
We can turn our back on rich desserts because we know SUGAR OFTEN TURNS SOUR!
FRUITED OATMEAL GEMS
3 c old-fashioned oatmeal
1/2 c raisins
1 1/2 c mashed bananas
1 c grated apple
1/2 c walnuts or pecans
2 T unsweetened coconut
1 t vanilla
Add water to make dough pliable. Form into
small mounds on sprayed cookie sheet. Bake
at 350 for 20-25 minutes. Serve with a fruit smoothie.
FRUIT SMOOTHIE
Keep bargain-priced, peeled ripe bananas in your
freezer along with unsweetened fruit: strawberries,
apricots, peaches, blueberries, etc. Slightly thaw
what you want to blend. Blend:
1 banana
1/2 c pineapple
1/2 c of the fruit
1/4 c Thai Kitchens organic coconut milk