I was contemplating whether to blog about my ‘no sugar no dairy’ journey, but I decided that I would write about it as I hope it might help others who may be struggling with the same thing as me. So firstly, this isn’t a fad diet that I decided to do to get ‘summer body ready’, far from it. For as long as I can remember, I have always suffered with bloating and pains in my stomach after eating certain foods, and whenever I went to the doctors they just said I had IBS (irritate bowl symptom). So I continued eating all the different food group, hoping that the bloating would one day stop or go away, but it never did. Around Christmas time, I let myself indulge ALOT! I ate all the chocolate, cake, bread, turkey, pigs in blankets, cheese and desserts that I wanted, after all, it was Christmas and when else can you indulge that much and get away with it? However, I ended up triggering something in my gut that then made it impossible for me to eat anything without feeling bloated, gassy and in pain. So at the start of the year I knew something needed to change!
After numerous trips to the doctors, who just said the exact same thing and never helped, I did some research and came across Naturopathy. A Naturopath aims to bring an individual back to a homeostatic state by achieving whole body equilibrium through the use of dietary advice, herbal medicines and nutrient supplementation alongside lifestyle changes. I booked an appointment as I had nothing to lose and felt I was at breaking point with my stomach, so any advice would be welcome. And to my amazement, it was the best thing I ever did! I was diagnosed with something called candida, something I had never heard of before but that is a very common misdiagnosed condition in a lot of people. In short, candida is a pathogen that takes advantage of a disruption in the balance of micro-organisms in your gut. I was told that sugar feeds candida, and that I must therefore eliminate it from my diet. I couldn’t imagine myself not being able to eat sugar, no more mid afternoon chocolate breaks or dipping digestive biscuits into my evening cup of tea. However, I was in so much pain and distress every day that I had got to a point where I would cut out pretty much anything from my diet if it was to get rid of the hideous bloating I was experiencing. I also had tests done that found that I had an intolerance to dairy (this is not the same as being allergic, just that my gut had become intolerant to dairy products) which meant I also needed to cut this out my diet too. I was put on a ‘candida-diet’ food plan, along with supplements and natural medicine – and my no sugar no dairy journey began!
I must point out, I did not give up ALL sugars – I still ate some fruits which have natural sugars in, and ate things like sauces and sourdough bread which also have forms of sugar in. What I did cut out were the obvious sugars, the sweet treats like chocolate, cake, biscuits, sweets, ice cream, cereal bars – all my favourite things (yep, it was hard!) I also had never realised how many foods had dairy in, and not being able to have milk, yoghurt or cheese was a real struggle. Nevertheless, cutting these two simple food groups out, changed my relationship with food for the better!
How much sugar was I originally eating?
So where was my starting point? I have always eaten relatively healthily; I eat home cooked meals, exercise often and like the way my body looks, however I was a constant picker and definitely did not like how my body felt on the inside! I always had to have a sweet treat in the afternoon due to the typical mid afternoon energy slump, and I got into the habit of eating something sweet every evening before bed like tea and biscuits. So I suppose I was eating quite a bit of sugar every day without even realising, and therefore feeding the candida more and more in my gut.
During the 6 weeks, what alternatives did I eat to sugar & dairy?
Honestly? Not many – it was a struggle. If I was craving something sweet I would either have fruit (strawberries, blueberries & raspberries) with a dollop of coconut yoghurt or I would have a slab of Ombar dairy free chocolate. But as the weeks went on, the craving for sugar did gradually go as I was being so strict, and I got into the habit of snacking on things like carrots & hummus, nuts and other savoury snacks instead. As I am a biscuit lover, I replaced my beloved chocolate digestives with Nairns gluten & dairy free biscuits (but they still had sugars in so I tried to keep these to a minimum). In terms of dairy, I drank almond milk in my tea and soya milk in my coffee (and I actually found that I preferred them both). I also bought a dairy free spread for when I made avocado on toast and tried some dairy free cheese.
Quitting sugar & dairy (weeks 1 – 2):
The first few days were a real stuggle, I craved the stodgy sugary foods but managed to battle against it. Then the sluggish and tiredness feeling hit me, I was a tad moody and felt more emotional than usual. Then around day 4/5 I felt SO much better, my body was getting use to the no sugar/dairy plan – and I think it was secretly thanking me as I was slowly starting to cleanse my body (and not feed the candida). The second week I was getting headaches, I think this was due to my body cleansing out the rubbish that was in it – but by this time I was enjoying this new food plan. I actually prefer almond and soya milk now, and I don’t think I’ll ever go back to normal dairy products. The way it makes me feel is the reason why I wouldn’t go back, the bloating went so quickly (which was the hardest thing I was battling) and I felt ‘lighter’, like I was being kinder to my gut.
Quitting sugar & dairy (weeks 3 – 6):
By this point, I was use to not having sugar and dairy in my diet and was feeling so much better. My stomach was flat as a pancake, I wasn’t experiencing bloating anymore and wasn’t gassy after eating. The new food plan had shrunk my stomach so I found myself eating less yet surprisingly having more energy. I dropped 6 pounds in the first four weeks (something that I never use to be able to do in that short space of time) and I felt so much better in myself. It was a miracle feeling for me because I can’t explain how uncomfortable I felt prior to taking on this challenge.
What is my long term plan?
I plan to gradually re-introduce dairy and sugar back into my diet, however I have become quite use to this new way of eating and actually prefer some things and will be sticking to a lot of it. I don’t think I will ever go back to drinking normal milk, I love my almond and soya alternatives and the health benefits are so much better. In terms of sugar, I am going to definitely stick to cutting back on the obvious sugars, especially as my gut has cleansed and feels so much better for it. However, going forward I will always allow myself a pizza or a bar of chocolate if I want it. I will eat it, just all in moderation!
I hope this helps anyone who is experiencing or suffering with gut problems, and maybe gives you that push to go and get it sorted by seeing a Naturopath. By simply eliminating two obvious food groups from my diet, I have managed to rid my symptoms, lose weight and become healthier in the process.
Olivia x