Off the wagon? Sabotaging yourself?
I’m often amazed at how some people have been primal for so long… yet they still UNINTENTIONALLY fall off the wagon?
I admit… I had a lot of cravings the first 6 months or so, but after that… I could care less about eating grains or anything sweet.
So what makes me different that you?
Well… I know I eat more than you, and I know you don’t crave sugar more than me, so that’s out. It’s been the only drug I’ve ever desired. I can almost make people puke just talking about some of the sugar concoctions I used to come up with. Think I’m full of it? Wanna to have a sugar eating contest? I’ll even let you bring a friend!
IN MY OPINION:
Falling off the wagon comes from hanging onto certain sugars or carbs. Better yet… sweetness in general. Lets call those “Fake Carbs.”
Too many people (*cough* formerly me) for some reason seemingly TRY to hang onto their sweet tooth (& favorite foods) by using products like stevia (which I’m not convinced is safe) or other products like those pictured above in baking, cooking or beverages. I go into this a little bit in my Becoming a Caveperson transition tips.
Perhaps these folks don’t know? Maybe they’re not willing to go through the tastebud detox period for a few weeks?
I’m banking on they don’t know. However, another excuse I often hear is, “I enjoy (x) and don’t want to get rid of it.”
Great! It’s your life and your decision. I’m not here to tell you what to do, or argue that it’s “not ok” to use or indulge in the things you enjoy. I just dont want to hear the complaining when you fall off the wagon after that super sweet stevia in your morning coffee has you reaching for the Biscotti after a few sips.
I’m also not saying all the sweets above are unhealthy or have to be cut from your diet. What I am saying is… they might be holding you back if your ultimate goal is to be a full blown paleo powerhouse.
MY SOLUTION? – Ditch EVERYTHING SWEET
Your taste buds WILL change! Just give them some time. A real chance! If you really give it a fair shot, before you know it, that dishwater tasting holiday herbal spiced tea will taste just like a mocha-something from Starbucks.
To expand on this, I even suggest ditching out of season fruit. Keep it out of sight and out of mind. At least for a while, until you’ll no longer crave sugars, fake sugars, imitation sugars, refined grains, whole grains or any of that stuff.
Paleo man never had access to fuit out of season. Do you think it was “craved” in the middle of winter? He seemed to stay healthy without it, did he not? You can get all the nutrition (and flavor) you need and more from vegetables. 8bitpixel loves to say “there is always a low sugar veggie alternative to fruits w/same or more of a vitamin/mineral”.
You can use the tool here to find foods high in certain nutrients if that’s a concern of yours.
I promise in a few weeks of being sweet stuff free, your coffee, tea, and food will taste just as good.
Not all that related, but watch this Sugar, is Sugar, is Sugar! video.
It’s true though. Whether or not a certain type of sweetener causes an insulin spike or not (which to me, is totally plausible, as your mind is anticipating something sweet, so your body is preparing for a sugar shock), sweetness is definitely a taste that gets blunted, but can be unblunted.
I’m much more appreciative of sour things now than I was before. I can’t believe how much I love sauerkraut suddenly! I can’t get enough of it! You’re actually not losing something, but gaining something. That is, appreciation of the more subtle aspects of flavour in the things you are eating!
Oh, and a side note here. What as my reCAPTCHA word? MASTODON! If only I could get my hands on one of those…
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Another thought. I think a lot of these things fall into the “trick yourself” category. I’ve been there as well, thinking, well if it’s “natural” there can’t be anything wrong with it right? Honey is natural! Agave nectar is natural! Cyanide is natural!
Same reason the “natural” salad dressing at my grocery store is really no different than the rest, other than the “Organic” label. Soybean oil as the main ingredient in all of them. Ah! But it’s natural ORGANIC soybean oil!
Another example. My only local health store in this small down has an entire aisle filled with “refined sugar” analogues. If a person buys chocolate chips made from organic cane sugar, they can justify it, because it’s surely better than that nasty refined stuff, right?
Keep in mind, I used to do similar mental tricks without realizing it back when it was just “low carb” and not evolutionary primal or paleo real food.
So we trick ourselves into fulfilling our sweet addiction by making excuses.
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@8bitpixel,
Great comments & addition to this article. I won’t even expand on them except…
1. You can have an insulin spike without even eating! I tested this on Halloween with my blood meter after I got weak and developed a migraine from seeing/smelling cookies & candy.
2. Perfect! “You’re actually not losing something, but gaining something.”
3. Crude Oil is natural, organic and vegetarian/vegan!
Let’s dine!
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I have some fruits though, sometimes an apple or dried fruit mixed with a meal. No big fruit salades, however.
No cravings, except after a non-primal glass of wine. That triggers it for me. Kill it by eating the most fatty thing I have at hand at the moment.
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@Mudbeard Welcome!
I think you have a pretty good handle on things and this isn’t much of a concern for you. I love looking at your meals!
Come visit more often!
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Recently, at my daughter’s insistence (not yet Paleo, she — unfortunately), I had a sip of a Starbucks frappeccino — whoa! it just about made me hurl. Also, I can’t stand the taste of more than a couple bites of fruit, now. Quite the change from the old, carboholic me!
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Welcome @Keith Norris! ← One of my favorite buff cavemen & fixie extraordinaire!
My Mom is the same way. You guy’s are the lucky ones!
Unfortunately I could still drink quarts of honey (literally) like water, so it’s almost all or nothing for a guy like me.
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I always love fruits and other healthy foods
Actually I have a guide for healthy recipes as part of my healthy diet!
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Well Grok, is Mari Ann your first comment spam?
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@8bitpixel Nope, but the first one that made it through. LOL – I think she was preaching her diet to the wrong crowd
For conversations sake I left her comment in, but killed the yoga & fruit diet secrets link. That there is blasphemy in meat/veggie and “lift heavy things” country! Ha-ha
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8bitpixel, agreed with the “trick-yourself” method. I know a girl at work who has suffering through various calorie-reduction diets and literally puts Splenda into her water just to fool herself. After 4 years, she’s still overfat, probably more so than ever. Low-calorie diet that still contains grain is simply a semi-starvation diet that does little to correct the body’s energy balance. Sooner or later, the starving body will have the upper hand.
When will the rest of us realize that consuming fake (no-calorie) sweeteners and chewing gum won’t fool the body when the only fuel source the body thinks it has is glucose?
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Grok, going cold-turkey has been the best and most successful method to permanent removal of refined sugar and grain-based foods… that along with motivation and time. Great post.
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@Johnny great comments. The body is a little too smart to be tricked. A whole lot smarter than us anyway
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