Givin' up the good stuff for Lent: reflections on my food evolution

I grew up loving everything sweet and junk food-related. Chips ahoy cookies, Doritos, Fruit-roll up's, juice, Sprite, you name it, I probably loved it. I also had and still continue to have a very big appetite...which really goes to show that I love food, but not until too many years ago did I always know good quality food.

But through the years, especially my teen years when I cut back on butter, soda, and lots of the bad stuff in order to impress the boys and improve my physique, I have gone through my food hating years because of those darn adolescent body insecurities. I have always been a big athlete and played soccer, basketball and tennis growing up, in high school and went on to play tennis at my college too...so I was able to eat a lot of what I wanted and not worry about it but my naturally full cheeks and muscular legs brought out those critical moments in my teens where I cut back on a lot of the foods I loved.

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Anyway, I am now married to someone who really loves, appreciates, and understands food, and good quality food that is. It is funny because he grew up on Adams peanut butter, grains, fruits and all of the naturally good stuff while I was over in Connecticut eating my Taco Bell, McDonalds and granola bars pumped with lots of chocolate and other additive goodies. I know he now appreciates the healthy lifestyle his mom was instilling in him and despite the fact that I loved all of my treats as a kid, I know when I have kids I will be enforcing a whole new code of ethics to them.

Through dating and now being married to my husband, I have learned to branch out and try foods I never would have considered in the past, some of these foods are even now some of my most favorite things to eat---beets, duck, lamb, radishes, pineapple, a variety of greens etc. I have to say it helps that I am not too picky but even still some of these foods made me cringe, gag, and turn the other direction. Growing up I really hated pineapple, I couldn't stand the smell, or taste and told people I was allergic so I wouldn't have to eat it, that and milk--which now that I think of it, is pretty funny because if you know me well, you know my favorite food of all time is CHEESE and cheese doesn't happen without good old Mr. Milk :) My husband has helped me to learn to cook, to understand that being able to do recipes doesn't mean you are a good cook but rather being able to pull ingredients from your frig and know the basic techniques and skills to pull something simple and delicious together is the real art of cooking. To say a long story short, I think I have come along way from my junk food days, not to say I don't still love me some greasy potato chips or a casserole, because I certainly do but I think I not have a real appreciation for 'good' food and I also eat a lot cleaner and healthier than I ever did in the past.

So getting to my point, since the hubby and I don't buy a lot of junk aka processed foods....one would think I would be fine giving up refined sugars for Lent but it has proven to be quite a challenge for me. I think that is because I have discovered that sugar lives and breathes in sooooo much of the food we eat, it really is quite scary. Here are a few items I have had to nix for my effort:

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-mayonnaise 

-ketchup

-most cereals

-no yogurt except FAGE

-no granola bars or protein bars...even those KIND bars I thought were pretty healthy

-all juice products but Green Machine Naked juice...it is a good thing I like to take unsweetened cran juice and mix it with water--watch out to those of you who have never tried this, it is pretty darn T.A.R.T!!

-peanut butter, we even buy the Natural Skippy so I got a natural brand with the oil on the top, again it is good that I love any type of pb

-desserts

-most breads, again it is a good thing that I am partial to a wheat bread from Sprouts that has no sugar added

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My diet has become quite limited because as I mentioned sugar lives and reigns in most of what we Americans eat so I really have had to be careful. This challenge has been hard at times. My husband has had to steer me clear of the cookies, and rows of candy at the grocery store but I have to say that I do feel healthier, know my body is thanking me and really do have some awesome self control. Go me! So I am steering clear of sugar but missing a few of my favorite things that I love every once in awhile-those being cookie dough and these little monsters you can find at most grocery stores and target..

Lofhouse Sugar Cookies
{image from google}

Although these cookies are delish, super soft, ubber sweet and they melt in your mouth, the association I have with them is much greater than their colorful (their happy bright colors and themed colors for the holidays make me smile) and sweet perfection. These little lovelies take me back to my college years--- one of our tennis captains would bring these to our matches and it was a wonderful yummy reward. I also had these with some of my besties while watching Greys or just hanging out. When my BFF and I moved to D.C. we went on to share in these cookies together and had a box of them when I stayed with her a week before I moved to California. These cookies spell out a walk down memory lane and fun times shared with some of my closest friends.

I am going to keep with my sugar free way of life and know that once Lent is over it still isn't good to indulge much in sugar or have much of it in your every day but there is alwys room for a little sweetness once in a while and boy right now my sugar devil is trying to convince me to run out and capture a box of these cookies at the store.

Happy Tuesday, to you all~