Nutrition Quarterly Fall 2022

SUGAR Kicking My Habit By Dottie Beck, Fitness Enthusiast & Trainer spent most of my life as a sugar addict. Raised on Pop-Tarts and PB&J, sugar had been a large part of my life since I was a small child. I would crave sugar after every meal and eating out always included dessert. With a background in nutrition, I knew the “right” way to eat, but didn’t always practice what I preached, especially when it came to foods containing sugar. As I got older and became more aware of my body and how it reacted to things, I started to notice some discomfort after eating sweets. I felt OK after eating some sugary foods, and extremely bloated and fatigued after consuming other treats. A few years ago, I had a friend who struggled with discomfort after eating meals. She filled me in on a food sensitivity test that she heard about from a colleague at work. She had just received her results and called me to share her findings. My friend was sensitive to just about everything— gluten, dairy, fruit, some nuts, and a laundry list of other common foods. As disappointing as this was for her, she now owned a specific guide to help keep her from feeling sluggish, bloated, swollen, breaking out in hives, and every other symptom that would erupt when she sat down to eat meals. I decided to take the same test secretly hoping I’d be sensitive to sugar so I could convince my brain to kick the habit. It took about a week to get the results back and I remember being so nervous to open the email and find out my destiny! It turns out I have been living with a lactose sensitivity. Lactose is the main sugar in milk and other dairy products, which means it’s in almost everything I had been eating my whole life! Kicking the habit didn’t happen overnight, but it made me more conscious of the foods I eat every day. Don’t get me wrong, every now and then I splurge and eat chocolate cake, but by the next morning my body is punishing me which makes it super easy to get back on track! Our fridge is now fully stocked with organic oat, almond, and even sometimes cashew milk and we all prefer these options over the lactose- containing cow’s milk. Additionally, I’ve been baking with natural sweeteners such as agave, applesauce, and real maple syrup. I still eat fruit (which contains Fructose) because my body has a happy reaction to natural sugar. After all, I could never give up my post-workout recovery shake which is loaded with fruity goodness! I Nutrition Quarterly · Series 3 – Volume 4 9 Featured Articles