7 Years On…

It’s been 7 and a half years now since I went Practically Sugar-Free, and I thought it might be good to share an update. I know I have posted many posts over the years, but 7 years seems like a bit of a milestone. I think reviewing and reflecting is an important part of us. It can be incredibly empowering, and an opportunity for us to explore our journey forward.

Quickly for those that don’t know, back in January 2017, I went sugar free, as much as I could. So I cut out all processed sugars, things like cereals, canned soups, fizzy drinks, cakes, biscuits (cookies), and many other things. I still ate fruit, bread, and potatos. I had become so overwhelmed by the amount of sugar free diets, and celebs saying you should do this, or you can’t have that. Everyone seemed to have something different to say, and I was left overwhelmed and confused. So, I decided to do it my way, and it worked. I created a plan that worked for me, and discovered that sugar free me living was about so much more than just the food we eat. It is about our relationship with food, the beliefs we have developed since childhood, and our mindset. Mindset, and developing a healthier relationship with food I discovered are key to eating a healthier diet, and living a healthier lifestyle. As a result of my positive experiences, I have gone on to run successful sugar free workshops, which have helped others also change their eating patterns.

Back in 2016, I gave up sugar on a trial basis because I was losing weight for my brothers wedding, within just 6 weeks, I saw the most incredible results, and this was life changing. I have never looked back.

7 years on a lot has changed for me yet, I am still practically sugar free. I moved to the other side of the UK, 5 years ago. This was a huge change and bought various challenges with it. I now have a private counselling practice here in Cumbria. I like many battled with Covid during the pandemic more than once, although the first occcasion, I was very ill, and I didn’t think I would survive. But I did!

So, what do I do, and how does it work? Well it goes back to the mindset. I don’t do ‘diets’ anymore, and I don’t weigh myself. I realised I had developed an unhealthy relationship with the scales, and was somewhat obsessed with what they told me. At some points I was weighing myself several times a day. Definitely not a healthy way to be.

Rather than making it about what I can or can’t eat, I made it about CHOICE!! I took the power back!! This felt good. I was very firm with myself at the beginning because over many years I had developed unhealthy eating habits. So they needed changing. To begin with I was very obsessed with checking food labels for sugar content. I’m more relaxed now about it, as I know what I’m doing. So essentially eating wise, the majority of sugar I cut out with the exceptions I mentioned. These days though once in a blue moon, I might have an ice cream or something. However, as soon as I have it, I have a horrible sugar taste in my mouth, and wish I hadn’t had it!! You might be surprised to learn those sugar cravings do eventually go. Sugar is reportedly 8 times more addictive than cocaine, and the brain is the most sugar hungry part of the body. These facts shocked me when I realised.

I say to people give it 6 weeks, and you will certainly see a difference.

One thing that I focussed on when I went sugar free was increasing the walking. I’m not a sporty person, but I do enjoy walking. The years after I went sugar free, I did a walking marathon, and for a year each weekend I was out training, and that was good. I have always said this isn’t about weight loss, not mindset. However, walking definitely helps shift some pounds.

One other thing that helped was creating a way that worked for me. If I saw something with sugar in, I looked at how I could make an alternative, rather than thinking I CAN’T have this.

Since, being up in Cumbria, for a number of reasons including Covid, and a knee/back injury, I have done less walking. I noticed that I wasn’t as trim as I was. This year I have started to increase the walking I do, mainly to increase my health and fitness levels, but any pounds that come of would be a bonus! This week I saw my Osteopath, she mentioned it looked like I had lost weight. I told her I had increased my walking, but was still eating the same as when I saw her back in May. I was so incredibly chuffed (pleased/proud) that after 7 years I am still going with this. Doing my own thing, and living a healthier lifestyle.

So to those wondering, after 7 years, yes it’s still working. There have been dips with my health, but how I eat has remained pretty much the same. And yes, YOU could do this too… My recommendations to you are.

.Take control back of what you eat

.Do your research

.Make it about what you can do/can eat rather than what you can’t

.Look for ways to create alternatives

.Give yourself 6 weeks. If it feels better tell yourself this is a ‘trial’. This is what I did, and it worked!!

.Get walking

Check out the food labels..How much SUGAR is really in the food you eat?

Every so often, I get chatting about my sugar free journey to someone. Please don’t get me wrong, I’m not one of those that goes round talking about it the whole time. I really believe that it’s important to find your own path when it comes to food. I spent much of my life trying to follow a certain plan, or diet. Do the right thing! Then I realised, who was the I doing the right thing for me…or to follow something designed by someone that didn’t know me.

Anyway I digress, one of the single most important things, I have learnt from my sugar free journey is the importance of reading food labels, and being aware of the sugar contact in foods. I really believe awareness of the amount of sugar in foods is a huge step, in understanding eat our food habits. I think I am not alone when I say, I just wasn’t aware of how much sugar was in so many products that I used to eat on a practically daily basis. I knew all about the obvious ‘stuff’, but never realised how much sugar there was in my favourite brand of tomato soup. Knowledge is power, so gaining the right information is key to adjusting your food habits. If we don’t know how can we change anything.

Once, I learnt this I became the sugar police everywhere I went, checking food labels on EVERYTHING! This was a real wake up call. I was eating more sugar than I had ever imagined. Soups, cereals, yogurts, and fruit juices are some of the main offenders. In a can of soup there are up to 9 grams of sugar. Some cereals can have 11 grams or more of sugar per serving. The average recommended daily amount of sugar for adults in the UK is 30 grams that’s about 7 sugar cubes! If you were to add up how many grams of sugar you consumed a day, how much might you be eating?

Even, if you don’t feel able to cut out sugars, even if you are able to cut out just one thing, I really believe it can make a difference.

A while after a gave up sugar, I did a few calculations, and realised that I had been eating close to 100 grams of sugar a day! So please don’t beat yourself up, if you are like me. This isn’t about feeling bad, or guilty. I often say to people you do the best you can with the resources you have at the time. There is nothing to feel bad, or shamed, or guilty about. However, self awareness can be the most incredible thing, and it can help power us forward to a brighter, happier future, which we all deserve.

If we don’t know, how we can change. Knowledge, and education is a wonderful thing. It can also be hugely powerful. We all have the power to create positive change in our lives. What changes would you like to make in your life to help you move forward?

Take care of yourself, and good luck.

With love,

Tracy xxxx

What my sugar free journey has meant to me..

It’s been over 7 years now since I made the decision to go practically sugar free, and it occurred to me that it might helpful to share what this journey of self discovery has meant to me.

Over the years I have shared tip’s, idea’s, thought’s and recipe’s, yet I haven’t really touched too much on what this has meant to me. So, I thought today I would share a bit more about how I have found this experience.

The biggest surprise to me has got to be that after 7 years, yes 7 years I am still here blogging about my practically sugar free experience. This certainly wasn’t planned, it just happened!

For those that don’t know the back story to this.. in 2016 I was asked to be bridesmaid at my brothers wedding. At the time I wasn’t working and finances were tight, so I couldn’t afford to sign up to anything like slimming groups or gyms. I knew a friend that had given up sugar, and then had this wild idea that maybe I could try cutting out sugar for a 6 month ‘trial’ period until after the wedding. Please note the trial period part!! There was no intention on my part at that point of making it any longer!! Well, as you can see it did become longer!!

I have shared with you the incredible benefits both physically and emotionally, however it’s become far more than that to me.

I began to see food, and eating differently. I took control back over eating and other aspects of my life. This made a huge different. Up until that point in my life I found I was controlled by circumstances or situations particularly with eating or finances. I also tried to fit into a ‘box’ in life trying to reach goals, or targets that just weren’t achievable for me. I then beat myself up when I didn’t reach these, and thought myself a failure. It wasn’t until I realised that trying to fit myself into someone else’s plan, and expectations of what I should achieve that life changed. In a sense I found my freedom. I had been striving to achieve someone else’s plan or targets, which had been devised by someone totally different to me. So, I then changed my mindset to…how can I make this work for me? I rephrased my out look, there was no fail, it was just a question of choice. If a choice wasn’t a good one then I would change it next time.

I have more confident, self aware, and my own self beliefs are different. I think for a start I belief in myself so much more. Food is no longer my emotional support. I am no longer controlled or obsessed with it. Eating has become part of my life, not all of my life.

I have taken control in other areas of my life too, I set firmer boundaries, and I am more pro active in how I can make something work for me. I have more confidence, and I am more willing to try something new. I am more aware of being active, and how out self belief can impact our life changes. I havent weighed myself in 5 years, and I don’t worry about my weight or size I once did. In fact whilst I initially I was concerned about what I would give up food wise, the whole experience has been very free’ing. Rather than constricting me cutting out sugar has set me free. Leaving me far feeling far more free than I did before.

Once we change one thing in our life, other things can follow. A bit like a row of dominoes when one falls down they all gradually start to topple over. Change is a ripple effect, and I for one am glad of the ripples that have come from me going practically sugar free.

Losing your way…

It’s just over seven years since I went practically sugar free, yes seven years!! I really can’t believe it.

My life has changed so much in the last seven years, I made a big move across the UK from the north to the south. I’ve had a few jobs, set up a counselling practice, been a very ill with covid and then bought my own house. It’s been a roller coaster ride and there have been challenges along the way.

My point for sharing this is life changes, and our circumstances change however it doesn’t mean that we can’t adapt and make a situation work for us. I am thinking back to all the times I went to slimming groups, or went on diets. I started off really well, I was energised, enthusiastic, and passsionate about it. Then something would happen, I would lose my way, the motivation would slip, I would beat myself up, and before I knew it I was back to my old ways.

This time I have held onto my focus, and whilst at times I might not always have been so firm with myself, the difference no is I have re educated my thought patterns around food. I still rarely touch anything sugary, every once in a while I do have something. The other day I had about 6 chocolates, I can’t remember when I did this, but I had been given some at Christmas, and after a tough few weeks, I just felt like it.

The difference now is whereas previously I might have binged on them, and just eaten for England, then felt disgusted with myself. This time I put the bag away and haven’t thought about them since. I don’t crave them, and I probably won’t have anything sugary for a long time.

Whilst what we eat is important, I really believe our relationship and mindset around food is the key part in changing our eating habits. Until we address these, how can we change our eating habits, maintain and sustain healthy eating habits in the long term.

Another thing that I have noticed is the importance of positive self talk when changing your eating habits. I constantly used to beat myself up about making a ‘bad’ food choice or ‘breaking’ my diet. What I realised was that this wasn’t helping, in fact it was creating a visicious circle.

One I accepted myself how I was, and loved myself for who I am whether I was eating chocolate or not, I was able to create a positive change in my life including a more positive mind set regarding food.

So my tip is when you start this journey, and along your way be kind to yourself each step of the way.

Making Changes..

Making changes isn’t always easy. Sometimes it can take a while to reach the decision to make those changes. On other occasions it be life circumstances that throw up our need to change.

When I went practically sugar free, I spent a while umming and ahhing about what a sugar free life would be long. When I got Covid three years ago, change was thrown upon me, and I had to adapt to those changes.

Sometimes it’s not always about the change that occurs but it is more about how we respond to it.

I have a varied relationship with CHANGE, on one hand the thought of it inspiresand excites me. Two such are examples of this are when I went practically sugar free, and when I walked a London Marathon back in 2017. On the other hand it fills me with dread, and I fear it, such as my move from Surrey to Cumbria five years ago.

So for any of you contemplating a life on reduced sugar or sugar free, I want to say to you that whatever you are feeling right now it’s okay. Maybe, like me you want to lose weight for a special event and this is something that is more of a personal choice. Or perhaps a medical professional has told you that you need to lose weight, and this feels more enforced.

One of the biggest things I learnt when I started this journey seven years ago was the importance of taking control of the situation. As soon as I took the power back and decided how I was going to do this, that’s when my life turned around. Not just from the food aspect, in many other areas too. For me this involved taking control of my financial situation, ditching credit cards, loans, and getting myself out of financial difficulty. I might not have a huge income, but I manage it far better than when I did have a better income.

So taking power of your eating habits, how might you do this…

For me one of the ways I did this was changing and breaking down all those old long standing beliefs that I couldn’t do something. Or something had to be done a certain way. When I looked at all the SUGAR FREE diet plans or options I felt total overwhelmed, none of it fitted with me, nor did I have a healthy bank balance, so I couldn’t afford, to spend lots of money on doing anything.

What I did do though was cut out sugar, and I spent time looking at food labels to check what had sugar in. I might have become a little obsessed with this. I’m not sure if anyone else got quite as much pleasure as I did about going round the supermarket, checking how much sugar was in different items.

I have always said knowledge is power, and this is certainly true of my SUGAR free journey. Becoming aware of how much sugar was in different supermarket items was a real revolution to me.

Another thing that also helped when I went practically sugar free was I ditched all the diets and plans that I saw. I had realised that all these diets, plans, and suggestions were aimed at so many different people. I have followed many different diets, and been to slimming groups over the years. I have been depressed and miserable when I have had a ‘bad’ week, gained weight, or it hasn’t worked. Or on a high when I had a good week, lost lots of weight, or was slimmer of the weak. However, I was aware that I went to obsessive lengths to have a good week. I weighed myself several times a day, weighed my clothes before weigh in..yes I did. I didn’t eat before weigh in. Then there were the weeks that I had some ‘bad’ days to start, then had some ‘good’ days to finish. I won’t even get onto the comfort/emotional eating.

My relationship with food was unhealthy, and I didn’t even recognise this until I cut out SUGAR. I had lost control, and I was instead controlled by diets, slimming groups, media, and other things. When I say this I am not being critical of all these methods, for some people they work incredibly well and have had a positive impact for others. Different things work for different people and I have always said you need to find something that works for you.

I then found things to focus on, having a focus can make such an incredible different. I don’t specifically mean focussing on food realted things. I ended up starting this blog, and my PRACTICALLY A SUGAR FREE ME FACEBOOK PAGE. I set my self the challenge of walking a London marathon, and started doing a lot of walk. Which I incidentally found great for de stressing and relaxing. I also looked how I could make the foods I enjoyed without sugar.

Everyone has their own way of doing things, and I am sure you will have your own ideas of doing this too. My tips to you for going PRACTICALLY SUGAR FREE would be the following..

. FIND A WAY THAT WORKS FOR YOU. REMEMBER THIS IS YOUR JOURNEY!

. BE KIND TO YOURSELF, AND DON’T BEAT YOURSELF IF IT ISN’T GOING HOW YOU WISH

. FIND A FOCUS

. TAKE SMALL STEPS. YOU WOULDN’T RUN, OR WALK A MARATHON WITHOUT TRAINING OR SUPPORT

. THINK ABOUT YOUR NEED’S AND WHAT IS GOING TO HELP YOU ACHIEVE THIS

. THERE IS NO RIGHT OR WRONG, IT’S ABOUT CHOICE. SO IF SOMETHING ISN’T A GREAT CHOICE FOR YOU, NEXT TIME YOU CAN CHANGE IT

. DONT LET OTHER PEOPLES WORDS, OR COMMENTS PUT YOU OFF. EQUALLY DON’T LET PAST EXPERIENCES PUT YOU OFF. YOU CAN CHOOSE THE FUTURE YOU WALK INTO

Whatever change you decide to make, I wish you every success. Last month this blog celebrated it’s 7th birthday. I had no idea when I started I would reach so many people, or of the impact it would have on others.

I am so grateful, and humbled to all those that have liked, commented, shared or get in touch to say this blog has helped them. Thank you all so much. When I started this I wanted people to see that giving up sugar was do able for everyday regular people like me.

With lots of love,

Tracy xxxx

I CAN’T GO SUGAR FREE…IT’S TOO HARD!

Since going practically sugar free. I have come across a lot of people that have said, I couldn’t do that! The reality is a few years ago I would have said the same thing. So what changed for me? I changed my mindset, and once I changed that everything else fell into place. I can hear any of you say it’s not easy, and I am right there with you. Changing beliefs and mindsets we have held for sometime isn’t easy, however all because it isn’t easy, it doesn’t mean it’s in possible. Once we let go of the restrictions that hold us back, we can then move forward in life.

The beliefs that limit us don’t just happen, they can evolve over time from experiences we have had, or things we have been told by others. Once we value ourself enough, to let go of all that holds us back, then we can move forward. In fact once, I changed my eating habits it also helped me change other patterns in my life, one of these was I took control of my finances.

The moment we take control of the choices we make is the moment we can start to move forward, and create positive change in our lives. This is a key factor in cutting sugar out, and as I look back on my on food journey, I realise that for many years food controlled me. It was liberating for me knowing that, I didn’t have to let my food choices control me. Going sugar free doesn’t mean, I miss out, I look at ways, I can create an alternative option.

In 2019 I shared this quote of mine, it still resonates with me today, and I thought I would share it with you.

ALL BECAUSE YOU NEVER HAVE, IT DOESN’T MEAN YOU CAN’T.

WE ARE THE LIMITS WE PLACE ON OURSELVES…..

OUR CAPABILITIES ARE ENDLESS, IT’S OUR THOUGHTS THAT LIMIT THEM.

T.SMITHERS 2019

Before you decide, or think that you CAN’T go sugar free, I would invite you to consider, the following……

• What stops you?
• Where does the can’t come from?
• Is this a belief that is based around what someone else has told you?
• How do you know you can’t?
• Do you want to give it a go?
• Is there a fear of failing? Therefore is it easier not to try it out?
• What limits are you placing on yourself?
• How would it be to embrace the endless possibilities that the words I CAN, might offer?

I very much believe that the success of a positive SUGAR FREE JOURNEY isn’t just about quitting sugar, it is about changing your mindset! Once you change your mindset this can help empower you to ditch the sugary items. 

Are you stuck in a food rut?

A Practically Sugar Free Breakfast

How many of you are stuck in a food rut? Eating the same foods, and getting bored with what you eat? I certainly have. It’s not always easy , to find inspiration when you are cutting down on all the ‘nice’ things you might have previously enjoyed.

When we get bored it can be really easy to let all those good habits slide, get into a rut with eating, and lose motivation. Keeping motivated, and staying positive can be key to managing our eating patterns.

So, how can we keep motivated? Motivation doesn’t just have to be about big motivators, it is often the small motivators that can have the most signifcant impact. So what can you do to help motivate yourself. I’m using a food example, but small motivators can create positive change however you use them.

So here is how I used a small motivator to lift me out of a rut. I decided to make something different for breakfast. Yes, it was that simple! I tend to stick with the usual breakfast foods, but last week I decided I wanted pancakes for breakfast. I rarely have pancakes, and it’s usually when someone else makes them. I can’t remember the last time, I actually made them!

But making this simple change wasn’t just about what I ate one morning, it was about the whole process I took to make them.

I woke up early last week, and decided I wanted pancakes but didn’t have the ingredients. So, I went round to the corner shop, and got the ingredients. This meant, I got out in the sunshine enjoyed a short walk to the shop to get what I needed. This process gave me a boost. I then came home, and made pancakes from scratch. I enjoyed making them, and it gave me a thrill realising that I could actually make pancakes.

I then decided to get my tea pot, and a cup and saucer out, to make breakfast more of an event, than just quickly eating pancakes. I put together an apple, cinnamon and raisin topping.

When I sat down to eat these pancakes, I was aware that I ate a lot more mindfully.

So this small change to my day had the following impact.

. It help me feel good about myself

. It encouraged me to be more mindful

. I realised I could do something, I didn’t think I would do well (making pancakes!)

. I gained confidence in my ability

. I valued myself

Making a different choice, motivated me, and reminded me of a food choice I enjoy

So, to finish off, my question to you is;

What small changes can you make that might have a positive impact on your eating patterns? What will help motivate you to make these changes?

A Mindful Breakfast

Valuing ourselves, and recognising our WORTH. YOU ARE GOOD ENOUGH!

I haven’t posted for a while, partly because life I got busy, my health hasn’t been that good. I’m also beating myself up that although I am still very much sugar free, there are occasions when I do have something with sugar in. I haven’t been doing as much to promote wellbeing on here or on fb page as I once did.

When I started this off a few years ago, my health was better, and I wasn’t working. I’ve had a turbulant few years, and life has been touch. I’ve been sugar free for 6 years now, and it’s become a routine. So I guess if I am honest, I have lost some of my energy and enthusiasm for a bit. I know it’s still there because I still passionately believe that going sugar free can really improve our physical and emotional wellbeing.

I was telling someone yesterday about my sugar free journey, and they were amazed by it, and told me I was an inspiration! Yet, I don’t see myself that way. At the moment, I’m tired, warn out, and potentially recovering from a milder dose of Covid!

What my conversation did yesterday was highlight to me several things. Firstly we don’t always recognise our achievements and all the good things we have done. How many of us congratulate ourselves when we have achieved something? I’m getting a sense, that’s not many of us?! Now how many of us beat ourselves up for what we havent done?! I’m guessing a few more of us do this. I will wave my hands in the air, and say that’s me!

From my own issues with food, I know that my self worth and eating used to go hand in hand. I would go to slimming group and gain half a pound, beat myself up, and feel worthless. I would go the following week, lose half a pound, and feel AMAZING! My self worth revolved around size, food, and body image, along with comparisons to others.

Then if I felt worthless, I would eat my feelings in SUGAR. It became a repeating pattern, that I couldn’t get out of for a long time. I am pleased to say now, my eating patterns are different, my perception of myself is different, and on the whole now my self worth, is no longer dependent on eating the way I did. However, I like, I think many struggle with self worth that nagging feeling of are you good enough? What will people think of you? I am sure you get my drift. Life is hard at times, but the thing that can be hardest of all is the words we use, or negative perception we have of ourselves.

Change is hard, but in order to reshape our lives, and feel better about ourselves, sometimes we need to change those thought patterns, and long held beliefs. Break the cycle, and get of the roundabout. Since moving up to Cumbria 4 years ago, my social life has been non existent due to work, Covid, and my health, I havent got to know anyone. I’ve really struggled with loneliness, and isolation. I know I have to do something, as I have been stuck in a rut. I spotted a church coffee afternoon advertised next Wednesday round the corner from me, whilst it’s not something I would normally go along too, and I feel really nervous about going. I know in order to create change, I need to give it a go, even if I never go again!

In a sense in order to start making those changes in our life, we have to value that we are worth making those changes for. So what I want to say today is; YOU ARE WORTH IT, YOU ARE WORTH MAKING THOSE POSITIVE CHANGES IN YOUR LIFE THAT MAKE LIFE BETTER FOR YOU, YOU ARE WORTH SOME LOVE AND KINDNESS.

Until next time, take care of yourselves.

With love,

Tracy xxxx

Self Care

So it’s been while since I have posted, life has been a little up and down with few challenges thrown in. In fact a few years ago, I would have been fueling myself with sugar and comfort food to make me feel better.

When I started my sugar free journey six years ago that no food can make you feel better, it might take away the feelings for a while. But after that initial feeling of pleasure, enjoyment, or feeling better, we are still left with those difficult painful emotions that were there originally. I remember well how I used to eat ‘naughty’ foods to take away the pain.

I’ve recently become aware of the importance of investing in ourselves, and when I say that I don’t mean financially, I mean from an emotional and physical aspect.

I have been involved with something for the last few years, which I have invested heavily in and have gone above and beyond in order to do a good job. I realised recently that whilst I had spent a huge amount of time investing in this project, that I had neglected myself. In fact I hadn’t invested in myself at all, I became worn out and rundown.

I often say to people if you spend all your time filling everyone elses car up with petrol (gas), and neglect your own, what’s going to happen to your car?!

So my thoughts for today, are that everytime we eat or drink that is an investment in our physical, and emotional wellbeing. When you look in your food cupboards what do they say about how you invest in yourself? Could you increase and improve the investment you place in yourself? For those that have read previous posts. Also those that follow my PRACTICALLY A SUGAR FREE ME FB page you will be aware of how sugar can impact our physical and emotional wellbeing.

Do you value your needs as much as you value the needs of others?! I know that can be a hard one, I have spent years putting other peoples needs ahead of my own. But the reality is if we dont invest in ourselves, how can we invest in others.

Have a lovely day. xx

I don’t like ‘healthy’ foods, and I’m worried going SUGAR FREE might be too hard?

Okay so I’m going to be honest with you…I’m not a fan of vegetables, though I do eat salad and fruit. I don’t like hot or spicey foods either. For a reasons I won’t go into mealtimes as a child were traumatic experiences, as I result I believe this led to me not enjoying vegetables, and certain other foods. So I have battled a lifetime, trying to eating healthily. This is partly why my eating habits were so bad prior to giving up SUGAR. In fact I always saw sweet sugary items as being ‘safe foods’, how wrong I was. So for me I really had to come out of my comfort zone, and re examine a life time and beliefs when I went SUGAR free foods.

What I came to learn was that going SUGAR free wasn’t just about good and bad food stuffs, there were those okay food stuffs in the middle. Plus I had the choice as to what I ate, so what I did was set out to make food the way I liked it, I got creative. Along the way I came to realise that I ate a lot more ‘healthy’ food than I thought I did, and I looked at ways I would eat my least favourite foods. For instance, I might chop up vegetables a bit smaller or grate them, put them in a dish with other things such as cottage pie, or maybe make a cheese sauce.

There is no right or wrong way of going practically SUGAR free, it’s about finding a way that works for you. If you have eaten a certain way for a while, it might take a while to adjust, you might find it a challenge to begin with, but you can do it!

I want to share with you something, as I’ve shared with you I’m not vegetable fan, however when I moved into my house last December, I was keen to plant some vegetables. I’m not sure about youb but there is something rather special about creating something, planting that seed and see it grow. Well today I picked my first two courgettes, I can’t tell you how proud I am. So proud of my achievement, here is a picture of them.

So if you are struggling in eating ‘healthy’ , had you thought of growing healthy to start with?

There are many benefits to gardening, it’s an opportunity for a spot of exercise, for some mindful moments and reflection, a chance to watch something grow, and finally an opportunity to eat your own organic produce.

One of the things that put me off going SUGAR FREE initially was eating healthy foods. However, over the last few years I have come to learn, that when you give up the SUGAR you learn to enjoy the tastes, and flavours more. I actually really enjoy foods I never used to see as a treat! I have also got creative, and looked for ways to come up with alternatives. And, today I’m growing my own vegetables!! Now that I can’t believe.

Sometimes, we need to start off by planting a seed, tending to it, watering and caring for it so that it might grow. Imagine you are that seed, what do you need in order for you to grow?! x