A Sugar Free Kitchen

This week our goal is to get our heads around not having sugar as well as clearing the kitchen of sugar and foods with sugar in them. Of course we have also stopped eating sugar.

On Saturday I began clearing out the fridge and pantry of all the foods with sugar in them. If the food is not in the house then we can not eat them. Simple no?

Actually, it's made things a lot easier. When we've been craving sugar there isn't anything to eat that will satisfy the craving except for fruit. And let's be honest that's not what we are craving. It's the sickly sweet stuff - chocolate, ice cream, chocolate biscuits, lollies. And we don't just want a little bit. We want to eat it ALL. Not having any of that food taunting us has made the last few days a lot more manageable.

I might also add that we are doing this as a family. No one is eating sugar. I can only imagine how hard it would be if one family member was going through withdrawals in a house full of sugary foods.

Here is a quick list of the foods that went straight in the bin on Day 1:

• Milk Arrowroots
• Tiny Teddies
• A couple of jars of jam
• Hot Chocolate
• Ice Cream

And the foods that are still in the kitchen that need to go:

• Tomato Sauce
• BBQ Sauce
• Sweet Chili Sauce
• White Sugar
• Brown Sugar
• Caster Sugar
• Icing Sugar
• Hot Chocolate (different brand - this is Miss Berry's)
• One last jar of jam
• Honey
• Maple Syrup
• Molasses
• Golden Syrup

Wow, that is a long list. Not sure why some of these aren't already in the bin. We haven't used any of them and I don't need to. The withdrawals certainly aren't so bad that I would drink the maple syrup. I think it is a psychological thing. These items have been in our fridge forever, and I grew up with them being there (obviously not the same jars). A bit of me thinks they 'have' to be there. I'll be working on throwing them out or giving them away over the remainder of the week.

And finally some more things (mainly that the kids eat) that we will simply run out of:

• Flavoured Yoghurt (already gone)
• Dried Fruit (sultanas, apricots, prunes, cranberries)
• LCM's (I know - worst things ever)

We have given the responsibility of the LCM's to Miss Berry. They are hers and we have explained they have a lot of sugar in them but she can choose to keep them and eat them or throw them away. She's kept them in the cupboard but I think she's forgotten about them. She hasn't had any this week.

I am sure there will be other things there that have sugar hidden in them. I am checking the labels as I use things so we will find them. If any one has any tips of which foods have sugar added that you just wouldn't expect please let me know.

 Here is today's lunch. A meat pie. Since tomato sauce is out of the question I am trying a bit of Australian mustard. It was nice and I didn't feel like I was missing out by not having tomato sauce. Oh, and yes, I eat my pie with a knife and fork. Not very Australian I know but that's just the way I like to do it.