Symptoms

In our family, we all had symptoms of unhealthy eating. These symptoms were the motivation behind the change. I want to list them here as a reminder of where we started before giving up sugar and compare the differences in our health along the journey. There are some embarrasing symptoms I want to leave out but I think maybe enough people have similar issues and if this helps them, I am happy to reveal the ugly truth! I am going to list all of our health problems because, even if I can't prove they are directly related to eating sugar, I bet with more research I could easily be convinced. (Read all the way to the bottom to understand why I chose to attach this photo of my boys quietly reading together)



My sugar-filled diet symptoms include:
* metallic taste in mouth
* joint pain - in my knees - just started this year
* headaches
* frequent sinus infections
* cravings - never feeling satisfied - wanting to snack all the time
* eating more even when I'm full
* low back pain, also a very recent development
* belly fat - difficulty losing weight
* dragging myself out of bed feeling unrested
* lack of energy - needing naps
* many hormonal issues - PMS, heavy menstrual bleeding, severe cramps, endometriosis, infertility
* dry skin
* no desire to exercise - exhausted
* brain fog - forgetfulness
* moodiness
* waking with stomach ache in the mornings - stomach churning at night - gas - bloating

That's a lot right there! I could probably come up with more but I had enough aches and pains and was sick and tired enough that I committed to sugar abandonment completely!

My husband's symptoms:
* gray hair
* wrinkles
* frequent sports injuries
* some weight gain around the midriff
* exhaustion
* sugar cravings
* gas - churning stomach

Because of his landscaping business he is much more active than me and maybe has better genetics too! He seems healthier even though he is out all day so he eats out and when the family gave up soda a long time ago, he did not. His main motivation for making this huge dietary change was losing someone he loved just a couple months ago.

My 11 year old son's symptoms:

* He potty trained early and didn't ever wet the bed, but he did have daytime leaky bladder. We tried so many medical solutions but time was the only cure. After what I have read about sugar's connection to urinary system problems, I believe giving it up a long time ago would have solved this issue. Although this problem has been resolved I still wanted to include it for anyone who may have a child dealing with this embarrasing issue.
* cavities
* lots of digestion problems - slow digestion, stomach churning at night, not feeling good after some meals, gas, wondering if he is sensitive to certain foods
* hay fever
* colds

My 8 year old son's symptoms:

This child was born with a complete cleft lip and palate, has congenital heart defects and has had so many surgeries and procedures that his diet has been a factor in our home from the beginning. His sugar was limited so he wouldn't get sick before an upcoming surgery and so his recovery would be much faster. After his last heart surgery I refused all hospital meals and brought whole foods from home. His doctor said his recovery would be 3-4 weeks in the hospital, just like his previous open heart surgeries and he was shocked when our son was well enough to leave in 8 days! In all his years as a cardiologist he had never had a patient recover and leave that quickly. So we have done some things right but with all the social pressure to accept candy at church, eat junk food at birthday parties and every holiday event, we have caved in and been less diligent the last couple of years. Most of his health problems are related to his heart condition but what I am listing, sugar has made a lot worse. For instance, he has been exposed to so much anesthesia which affected his teeth buds as an infant, affecting his tooth enamel and making it that much easier to get cavities. We had to put sealants on most of his teeth when he was a tiny toddler.

* cavities
* beyond cravings for sugar- he showed signs of addiction - he would wake me up every morning
when he was about 4 years old and ask for candy and it was on his mind all day - he would do
anything to be allowed a piece of candy
* screaming, crying, yelling, defiance, anger, hitting - with everyone but mostly aimed at his
older brother - behavioral problems that would frequently bring me to tears not knowing
what to do
* no desire to learn or do any kind of "school" especially reading even though he can read
* extremely tired but would never take naps
* gas, constipation
* colds

Since eliminating every form of sugar from our diets we have seen dramatic changes in our health in such a short amount of time. The most visual change was dropping pounds of fat easily.
* Weight loss: By day 4 I had lost 5 pounds without trying. It has been 3 weeks and I have lost
10 pounds and my husband has lost 11 lbs.
* Cravings for sweets are completely gone for me and my kids. Hubby still wants sweets but he hasn't given up fruit juice and other things that probably stimulate those cravings although he has noticed a big difference.
* more energy
* vaginal dryness is gone and libido is coming back!
* no more gas
* stomach churning has stopped except when we have improperly combined food such as eating
chicken with a grain
* waking up rested (even with a baby waking me up all night)
* joint pain lessened - we'll see how the knees feel when I do some Zumba!
* more peace and less fighting in our home
* My youngest announced he loves reading now and read 3 chapter books the first week!

I was shocked to find my sons on the floor quietly reading together instead of bothering each other and fighting! I have seen behavioral improvements.