Well, actually I find it really easy being green. I love all vegetables {except mushrooms which I’m horribly allergic to} and salad is my friend. Fruit, particularly summer fruit, makes me happy.

You know what I find really really hard? The thought of living without sugar. Which seems insane, considering most things I cook don’t have added sugar. Sure, I use maple syrup or honey or agave, and if I do use sugar it’s raw organic sugar. But I would no sooner think of putting white sugar in anything I was going to make or give Bubba as I would consider putting her in a pool without a floatation device. Just. Wouldn’t. Happen.

So what about me? Why do I find it so hard to say no to sugar? I downloaded a very popular program for quitting sugar, printed it out and read it. Eating a bag of licorice as I did.

I need to cleanse. My body is tired. My energy levels are depleted. My coping mechanisms are not fabulous. I know a lot of those things are associated with being a single mumma and working full-time, but I need to give my body all the help it needs. I have a dear friend who did a particular cleanse six months ago and she is still using the products, so I’m pretty sure that’s where I’m going to start. She has a sweet tooth too, so I know if she can do it, I can.

Except I can’t. Or I couldn’t. Until now. I think I’m ready.

Although it’s just turned Spring here and everyone is talking about getting swimsuit ready, that’s not why I’m doing it. I want to do it for wellness. For mental clarity, for more energy and to set a good example to Love Bug. I don’t think I’m likely to ever become one of those people who preach that they never ever eat anything not nutritionally sound. Because some days, that will happen. I’m not going to beat myself up when it does. But I’m going to try to be better.

I was at a conference a couple of weeks ago and we had an awesome guest speaker named Kemi. What a fabulous chick! She was fantastic, and of all the speakers at the conference, she was the one who had nothing to do with work … and the one I resonated with most. {Food for thought?} I found myself nodding along almost her whole talk. A baker by training, she talked about adding more raw food into your diet and feeling the difference it made. Not some radical change, just a gradual adding of more green. Something inside me woke up as she spoke. The same thing that wakes up occasionally and goes back to sleep. The thing I know I should give more focus to.

So spurred on by Kemi, and my friend Sam … I’m about to embark on a cleansing program. Love Bug and I started with smoothies on the weekend.

I found this cute ‘how to’ board for green smoothies on Pinterest.

What I want to know from you guys is: have any of you kicked {or significantly reduced} sugar without going on an I’m giving up sugar journey? I’m worried that my brain will fight me if I set out to give it up. I’m hoping what happens is that a happy circumstance of cleansing is that my sugar intake diminishes!

Oh, and if you have any recipes for sweets with no sugar, I’m all tastebuds …