Sugar and gluten fast: 10 days is not enough

If you do not eat sugar and gluten for 10 days, does it make you feel any different? Is it difficult or easy-peasy? Read more to decide yourself.

We are vegans and have been not eating gluten on a regular basis for years. This year we kind of lost the track. Due to excessive amounts of free bread and pastry, we have been blessed to receive. We tried once sugar-free fast for two weeks. I remember it was a struggle. So we decided to see how easy it is fast again, giving sugar and gluten a break for ten days.

Who wouldn’t love sugar and gluten?

We skipped eating gluten because of health conditions a few years ago. It was not so difficult, though the bread was following us everywhere. Not only that but other food items, which had wheat in as a supporting ingredient. I remember we got our rice cake game on. Sweet and savory. In the morning and in the evening. We were okay reading the labels and avoiding anything with gluten. We felt good. But then we started getting lots of free bread, which would have gone to waste otherwise. So we found ourselves back at the gluten train.

We tried sugar fast a few years ago, also in the fall time. I remember that the first few days were quite tough for me. Eve took it better and she was looking for options, how to clench our sugar thirst. She got us stevia, as a natural sweetener for gluten-free baking and for sweet tea. I remember lots of struggling and thirst for sugar. We usually have something sweet after having a good savory meal. In a way, it is so dumb, as the meal was enough, why need more. But habits are meant to break, right?

Knowing all that, I was eager to see if we can pull this ten (just 10 days!) day fast through. We declared October a health and well-being month, so we were taking it seriously. This is a known fact that sugar and gluten make you addicted. Anyway on these days, if you really need to eat something regular, like a loaf of bread or pasta, then it is easy to get gluten-free options. Sugar-free items are a bit difficult to find, but fruits are easy to get!

We were on!

Breakfast headaches and evening pains

I love breakfast. Love making them, love eating them. While we were using bread, it was so easy to make something easy, really fast. Cut that bun open, spread coconut oil and add some cheeze (vegan) on it. Fry and enjoy it! Or make the bread any other way. Now we had to plan a bit ahead, what to eat. But then again it was more like fun and a challenge, than a struggle.

I love warm porridge, especially oatmeal, but amaranth, millet, and buckwheat get good scores as well. So I knew that we are covered. Sure, it takes more time, but definitely we would be eating healthier. If something sweet was needed, I had always some fruits or berries at hand to sweeten up our meals free of sugar and gluten.

Some examples of our sugar and gluten-free breakfasts:

• Overnight oats with dried fruits, seeds, nuts. Fresh cuts of plum and pear on top
• Smoothie
• Oatmeal with coconut oil, nuts, and seeds
• Pan toasted oats with sugarfree jam, plant milk, nuts, and seeds mix
• Potato pancakes with salad on aside
• Oat flour pancakes

The other thing was the evening snacks. This was more like a challenge, especially in the first days. We were so used to have something sweet, like squares of dark chocolate with a cup of tea. I guess we had every evening something like that. I was really looking forward to times of just enjoying the fresh cup of tea. Now the time had arrived.

Some examples of snacks we had:

• Natural kettle-cooked chips (first night!)
• Plums
• Dried fruits, nuts, and fresh apple slices
• Pear slices with peanut butter
• Sugar and gluten-free brownie
• Rice cake with peanut butter, topped with fresh plums

I mean it is not perfect but as a first test fast of sugar and gluten, it did a good job.

Some tips on how to avoid sugar and gluten

Knowing that sugar and gluten are not good for you is a good start. Usually, if you skip those, you will skip many processed and unhealthy components from your meals. This is a win-win situation. It makes you focus more on quality food items. Also making the right choices will make you more creative while preparing your meals.

What we kept in mind while on sugar and gluten fast:

• We avoided artificial sugars (including sodas and juices).
• We avoided anything with wheat in it.
• Naturally, our meals became less fatty.
• We cooked more creatively with plants, beans, and gluten-free grains.
• We started to appreciate fruits and vegetables more.

If you are considering having any kind of fast, set yourself goals. It makes the whole process easier to follow. Start with something in which you feel comfortable and keep your promise. We chose 10 days, as after that my mom came to visit us, and we wanted to enjoy the best vegan meals with her. Often times they may have some gluten or sugar in them, unfortunately (for example udon noodles, cinnamon buns and vegan ice-cream).

We started another 10 days fast yesterday. It will be broken, because of our trip to Italy. If you do not eat gluten there, then I mean, what you are going to eat anyway :)) After that we will continue. I feel like this is the way to go now.

Is fasting good?

Intermittent fasting is actually good for you. It means that fasts which are occurring at irregular intervals are not continuous or steady is what your health needs. While not eating sugar and gluten you are not damaging your health in any way. Think of it as a little rest. Some people have to avoid sugar and gluten for serious health issues every day in their lives. If you are healthy and like to eat healthily, then having these fasts can only be greeted.

It has scientifically proved that fasting when combined with a healthy diet and lifestyle, can be effective. Especially if there is a wish to lose weight. We didn’t fast because of that reason. Mostly we wanted to get back to our usual way of eating, meaning no gluten. Sugar…well, there is so much of it everywhere, so it doesn’t hurt to cut back every once in a while.

Harvard Health Publishing recommends for successful fasting:

1. Avoid sugars and refined grains. Instead, eat fruits, vegetables, beans, lentils, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats (a sensible, plant-based, Mediterranean-style diet).
2. Let your body burn fat between meals. Don’t snack. Be active throughout your day. Build muscle tone.
3. Consider a simple form of intermittent fasting. Limit the hours of the day when you eat, and for best effect, make it earlier in the day (between 7 am to 3 pm, or even 10 am to 6 pm, but definitely not in the evening before bed).
4. Avoid snacking or eating at nighttime, all the time.

Conclusion

We can’t really say that consuming no sugar and gluten for ten days made us feel any different. Probably we need at least 2-3 weeks to really feel the difference. One thing we noticed though. The more time we were in with our fast, the less we dreamed of having something we were not supposed to have. So in a way, our minds learned to cope without gluten and sugar. We were getting used to not having that. It was difficult in the first few days, but in the end, it got easy-peasy.

Used source: Harvard Health Publishing