Oh, how I miss thee, sweet sweet sugar.
How cruel to give a yeast infection to a sugar addict. Who thinks of these things?
For those of you that do not know what the heck I am talking about, I've been ordered to avoid foods with white flour & sugar, as it turns out, these foods will promote growth of yeast, the very thing I am trying to get rid in my precious milk producing body. At first I was not aware of this (in retrospect, common sense would have been a useful thing to practice, but you know, baby-brain prevails) & there I was indulging in all the many many goodies - cakes & cookies - that Granny Kay baked up for us to keep in our stock. Then the breast-feeding consultant broke the news to me & this whole battle just got tougher.
At first I was very diligent about this, I was determined to beat this thing with the help of a healthy sugar-free, white-free boring diet. This, I found, became a huge challenge for me, knowing that all that stuff was in our freezer, probably the hardest next to breastfeeding. It has been about 6 weeks since, & perhaps a bit discouraged, as my boobs still hurt, so I have started to cheat. At first, I allowed myself one treat a day (why not?), but lately the junk food has started to show up more frequently in our house & I can't help my hands. I have one person to blame (not myself of course).
Ok, so I don't blame him, why should he have to suffer just because I do. But I'm starting to think he is flaunting it. The junk food is appearing more & more. Yesterday he bought a bag full of goodies (cookies & gummies included) to take hunting with him today. We finished the gummies off last night. I also may have had a couple cookies. He should have left all that stuff in the truck so I would never know. If its not in the house I can't eat it (& I am too lazy to go get it). Oh, the risks of letting your husband do the grocery shopping.
So its not all bad, this eating healthy part, just hard. When I stopped with the sugar (the white flour wasn't as difficult as I usually go with the whole wheat/grain products when I can) I noticed a huge difference in the way I felt & actually learned something about my body. More energy, no more sugar hang-overs. Over the last few years I knew something I was eating was making me feel toxic, but couldn't quite place it (...or possibly was in denial). When I cut out the high sugar foods, I started to wake up feeling pretty good & not waking up with that "I feel like I got hit by a bus today" feeling. Actually, this self-actualization did not come at first, but after those days when I started to cheat (Thanksgiving, for example), indulging in all of Granny's goodies, & then some, realizing how much worse it made me feel than on a healthy day.
Even when (if) this yeast infection is gone, I suppose it would be wise to continue a sugar restricted diet. It's just too bad it has to be my cryptonite, the thing that I very much enjoy. But I suppose it is better for the baby & everyone involved. Now to get my hubby on board...
Hey Jess,
ReplyDeleteI don't know how I only got to this now...I'm supposed to be sugar restricted too! I have just as hard a time with it, even though I feel like carp when I eat it. Lately I've been getting sinus congestion and a flushed face when I have any, so its obviously getting worse for me. How are you doing with it now?
Vanessa