Aspartame. The New Gateway Drug.

Energy: solid
Mood: stable
Physical Symptoms: nil

I can say, without hesitation, that sugar is the one thing in my diet that makes me feel crummy...dumpy...tired...done. And yet, I crave sugar like no other flavor or food on the planet! I can't get enough! In fact, if there were a community based anonymous support group for sugar junkies...I would attend it.

But something weird is happening this week...

Have you ever heard that consuming sugar substitutes (e.g. aspartame) can make you crave sugar more?  I have heard this before, but I don't have the time to research it to provide you with a link of any substance. In addition, a friend of mine with Sjogren's Syndrome told me that his doctor told him to cut out aspartame. *Something to think about and explore in another post.*

As chance would have it, I have eliminated caffeine from my diet this week in order to sleep better at night. I love an ice cold Diet Pepsi in the morning and when I would have one, I would have another,...and another,...all day long. This was interfering with the quality of my sleep, so I cut it out. Sleep has been better, more sound. And I wake up easier in the morning, too.

And there is another happy side effect!

I. am. not. craving. sugar.

This is the first time in my life I can remember not scavenging for sugar in this many days. Now, I am not so bold as to claim that the absence of Diet Pepsi in my life has eliminated my cravings for sugar. However, the coincidence is worth noting.

And as Solution Focused Therapy tells us... if something is working for you, keep doing it!

I admit, there is a certain amount of grief I feel regarding the elimination of that fizzy, ice cold, cup of heaven in the morning. How could something so great be so wrong for me?  I do have a sad face on as I write this.

I can't imagine my whole life without soda again. In fact, it would be foolish to think that way. But maybe I need to see where this information takes me. I like the idea of comparing sugar substitutes to a gateway drug. For some reason, limiting sugar substitutes in my diet seems more manageable than trying to control an overwhelming urge for sugar.