Slaying the sugar dragon
Sophie Dashwood
Age: 4
How old is a grown up? 20
Favourite song? Elsa (from Frozen) I like her hair. I’ve got hair like hers
Favourite colour? Purple
Favourite game? Hide and seek
What are you really good at? Swimming. I do swimming lessons ‘cause I like it
When Mummy tickles
What makes you laugh?
me
What are you scared of? Who’s your best friend?
seek
Ghosts. They’re creepy. Zary. We play hide and
If you could change your name, what would you change it to? Elsa Favourite food? Tuna wraps What would you like to be when you grow up?
A Hairdresser because I’m good at putting clips in people’s hair. I’ll cut hair but I would only cut Elsa’s hair if she asked me to. FOOD trends come and go but slaying your sugar dragon is a massive undertaking, especially for someone whose favourite snacks used to be M&MS and Twisties.
Local woman Annette Ferguson recently finished the Whole 30, an eating program which eliminates certain foods with the aim of targeting health issues and allergens.
“You only eat whole foods,” Annette explained, adding that she hasn’t felt better since completing the 30-day challenge.
“You can process your own but you don’t buy anything processed. There’s no alcohol, dairy, grains, legumes or sugar.”
Showing that she lives by her word, Annette sips on a glass of water as she talks, before ordering a hearty steak sandwich sans bread for her lunch.
“Most of those things are made into other things,” she told Dubbo Photo News. “Whereas the purpose of this is to find out what your body doesn’t like or what can potentially upset your body.”
Issues such as arthritis, stomach and digestive issues, skin conditions, along with allergies are all targeted through the eating plan.
“Any foods to which you may be intolerant or sensitive.”
Annette reassuringly says that this is no crash diet, but more of a sensible eating strategy which can become a natural way of life.
“I studied naturopathy for six years,” she said. “I know a lot about how and what I should or shouldn’t eat. But I couldn’t do it. I craved junk food.”
Like many of us, Annette’s eating habits go back to her childhood.
“I was given sugary things as a kid and always had a diet high in sugar. I’ve tried Paleo and Weight Watchers to lose weight,” she said.
“But since doing the Whole 30, it has changed the way I think about food.”
On the plan, there’s no dessert or snacks and you are not allowed to make sweet treats out of the compliant foods. The aim is not to replicate those things.
“There is a quote by Melissa Hartwig in the Whole 30 book which really puts it into perspective.
“It is not hard. Don’t you dare tell us this is hard. Quitting heroin is hard. Beating cancer is hard. Drinking your coffee black. Is. Not. Hard. You won’t get any coddling, and you won’t get any sympathy for your ‘struggles’.”
Annette says one of the issues in society is that we’ve adapted to processed foods for their convenience and availability.
“We’ve lost real foods. Real foods are meat, vegetables, eggs, good fats, avocado, nuts and seeds.
“These foods are packed with nutrients and vitamins.”
While she has technically completed the Whole 30 program which runs for as many days, Annette has continued the eating plan and is amazed by how great she feels without sugar in her life.
“I knew sugar was a problem for me,” she admits. “My blood sugar was rising, I was heading towards diabetes. With other diets, I would crave sugar and end up falling off the wagon because you are still in that cycle. But with this, because you can have enough fats, it’s a really satisfying diet. I haven’t been hungry or anything.”
Annette believes that eating sugar is habitual but the rewards are short-lived.
“Food should be nourishment so that you can function properly, not given as a treat.”
When asked about The Great Sugar Debate and the argument that humans need foodstuffs such as milk and sugar in our diets, Annette was quick to respond.
“We are not babies and we are not developing a new body.
“While this is a refined sugar-free diet, you still get some carbohydrates in pota-