When I started this journey I was so desperate for pain relief that I didn't think about the ramifications of giving up soy, until the next day when I was trying to scrounge together a brown bag lunch. For a moment I thought, "what on earth do I think I'm doing?", but I persevered. In a bit of reflection this morning, I realized there are some surprising things I don't miss.
Bread. We bake our own bread fairly regularly but haven't had time these last two weeks. Since all of the store-bought varieties contain soy, I've been sans bread. Add crackers and croutons to that list as well. I'm a self aware carboholic, so this is probably the most shocking to me.
Sweets. This is a little deceptive because I cooked fudge over the weekend (and it was SO good - recipe coming later). But after I ate it, I could actually feel what the sugar did to my body. I quite literally felt it hit my blood. I ended up with a headache and a feeling of 'bleh'. So while I'm happy to have a go-to soy-free alternative for those sweet cravings, I don't really miss it. It isn't worth how it made me feel.
Mayonnaise. I am a mayo girl. Rather, I'm a can't-stand-dry-sandwiches girl. And given the number one item on this list, I haven't been eating mayo lately. Brint has even taken mayo out of his go-to recipes like potato salad and cole slaw. And I don't miss it one bit.
Regular peanut butter. I'll admit that when I first tasted the natural peanut butter I was less than enthused. It was grainy, and very peanut-y. I had become so brainwashed by what companies offer as peanut butter that I wasn't sure I liked the real thing. But now I love it. It's so dense in flavor that a very little bit goes a long way, and I like the texture now. It reminds me that I really am eating just peanuts and salt.
Those are the biggies that come to mind. In a few days I'll do a stuff I do miss post, because there are a few things in that category as well. But I have to say, it has been so much easier to make this a lifestyle change than I expected. It's become second nature to flip a food product over to check the ingredients list.
Happy almost Friday day!
