Are you spring cleaning too? I found a hidden case of soda in the basement. I used to hide the soda down there so I could sneak a pop and no one would know.  I would also hide the can before my husband got home. So addicted, right? I knew it was bad for me but I could not tear myself away from it. Now, thank God, I don’t want soda at all. So I have a decision to make…what to do with pop that I don’t want and I wouldn’t give to anyone else….my decision…..throw it out!!!

Pouring perfectly good soda down the drain before now would have been so naughty. It would have gone against my upbringing of waste nothing. At the back of my mind I would think at least give it to someone else who might enjoy it.  Now, I know not to burden anyone else who might be struggling with health issues and not even know it.

What do you have sitting in your cupboards or in your fridge? Is it causing you to stay addicted to sugar? Is it something that would keep a loved one addicted? Is it chips? Is it soda like me? Is it brown sugar, flour, and yeast that you are keeping in case you get the ambition to make the family caramel rolls for a weekend breakfast?  That is so sweet of you,  but it doesn’t help anyone.

What if you just dumped those tasty, yes, but harsh treats in the garbage? Yes, it is expensive to do that.   For me, the next time that I went to the store  I would tell myself not to buy those treats because when I get home I will throw them out.  I tried any way I could to talk myself out of buying and keeping treats in my house.

In this case, pun intended, I started to buy cases of sparkling flavored waters like DiSani, LaCroix, and Simply Balanced from Target.   (Thank you Nevette for getting us started.)  We started calling sparkling water our pop. At movie night we made buttery popcorn and had our “pop.” We still got the sound of opening a can and funny bubbles and a hint of sweet. At first it wasn’t the same but we did eventually crave our new pop.

My favorite is Simply Balanced blueberry.  My husbands favorite is DiSani lime.  It has a hint of kind of tasting like Mountain Dew in his mind 🙂 My kids like DiSani watermelon.  It is a pleasant watermelon taste.

We didn’t go from sweet sweet soda right to having only sparkling water overnight. We had to do it slowly. We didn’t shame ourselves for the times when sparkling water did not satisfy us and we needed half a can of soda at the ball park or one quick sip of the kid’s pop at the fast food restaurant.  When we were strong and resisted our pop cravings we acknowledged it to ourselves and were thankful.  “I did that! That makes me so happy.”

Ok, back to spring cleaning…..how about cleaning out any snacks or ingredients that don’t lead to your health goals? If not, just think about it.  What if it really wasn’t wasteful? What if pouring out my last remaining case of soda was really healthy for my mind as well as body. It would be another step to freedom from sugar for me.

So, be brave.  Get rid of those food items that are holding you back from your super important health goals.  You can do it!  Throw it out! 🙂