I have never done a diet in my life. I am set in my ways and feel that if I ever have sugar or bread taken away from me, I would not be able to survive. For the first time I decided to try a new way of eating, I gave up refined carbohydrates and sugar. Writing this column was motivation enough to let all of you readers know my experience in changing some of my not so healthy eating habits.

I replaced my daily fruit and bread breakfast with egg whites, for lunch instead of turkey sandwich; I chose salads, fish or chicken. My snacks contained almonds instead of spoonfuls of Nutella, which in my book I use to consider healthy, after all its hazelnut isn’t it? Dinners were some type of protein and greens with the occasional very dark chocolate.

The first week I definitely lacked energy. I went from working out 2 to 3 hours a day to barely getting through a one-cardio session. I felt like I had the worse PMS of my life and other days I could have sworn I was getting the flu. Sometimes going up the stairs at my house seemed like I had just ran a marathon. I never realized how addicted I was to carbohydrates, but as more days went by, I started to feel better and my skin became clearer and tighter.

So what are the advantages of trying a higher protein diet and giving up refined carbohydrates? Experts say many. One of them is controlling your blood sugar and your insulin levels which according to Dr Howard Rybko, author of the Decarb Diet and lifestyle book, is the hormone that is keeping you fat. You also improve your health and after some time, you have more energy. You prevent premature aging and after a few weeks, my mood seemed more stable.

One of the other benefits is that the more sugar you eliminate from your diet, the less you begin to feel a need for it. Tim Noakes’ book The Real Meal Revolution states, “Some medical scientists point out how closely the rise of obesity tracks the rise of sugar consumption. Swelled by this rise, diabetes has become the world’s number one health risk.”

I definitely feel that my anxiety and cravings have gone down and feel that this could be a new way of eating for me. I will have to wait and see, but if you would like to try this diet here, is a list of the foods you can and cannot eat:

AVOID

Sugar
Bread
Honey or any type of syrup
Fruit, except berries
Alcohol
Grains
Potatoes
Beans
Carrots
Margarines
Any cereals
Salad dressings that have sugars

ALLOWED

Animal protein
Eggs
Fish
Chicken
Steak
Cheese
Milk
Green leafy vegetables
Strawberries
Blueberries
Coffee
Avocados
Almonds
Macadamia Nuts
Hazel nuts
Coconut Oil
Olive Oils
Dark Chocolate (no sugar, 85% cacao or more)
Tea