Sugar Hangover

My retreat with Mother Nature and my surfing Dudes' new adventure has come and gone. I am very pleased to say that it was wonderful. No one was eaten by a bear, the van didn't break down and no one got sick :) We had a week with no schedule. I think that is the thing that made it wonderful...that and the sunshine God poured on us for all but one day of our week away.

The simplicity of life was refreshing,
the ocean air rejuvenating,
the warm sand therapeutic,
the visit with friends soulful,
the campfires heartwarming,
the return home timely and satisfying.

The one thing that was fun but left me feeling worse off than before was the junk food. We are not drinkers, so we don't deal with those kind of hangovers, but I believe in a thing called a sugar hangover. When you daily diet excludes almost all refined white sugar and flour, then you consume boxed and processed camping food...well, lets just say, you feel a little tipsy. It's oh so enjoyable for the moment, but later, you can really pay for it. It takes 2 or 3 days to get our bodies back in working order after our refined and high sugar foods binge.

I let each of the kids pick out a "car treat" for the drive. Gummy Bears, Swedish Berries, Sour Keys and Fuzzy Peaches were the main menu items for 5 hours. What was I thinking? They were absolutely bouncing off the van walls singing irritating and nonsensical songs by the time we arrived at our campsite. It did dissipate eventually...after I poured a couple liters of water down their parched throats...and made them chew on some tree bark. No, I didn't do that really...but I thought about it.

Some people don't understand why healthy eating is so important. I get LOTS of teasing due to our food philosophy, but that's ok with me. Feeling the other side of the fence once in awhile is a good reminder of why we eat the way we do.

Now, we are going through the motions of our regular routine...in slow motion. The brain fog is slowly burning off and our bodies are thanking us for the salad, the whole wheat and the absence of pop. We do partake in a little "junk food" inoculation every so often, just so you know, in order to avoid slipping into a coma when we go on vacation. Everyone need a little Passion Flakie once in awhile :)

Happy to be home.