Earlier on in the year I was checking my Instagram and saw that Lindsay from A Pinch of Yum was doing a month of No Sugar. I love it when her posts pop up because she makes delicious, easy and healthy food and honestly.. i find the recipe process videos SUPER addictive.
Here's one:
Fun, right? Happy stalking.
Anyways, reducing my sugar is something I've been wanting to do for a long time, especially since diabetes runs in the family. Not so much because of lack of exercise but more due to a sweet tooth and access to incredible baking (hello, Mom). Generally I eat quite healthily, but I do love my baked goods and always add something sweet to my coffee. This is the number one habit I wanted to kick this year. Although I've switched from cane sugar to honey in my coffee, I know the sugar content is basically the same. Add some desert everyday and a few chocolate cookies and there's quite a bit of unneeded sugar in my life.
So when January 1st rolled around I didn't add any sugar to my coffee. Only a splash of milk. It took about 2 weeks to get used to, but eventually I realized that a lot of my coffee cravings were cleverly disguised sugar cravings. Tricksy. I also cut sugar out from my breakfast. I was eating a sugary muesli with yoghurt (standard college food) and instead I have been making overnight oats with yoghurt only sweetened with fruit. This took some time to get used to! Thankfully, breakfast is a quick meal and eventually I downed the oats and started to enjoy the sweetness of the fruit (mostly a nice apple or banana). This morning I had avocado on toast. Yum. I don't feel like I'm suffering here people.. not unless you wave cheesecake in front of my nose (at which point I will probably cry a little inside and cave in for a a quick teeny bite).
As Lindsay outlined in her post about Sugar-Free January, the point of the challenge is not to be extreme, judgemental or divisive. It's simply to challenge yourself to eat better, without sugar as much as possible, within your limitations. For example, she chose to keep red wine in her diet for the weekends. I chose to keep some dark chocolate on hand for some snacks. I only have a few small nibbles and I'm happy.
Here are my new favourite snacks!
1. Crispy apple slices dipped in Crunchy Natural peanut butter. This one is da bomb .com I've devoured a heck lot of natural peanut butter in the last month. Try it!
2. Oh She glows homemade yolos! Recipe here. Or plain medjool dates. Dates are basically orbs of bliss.
3. Raisins, roasted almonds, salted peanuts, and cashews. Added bonus, these little snacks are powerhouses full of protein and will get you through the hangry moments in class.
4. Stovetop Popcorn! I liberally salt mine. It's a much healthier than chips (whcih are my huge weakness) and with a drizzle of melted butter really seem like a luxurious treat. I'm quite liberal when it concerns butter.
5. Any and all fruit! Going sugar free has made me love eating fruit. I used to eat a piece of fruit maybe once a week.. to be completely honest. Not something I'm super proud of. Now I have at least one apple a day sometimes two. Yum.
Also, curious to learn more about sugar? Here's a great BBC documentary I found on Youtube. Enjoy!
Questions? Have you ever considered reducing your sugar?
Would love to hear from you,
d.
Here's one:
Fun, right? Happy stalking.
Anyways, reducing my sugar is something I've been wanting to do for a long time, especially since diabetes runs in the family. Not so much because of lack of exercise but more due to a sweet tooth and access to incredible baking (hello, Mom). Generally I eat quite healthily, but I do love my baked goods and always add something sweet to my coffee. This is the number one habit I wanted to kick this year. Although I've switched from cane sugar to honey in my coffee, I know the sugar content is basically the same. Add some desert everyday and a few chocolate cookies and there's quite a bit of unneeded sugar in my life.
So when January 1st rolled around I didn't add any sugar to my coffee. Only a splash of milk. It took about 2 weeks to get used to, but eventually I realized that a lot of my coffee cravings were cleverly disguised sugar cravings. Tricksy. I also cut sugar out from my breakfast. I was eating a sugary muesli with yoghurt (standard college food) and instead I have been making overnight oats with yoghurt only sweetened with fruit. This took some time to get used to! Thankfully, breakfast is a quick meal and eventually I downed the oats and started to enjoy the sweetness of the fruit (mostly a nice apple or banana). This morning I had avocado on toast. Yum. I don't feel like I'm suffering here people.. not unless you wave cheesecake in front of my nose (at which point I will probably cry a little inside and cave in for a a quick teeny bite).
As Lindsay outlined in her post about Sugar-Free January, the point of the challenge is not to be extreme, judgemental or divisive. It's simply to challenge yourself to eat better, without sugar as much as possible, within your limitations. For example, she chose to keep red wine in her diet for the weekends. I chose to keep some dark chocolate on hand for some snacks. I only have a few small nibbles and I'm happy.
Here are my new favourite snacks!
Top 5 Favourite Sugar Free Snacks
1. Crispy apple slices dipped in Crunchy Natural peanut butter. This one is da bomb .com I've devoured a heck lot of natural peanut butter in the last month. Try it!
2. Oh She glows homemade yolos! Recipe here. Or plain medjool dates. Dates are basically orbs of bliss.
3. Raisins, roasted almonds, salted peanuts, and cashews. Added bonus, these little snacks are powerhouses full of protein and will get you through the hangry moments in class.
4. Stovetop Popcorn! I liberally salt mine. It's a much healthier than chips (whcih are my huge weakness) and with a drizzle of melted butter really seem like a luxurious treat. I'm quite liberal when it concerns butter.
5. Any and all fruit! Going sugar free has made me love eating fruit. I used to eat a piece of fruit maybe once a week.. to be completely honest. Not something I'm super proud of. Now I have at least one apple a day sometimes two. Yum.
CONCLUSION:
I will continue on this challenge! I'm really enjoying the refined sugar free lifestyle and I hope to continue on as long as possible. I feel healthier and more energetic. Most days it's not actually that hard to say no to sugar and on the difficult days, I try to make sure i have a substitute on hand. I may occassionally say yes to a spoonful of cake on a very special occasion but I hope even by reducing my portion sizes of the treats that I do allow myself to have I'll appreciate the delectable desserts of the world even more. Also, I have a greater love and appreciation for real food. Right now I'm already dreaming of my delicious avocado and toast I'm planning to eat tomorrow morning. Runny egg yolk.. maybe a small wedge of extra old cheddar cheese on the side.... MMmmmm mama.Also, curious to learn more about sugar? Here's a great BBC documentary I found on Youtube. Enjoy!
Questions? Have you ever considered reducing your sugar?
Would love to hear from you,
d.
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