The Sugary Low Down

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I think I was trying to beat the system.  I wanted to find a healthy sugar alternative that wouldn’t make me feel bad about eating 5 chocolate chip cookies made with sucanat instead of refined white sugar.  But as Dr. Frank Lipman says in this article, “There’s no such thing as a “healthy” sugar. Sugar is sugar, whether it’s “organic,” or “unrefined,” or “all-natural,” or “raw,” or agave syrup.”

Aw man.  OK, I will work on accepting that, but I probably will still eat chocolate chip cookies made with sucanat instead of white sugar or brown sugar and purchase less processed sugars like:

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Sucanat: stands for SUgar CAne NATural… who would have known?  It is dried sugar cane.  The sugar cane juice is heated and then cooled which forms crystals.  This process keeps the molasses intact which has the trace vitamins and minerals.

When I initially set out on this research project, I imagined a beautiful presentation of everything you need to know about a variety of sugars.  As the universe would have it, what I imagined creating just entered the world wide web.  So I am going to stop here and share this super awesome resource on everything you need to know about sugar.  It is a must read.  Seriously!

Thank you Jeanne for sending this my way.

 

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Brown Sugar

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I am continuing my detective work on how different types of sugars are made and if there is one better than the rest. Here is what I discovered with refined white sugar.  Now for –

Brown Sugar:

A little part of me always thought I was doing myself a favor baking with brown sugar rather than white.  I’m not alone, this NY Times article echoes that same sentiment.  But in reality brown sugar is pretty much just white sugar mixed with molasses.

Molasses is a by product of the sugar cane juice, and has vitamins and minerals like potassium, calcium, magnesium, and vitamin A.  I was excited when I read that, until I realized it is really just a smidge of nutritents in the grand scheme of things.

This is no real surprise.  Sugar isn’t kale.  But now I know how it is processed, and I’m most interested finding out how my food is made.

 

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Butter + Coffee

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I did it.  I hopped on the bulletproof coffee craze.  I blended a bit of grassfed butter into my cup of coffee and I enjoyed a frothy, rich cup of joe that was actually quite satisfying.

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I used to be scared of fat (I’m still recovering).  I thought fat was what made me ‘fat’ but it turns out sugar and carbs are the culprit.  So while I was ‘being healthy’ with my low fat / non-fat yogurts and salad dressings I was actually eating more sugar (since they add more sugar to make those products tasty and edible).  I was never really satisfied.

Everyone has their own opinion of what is healthy and what isn’t.  Trends come and go and people will be baffled by the thought of blending butter and coffee together (ha!).  But the good news is only YOU get to decide if it works for your body.

So be sure to start your day in a beautiful way with a nourishing breakfast that makes your body feel good.   I am currently enjoying whole milk with muesli and fresh strawberries…  Call me crazy.  Or call me a mom who is breast feeding – either one works.

More on bulletproof coffee.

 

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My Evolving Healthy Story

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I want to eat what I want to eat, and that is that.  I don’t like diets, or the word RESTRICTION, so I just ate what I wanted to eat.  Which was all fine except for the occasions when I found myself wiggling into my pants, or when I looked at a photograph of myself and then asked my husband that loaded question “Do I look fat?” (which normally ended up in me giving him the silent treatment for a few hours.)

Both my body and my mind was in constant fluctuation.  I thought I was eating healthy, and I kind of was, but clearly something was stuck.  My stagnant diet started to reflect my then stagnant life.  I wanted to shake it up a bit.  So I spent three months working with my wonderful friend and health coach Alaina Muckell.  I started to learn about the power of food.  My perspective on what I ate shifted.  And instead of

‘I can’t/shouldn’t eat _______’  it became

‘I don’t even want to eat ________’

My 4:00 snack attacks shifted from a cappuccino and a biscotti to an Amazing Green Bowl, with blended kale, spinach, acai, banana, and almond milk.  I became obsessed with super foods, in love with Whole Foods, and maybe slightly addicted to reading the ingredients of my food – for better or for worse.  I found myself extremely passionate about what I was discovering and I soon realized I wanted to take this to another level.  So now I have started my journey to become a holistic health coach, and thrilled about the possibilities.

Although, even with my new relationship with health I still occasionally find myself eating many, many chocolate covered peanuts at the end of the day.  But the thing is – that happens less frequently, and I realize the craving is coming from a much deeper place.  So maybe one day I will maybe be chocolate covered peanut free, but I doubt it, and I don’t think I’d really want to be.

 

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