NEW YEARS CHALLENGE 2013!

I started an annual sugar cleanse idea in 2011. 2 weeks with NO SUGAR. Sounds crazy right? (all the sweet tooth adults know what I mean) But Christmas was filled with so much food and sweets I knew I had to do something drastic. I am not going to lie, I had never been without sugar completely in my entire life so I didn’t know what would happen, and I was 7 months pregnant! Would I be sick? Desperate? Emotionally crazy? My husband didn’t even think I would last. Amazingly enough, it wasn’t near as hard as I thought. And it was eye opening to how many processed foods and condiments have sugar in them. There is the possibility of withdrawal symptoms like a headache, but if you are eating clean sugar sources like organic cane or coconut sugar, I will doubt you’ll even notice you’re without it. Just to entice you… I’ll share how it went.

A small group of friends did it with me. We all succeeded, with a few accidental blips here and there. For example, my sister made a stir fry and didn’t read the bottled sauce she purchased. It had added sugar, but she pressed on reading bottles carefully after that and even learned how to make her own sauce. Once I was finished I felt AMAZING! My skin was the best it had been my whole pregnancy and I had more energy. I also stopped gaining weight so quickly. (I ended with a healthy 8lb3oz baby from 36lbs gained) so this year I will see what it does while breastfeeding and getting back into shape! It also re-set my sugar threshold. Once the two  weeks were up, I barely needed any sweets to be satisfied. The unexpected benefit was the creativity while cooking and baking! I had to figure out ways to use fruit to make anything I wanted sweetened. Well here goes… three days left. I underlined all of the benefits I had, so if you see one you like I DOUBLE DOG DARE YOU TO TRY THIS! What better way to start your year off than detoxing from your Christmas indulging? All 5 rules posted below:

1. NO SUGAR in any form may enter your body for 14 days, starting Jan 1st. This includes alternative sugars, cane sugar, coconut sugar, honey, molasses, or any other sucrose-like product. 
2. Naturally occurring sugar in fruit and vegetables are fine to eat. These come with enzymes and vitamins that supersede the negative effects their sugar has. Try to limit the tropical fruits that are the highest in sugar like pineapple, melons or mango. You can use these to bake and cook with for your sweetening needs. Expect some failure. Our sugarless banana muffins last year are going to be re-done with vigor this year!
3. Dried fruits are extremely concentrated in sugar so limit these as well, but they still are a natural form of sugar. Consider them a treat. I suggest removing all tempting “treats” from your house before you start. Much easier when you only see an apple and not a chocolate bar, bottle of juice and piece of cake beside it. 
4. READ THE LABELS! Glucose, fructose, corn syrup, sugar, liquid sugars, honey, stevia, extracts are all banished from your cleanse. The bottles that will catch you are dressings, condiments and sauces! Be prepared to have your eyes opened to the sugar craze.
5. If you slip up, don’t start over, just resolve to learn from it and keep going!!! I think this is also called “LIFE”. Post any questions/struggles you have and I will help along the way! You’ll be so proud of yourself after and if you lose a couple real lbs. = BONUS!

Are you addicted to sugar? How to cut the cravings!

Ironic that I post this as I just ate another dark chocolate covered pretzel. Oops. Tis the season??? My husband dared me? I didn’t want the baby to find them? My dog is allergic? (Right, I don’t have a dog)

I’m learning all about allergies and it’s been an eye opening read so I knew I had to share some of it, although I must say treating allergies are extremely unique and should be left to those who can create individual plans. BUT they can be fixed so don’t ever lose hope. Anyways back to the good stuff… SUGAAAAAAAAAR.

FIRST MAJOR SIGN OF ADDICTION: Obsession. Do you think about food all the time? (YES) Do you plan the next time you will eat it? (ALL THE TIME!) Do you get excited when it’s close to eating time? (I’M EXCITED JUST READING THIS!) Do you arrange your life in ways to facilitate obtaining food? (OK MAYBE A LITTLE FAR…)

If you said YES to any of those, welcome to the club! There are three more cardinal signs but only the first one made me stop and laugh at myself, then text my friend the excerpt, to which she wrote back “Me too!”. Trust me, you aren’t alone and you probably aren’t truly addicted, so much as caught in what I call “the refined food trap”. Intrigued how to fix it? It’s really simple… and once you are aware you will always remember this! Keep reading.

Why sugar and refined foods cause you to crave more: “A refined food has lost its normal protective ratios of synergistic vitamins, minerals and enzymes either by removal or destruction. This alters the way it is metabolized in the body. For example, sugar acts more like a drug in the body than a food…In its natural state, as cane sugar, it supplies B vitamins and many trace minerals including chromium.” (Dr. Bateson-Coch, p. 60) Then the nutrient stores you have are used up to try and make up for the lack that is created. Imbalance in the body occurs, mixed signals to the brain follow and this leads to more craving and addiction in an attempt to fill the void! (think of the film Supersize Me as a prime example) Also makes sense to why pregnant women may have cravings.

DUN DUN DUUUUN! ENTER THE SOLUTION: EAT WHOLE FOODS IN THEIR NATURAL STATE. As in, intact with correct ratios and a full supply of nutrients. This has clinically been shown to the fastest, easiest, simplest way to eliminate cravings. You now have a glimpse of my glory I learn about everyday. Eat food as close to the ground, as close to home, as least cooked, as clean as possible and ENJOY EVERY BITE OF IT. Once you start to crave vegetables, you will get a long-distance high five from me.

SO every January 1st I have a tradition of a Christmas Sugar Detox. And I will be inviting ALL OF YOU TO JOIN ME! Eliminate what’s in your house in the next couple of weeks because you won’t want to miss this. You will feel amazing after and probably start off the new year in your skinny jeans. Downsides? None. Stay tuned… details will pop up before it begins. Need a little motivation? Scroll down this until you reach the word Cocaine.

Scary facts…