Okay, so I went on hiatus, not just from the blog but from my life in general. I was away from home for a couple of months trying to get some things sorted out. In that time my sugar free went right out the window. Not only that but my healthy eatting went too. Where I was they considered super salty ham and scallop potatos a healthy meal. Oh did I forget to mention that mean came with three soggy (so nutrients cooked right out) esparagus. So now I don't fit into my pants! :(
I was doing so well at being healthy and losing weight in a healthy way, not through some fad diet. Well it's back to the grind for me. I had a little sugar today as I had a date square at the coffee shop so I can't say today it day one. However I feel ready, I have been back for almost two weeks, settled back into my home and routine, juicing again, making my smoothies etc. So I am back at it, writing this blog just makes it a formal committment. I AM GOING SUGAR FREE...again.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Okay So Now the Natural Sweetner's Are Not Even Good For Us?
The New Natural Sweeteners: Healthier Than Sugar?
February 22, 2009 3:26 PM by Mehmet C. Oz, MD, and Michael F. Roizen, MD
35 commentsWhen it comes to satisfying the occasional sweet tooth, we're not big fans of artificial sweeteners. The trouble with these no-calorie additives is that they're essentially invisible to your brain's satiety center, so they never quite "fix" a sweet craving. The result: They usually send you foraging for something else . . . and something after that, and something else after that. Enter the newly hyped "natural" sweeteners. Are they any better? Or just more expensive? Here's what you need to know:
The sweetener: Agave nectar (or agave syrup)
The facts: This sugary syrup is made from the cactus-like South American agave plant. On the flavor front, it tastes similar to honey. While agave has the same number of calories as sugar, it has an unexpected upside: Because it's seriously sweeter than sucrose (aka table sugar) you don't need nearly as much of it, resulting in big calorie savings. How much? You can use one-quarter to one-eighth the amount of agave nectar to deliver the same sweetening power you'd get from sugar. Agave fans also like it for its low glycemic index (translation: it doesn't raise your blood sugar as quickly or as much as sugar). But that hardly makes it diet food. In the end, agave still delivers a spoonful of empty calories, so don't think you can load up on it and expect to squeeze into your favorite jeans.
Our verdict: Try it for the occasional sweet treat or when you absolutely must use sugar in a recipe.
The sweetener: Honey
The facts: The original all-natural sweetener, honey has been prized for its supposed health perks for centuries. And while it has more antioxidant power than, say, refined sugar, it's hardly going to stomp out all those free radicals that age you. In fact, a January 2009 Journal of the American Dietetic Association study of different sweeteners ranked honey only as intermediate on the antioxidant power scale, falling behind heavyweights like dark and blackstrap molasses. But the real shocker is that honey packs 33% more calories than sugar. That means a tablespoon will set you back 64 calories compared with 48 cals for a tablespoon of sugar.
Our verdict: A teaspoon of honey in your tea is fine, but when it comes to calories and blood sugar, it's a worse bet than sugar.
The sweetener: Stevia
The facts: With zero calories and 200 times the sweetness of sugar, you'd think that stevia would be the perfect sweetener. Especially since it comes from a plant instead of a lab. Not so fast: Until last year, the FDA wouldn't even allow stevia to be sold as a food ingredient because of concerns about potential reproductive harm and infertility. That meant you had to trek all the way to a health-food store to get it.
A newer body of research (supported by the same companies that lobbied the FDA to lift the stevia ban) concludes the stuff is safe. So today you can find several stevia-derived sweeteners (including Truvia and PureVia) in your local supermarket, parked right next to the sugar.
Pretty soon it will be popping up everywhere. Now that stevia is fair game, food manufacturers are scrambling to add it to all kinds of foods and drinks. While it's still unclear exactly how safe stevia is, proponents point out that it has been used in Japan for more than 30 years to sweeten pickles. That's not the strongest argument, since the Japanese don't eat pickles all day long the way we swig diet soda. And if you think this sweetener is a shortcut to a flatter belly, remember that, like other calorie-free sweeteners, the part of your brain that's responsible for satiety doesn't recognize stevia, either. So stevia-sweetened foods may not even make you feel satisfied the way a little bit of sugar does.
Our verdict: The occasional stevia-sweetened drink is okay, but we wouldn't use it to fill your sugar bowl just yet.
When it comes to any sweetener, remember that "all natural" doesn't mean "better." After all, cyanide is natural. The best way to enjoy sugar is still in its truly natural forms -- as in fruit and other naturally sweet-tasting foods. You can retrain your taste buds by sloooowly weaning yourself off sugary foods. Then, for those occasional times when you do need some sweetness, don't feel guilty about adding a teaspoon (that's a teaspoon, not a tablespoon) of sugar or agave to an otherwise good-for-you food or drink.
February 22, 2009 3:26 PM by Mehmet C. Oz, MD, and Michael F. Roizen, MD
35 commentsWhen it comes to satisfying the occasional sweet tooth, we're not big fans of artificial sweeteners. The trouble with these no-calorie additives is that they're essentially invisible to your brain's satiety center, so they never quite "fix" a sweet craving. The result: They usually send you foraging for something else . . . and something after that, and something else after that. Enter the newly hyped "natural" sweeteners. Are they any better? Or just more expensive? Here's what you need to know:
The sweetener: Agave nectar (or agave syrup)
The facts: This sugary syrup is made from the cactus-like South American agave plant. On the flavor front, it tastes similar to honey. While agave has the same number of calories as sugar, it has an unexpected upside: Because it's seriously sweeter than sucrose (aka table sugar) you don't need nearly as much of it, resulting in big calorie savings. How much? You can use one-quarter to one-eighth the amount of agave nectar to deliver the same sweetening power you'd get from sugar. Agave fans also like it for its low glycemic index (translation: it doesn't raise your blood sugar as quickly or as much as sugar). But that hardly makes it diet food. In the end, agave still delivers a spoonful of empty calories, so don't think you can load up on it and expect to squeeze into your favorite jeans.
Our verdict: Try it for the occasional sweet treat or when you absolutely must use sugar in a recipe.
The sweetener: Honey
The facts: The original all-natural sweetener, honey has been prized for its supposed health perks for centuries. And while it has more antioxidant power than, say, refined sugar, it's hardly going to stomp out all those free radicals that age you. In fact, a January 2009 Journal of the American Dietetic Association study of different sweeteners ranked honey only as intermediate on the antioxidant power scale, falling behind heavyweights like dark and blackstrap molasses. But the real shocker is that honey packs 33% more calories than sugar. That means a tablespoon will set you back 64 calories compared with 48 cals for a tablespoon of sugar.
Our verdict: A teaspoon of honey in your tea is fine, but when it comes to calories and blood sugar, it's a worse bet than sugar.
The sweetener: Stevia
The facts: With zero calories and 200 times the sweetness of sugar, you'd think that stevia would be the perfect sweetener. Especially since it comes from a plant instead of a lab. Not so fast: Until last year, the FDA wouldn't even allow stevia to be sold as a food ingredient because of concerns about potential reproductive harm and infertility. That meant you had to trek all the way to a health-food store to get it.
A newer body of research (supported by the same companies that lobbied the FDA to lift the stevia ban) concludes the stuff is safe. So today you can find several stevia-derived sweeteners (including Truvia and PureVia) in your local supermarket, parked right next to the sugar.
Pretty soon it will be popping up everywhere. Now that stevia is fair game, food manufacturers are scrambling to add it to all kinds of foods and drinks. While it's still unclear exactly how safe stevia is, proponents point out that it has been used in Japan for more than 30 years to sweeten pickles. That's not the strongest argument, since the Japanese don't eat pickles all day long the way we swig diet soda. And if you think this sweetener is a shortcut to a flatter belly, remember that, like other calorie-free sweeteners, the part of your brain that's responsible for satiety doesn't recognize stevia, either. So stevia-sweetened foods may not even make you feel satisfied the way a little bit of sugar does.
Our verdict: The occasional stevia-sweetened drink is okay, but we wouldn't use it to fill your sugar bowl just yet.
When it comes to any sweetener, remember that "all natural" doesn't mean "better." After all, cyanide is natural. The best way to enjoy sugar is still in its truly natural forms -- as in fruit and other naturally sweet-tasting foods. You can retrain your taste buds by sloooowly weaning yourself off sugary foods. Then, for those occasional times when you do need some sweetness, don't feel guilty about adding a teaspoon (that's a teaspoon, not a tablespoon) of sugar or agave to an otherwise good-for-you food or drink.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
More Success
Breakfast
One chunk of Purple Jesus, Living Libations bar
One Pear
Lunch
Babajanuji and bread crisps
Four raw veggie crackers
Banana and goji nut brittle-organic almonds, coconut, banana, dates, goji berries, flaxmeal, cinnamon and vanilla
Starbucks, Tall Skinny hazelnut latte
Dinner
Half a sweet potato with unsalted butter, one turkey sausage with mustard and a slice of probiotic bread.
Juiced
One Tomato, one celery, one leaf kale, one leaf cabbage, one stem bokchoy, one carrot, four asparagus.
Two Ginger Snappers cookies-organic Speke flour, blackstrap molasses, pure sunflower oil, evaporated cane juice, ginger, unrefined cane sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, sea salt, and spices.
An apple
Two liters of water
One chunk of Purple Jesus, Living Libations bar
One Pear
Lunch
Babajanuji and bread crisps
Four raw veggie crackers
Banana and goji nut brittle-organic almonds, coconut, banana, dates, goji berries, flaxmeal, cinnamon and vanilla
Starbucks, Tall Skinny hazelnut latte
Dinner
Half a sweet potato with unsalted butter, one turkey sausage with mustard and a slice of probiotic bread.
Juiced
One Tomato, one celery, one leaf kale, one leaf cabbage, one stem bokchoy, one carrot, four asparagus.
Two Ginger Snappers cookies-organic Speke flour, blackstrap molasses, pure sunflower oil, evaporated cane juice, ginger, unrefined cane sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, sea salt, and spices.
An apple
Two liters of water
Friday, January 7, 2011
A Much Better Day!
Today has begun a hundred times better then the last two day, I'm proud of myself.
Breakfast
I started my day with a chunk of purple chocolate Jesus. What the heck is that you say? It's organic raw Bali cacao, hemp, purplemaize, vanilla beans, cats claw, macs root, raw honeyblood oranges, pay d'arco, camu camu, tangerine and cococreme.
I have it on good advice that a inch long chunk of this bar is enough nutrition for breakfast, so that is what I had. http://www.livinglibations.com/pure-source-raw-chocolate/raw-chocolate One medium coffee with cream.
Lunch
Juiced-kale, bokchoy, carrot, apple, tomato, three sprigs of asparagus and a celery stalk and added a teaspoon of psyillum.
Thee garden vegetable crackers which are made with-golden flax, sunflower seeds, carrots, broccoli, kale, beets, red pepper, celery, onion, garlic, lemon, tahini, olive oil, tamari, cayenne, salt and poppy seeds. They were so good I wanted to devour the whole bag but expensive so I stuck to three.
Dinner
Bread crisp (no sugar in them) and babganui
One turkey sausage and half a sweet potato tossed in olive oil and sea salt then baked.
Juiced
One ppomegranate, one orange and one kiwi
Drank two liters of water
Two ounces of red wine, just because.
Breakfast
I started my day with a chunk of purple chocolate Jesus. What the heck is that you say? It's organic raw Bali cacao, hemp, purplemaize, vanilla beans, cats claw, macs root, raw honeyblood oranges, pay d'arco, camu camu, tangerine and cococreme.
I have it on good advice that a inch long chunk of this bar is enough nutrition for breakfast, so that is what I had. http://www.livinglibations.com/pure-source-raw-chocolate/raw-chocolate One medium coffee with cream.
Lunch
Juiced-kale, bokchoy, carrot, apple, tomato, three sprigs of asparagus and a celery stalk and added a teaspoon of psyillum.
Thee garden vegetable crackers which are made with-golden flax, sunflower seeds, carrots, broccoli, kale, beets, red pepper, celery, onion, garlic, lemon, tahini, olive oil, tamari, cayenne, salt and poppy seeds. They were so good I wanted to devour the whole bag but expensive so I stuck to three.
Dinner
Bread crisp (no sugar in them) and babganui
One turkey sausage and half a sweet potato tossed in olive oil and sea salt then baked.
Juiced
One ppomegranate, one orange and one kiwi
Drank two liters of water
Two ounces of red wine, just because.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Day Three
January 6th
3 slices of banana bread with salt free butter, an indulgence I know but my neighbor bakes it and it was sooooo good.
Salmon sandwich with onion and mayo on probiotic bread.
Movie theater small popcorn and regular pop.
Medium coffee with one cream and a chocolate doughnut. I know, I know.
Juiced
Tomato, cucumber, kale, bokchoy, cabbage, 4 sprigs of asparagus, carrot.
Nutella
So again I have given into my cravings but am fogiving myself for this as I believe the more good food I get into me the less I will desire the junk. I'll make it. I noticed that I have hives on my hands, a clear indicaton that sugar is not good for me.
An apple and pear.
I'm short on water I have only had a little over 750 mls. Tomorrow will be better as I am off to bed to read, "Sugar Blues."
3 slices of banana bread with salt free butter, an indulgence I know but my neighbor bakes it and it was sooooo good.
Salmon sandwich with onion and mayo on probiotic bread.
Movie theater small popcorn and regular pop.
Medium coffee with one cream and a chocolate doughnut. I know, I know.
Juiced
Tomato, cucumber, kale, bokchoy, cabbage, 4 sprigs of asparagus, carrot.
Nutella
So again I have given into my cravings but am fogiving myself for this as I believe the more good food I get into me the less I will desire the junk. I'll make it. I noticed that I have hives on my hands, a clear indicaton that sugar is not good for me.
An apple and pear.
I'm short on water I have only had a little over 750 mls. Tomorrow will be better as I am off to bed to read, "Sugar Blues."
Day Two
January 5th
Smoothie-Choc soy milk, Leaf of kale, Table spoon psyhillum, Two table spoons hemp seed and
3 strawberries
1medium coffee with cream
Half a cucumber
Pasta with ground prime beef and mushroom cream sauce.
Apple
Pear
Clean Sweep Juice
1/2 lemon
Beet
Apple
Celery stalk
Half cucumber
Nutella on Italian bread, two slices. This is sugar but I am not focusing on the slips I am focusing on the fact that I got enough fruit and vegtables and drank two leters of water. I am proud that I am getting the nutrients I wasn't before.
Smoothie-Choc soy milk, Leaf of kale, Table spoon psyhillum, Two table spoons hemp seed and
3 strawberries
1medium coffee with cream
Half a cucumber
Pasta with ground prime beef and mushroom cream sauce.
Apple
Pear
Clean Sweep Juice
1/2 lemon
Beet
Apple
Celery stalk
Half cucumber
Nutella on Italian bread, two slices. This is sugar but I am not focusing on the slips I am focusing on the fact that I got enough fruit and vegtables and drank two leters of water. I am proud that I am getting the nutrients I wasn't before.
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