No-Sugar Challenge!

What is three times as addictive as cocaine but three HUNDRED times as socially acceptable as cocaine? (ok, I made the 300 thing up, but really... what police officer hand-cuffs you for a candy bar?) Sugar! Sugar is loaded into all sorts of foods and is America's #1 food additive aside from salt. But sugar can wreak havoc on your body by disrupting your blood sugar and metabolism, creating an acidic environment within your body, as well as causing tooth decay and weight gain.

So, for the month of July I cut out all sugar from my diet including honey, high fructose corn syrup, white sugar, cane juice crystals, molasses, you name it. I did still consume fruits and grains, and yes, I am aware that they contain naturally-occurring sugar. ;) I try to go off sugar completely twice a year for 2-6 weeks each time. In general, I try to consume more natural forms of sugar when I have it and avoid high fructose corn syrup entirely. But, there are times when abstaining 100% is in order. :)

I have felt so good and it is really encouraging because certain times I have gone off sugar, I have literally displayed symptoms of withdrawal. No such thing this time which is exciting because my body is not as addicted as it has been previously. Yay!

I wanted to share a couple of recipes that I have found to curb a sugar craving when you're avoiding sugar... because, hey, everyone needs something sweet occasionally. :)

 
Carrot Cake

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts 
4 ounces unsalted butter, heated until just melted
1/2 cup dried dates, seeded and finely chopped into a paste
3 ripe bananas (1 1/4 cups), mashed well
1 1/2 cups grated carrots (about 3 medium)
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt 

For cream cheese frosting:
6-8 ounces cream cheese
Pineapple juice to sweeten
A few drops of stevia to sweeten
(Though I do prefer honey when I am not 100% off sugar)

Preheat oven to 350F. Butter a 9x5x3 / 8-cup loaf pan (or 8x8 cake pan) and line it with parchment paper.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in the walnuts and set aside.

Stir the dates into the melted butter, breaking up the dates a bit.

In a separate bowl combine the bananas and carrots. Stir in the date-butter mixture, breaking up any date clumps as you go. Whisk in the yogurt and the eggs. Add the flour mixture and stir until everything just comes together. Spoon into the prepared pan. Bake for about 50 - 60 minutes or until a toothpick tests clean in the center of the cake - it'll be less if you are using a standard cake pan. Remove from oven and let cool.

Beat cream cheese and pineapple juice. Add stevia. Spread over completely cooled cake. 

Ice Cream

2 Bananas, frozen
2ish TBSP whole milk/cream/half and half
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

Place bananas in blender, add milk slowly until desired consistency is reached. Add vanilla extract. If you don't like banana taste, freeze green bananas. You will get your ice cream consistency but not the banana-y flavor. The riper the banana when you freeze it, the more banana taste you'll get in your ice cream. Try adding peanut butter, berries, cinnamon, or cocoa powder for an added twist. Enjoy!


Chocolate Mousse
1 can full-fat coconut milk
5 TBSP. cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
A few drops of stevia to sweeten

Leave open can of coconut milk in frig overnight until thick. Beat in other ingredients to milk and serve right away. Really good with strawberries or just on its own. :P

So, there you have it, my blogging friends! Try going sugar-free but beware of artificial sugar substitutes that are worse for you than sugar itself, as they mess with your metabolism, hormones, and body's way of absorption. Beware of Splenda and aspartame! :)

Also... Here is a short video with a few tips on how to kick the sugar habit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0E3tLLe0BM&feature=relmfu

Gut Health for Good Health

As you sit reading this post, 100 trillion little micro-organisms are abiding in your gut. Keep in mind that one-trillion dollar bills laid end to end would stretch from the earth to the sun and back again... times that by 100 and you can start to vaguely imagine just how many little creatures call your gut their home. These intestinal flora are responsible for a bevy of your bodily functions, including normal gastrointestinal function, metabolism regulation, infection protection, vitamin absorption, and so much more. About 70-75 percent of your immune system is housed in your intestinal tract, so you can see why a balanced gut is key to healthy living.

It's crucial to maintain an adequate level of healthy flora in your gut, not only since they are beneficial, but also because they need to be more prevalent than bad bacteria to keep your body balanced and free of illness. Additionally, beneficial bacteria help to strengthen the immune system by adapting to foreign bacteria and building up resistance and immunity against them.

In the Standard American Diet, there are plenty of ways that the average person kills their beneficial intestinal flora each and every day. The most obvious way being through anti-biotics which are occasionally necessary and lifesaving, but most of the time excessive and unnecessary as the body was made to heal itself. One might not consider that other medications such as ibuprofen, birth control pills, and more also diminish flora in your gut. White carbs and refined sugar are also major culprits.

There are several ways to help your body gain more beneficial bacteria. Cultured foods such as yogurt and kefir (without added sugar) made from dairy are a great way to add probiotics into your diet. Fermented foods such as sauerkraut, kimchi, and pickled vegetables are another prime source. Beverages that contain beneficial bacteria include water kefir and kombucha. Some people prefer to take probiotics in capsules but this is not as potent of a method.

Personally, I try to consume one serving of a probiotic food or drink per day, most commonly it is kombucha or dairy kefir or yogurt. Fermenting and culturing foods is a fairly simple process and usually just requires prepping a few ingredients and leaving them out for a few days. I've had success making yogurt, kefir, pickled vegetables, and kombucha. Some of these foods can be an acquired taste, but starting with the milder tasting ones like water kefir or adding fruit to dairy yogurt and kefir can be a good way to start.

Healthy guts are key to healthy bodies and there are plenty of tasty ways to help restore them. How about you? What are your favorite ways to get probiotics into your diet?