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Hello Sugar Free Challengers!

Today’s Reason to be Sugar-Free: 

The single largest source of calories for Americans comes from sugar—specifically high fructose corn syrup. Just take a look at the sugar consumption trends of the past 300 years:

-In 1700, the average person consumed about 4 pounds of sugar per year.

-In 1800, the average person consumed about 18 pounds of sugar per year.

-In 1900, individual consumption had risen to 90 pounds of sugar per year.

-In 2009, more than 50 percent of all Americans consume one-half pound of sugar PER DAY—translating to a whopping 180 pounds of sugar per year! It comes to no surprise that America is the leading weight loss pill resource.

Today, 32 percent of Americans are obese and an additional one-third are overweight. Compare that to 1890, when a survey of white males in their fifties revealed an obesity rate of just 3.4 percent. In 1975, the obesity rate in America had reached 15 percent, and since then it has doubled.   —Dr. Johnson via Dr. Mercola

A lot of you have been asking for it, so here is a sample meal plan for a day of sugar free eats.

Breakfast: Roasted Sweet Potato and Rosemary Frittata

Lunch: Chopped BLT Cobb Salad

Snack: Roasted Red Pepper Hummus with carrots, celery, olives, or gluten-free crackers

Dinner: Oven Baked Boneless BBQ Chicken Breast with homemade sauce, side salad, and side of starch of choice (rice, potato, sweet potato)

Dessert: Peach Crisp with Homemade Coconut Whipped Cream 

Meal-prepping is a great way to stay on track. Choose a day to prepare all foods in advance and stock up for the week to stay on track! There are so many fun, new meal prep containers to use, too, click here for a great review. Glass containers are my personal favorite.

It is day 4 of the sugar-free challenge, so I hope everyone is off to a great start!

Grocery shopping can be worrisome for a lot of challengers because of the confusing labels, etc. It’s important to have food on hand at home and a stocked fridge when hunger hits because an empty fridge makes you a lot more likely to grab something more processed and higher in sugar. Here are some tips to make your next trip a whole lot easier!

The Basics

Stick to foods that are as close to their original state as possible. Not only is this a healthier, but minimally processed foods tend to be lower in sugar and not have any added sugar. This means fruit, vegetables, grains, meat, nuts, and seeds.

• Meats: chicken breast or whole chicken, ground beef, eggs, deli meats (with no added sugar, watch for words like honey roasted)
• Grains: brown rice, oatmeal, quinoa, homemade whole grain breads, pasta, corn tortillas, popcorn
• Fruit: bananas, apples, grapes, mango, and all sorts of fresh/frozen fruit, dried fruit (check for added sugar)
• Vegetables: baby carrots for snacking, sweet potatoes, spinach, etc frozen and fresh, check canned veggies for added sugar.
• Nuts: raw or salted nuts and seeds, all natural peanut butter or almond butter
• Dairy: unsweetened almond milk, yogurt (sugar free), cheeses
• Extra: olive oil, coconut oil, balsamic and red wine vinegar, spices, hummus, olives, herbs, pickles (no sweet pickles!), chia seed, flax seed

Check the Labels

I go into more detail about labeling in this post, but it can hide anywhere! Above are two different brands of hot sauce. One contains sugar and one doesn’t. Always check labels! Not every brand has the same ingredient list.

Same idea with this jelly. Most jellies and jams contain added sugar, but there are varieties that are only fruit-juice sweetened. Check the labels for this. Beware of the label “Sugar-Free Jelly” because this can contain sugar substitutes like splenda and aspartame. Normal peanut butter brands also contains added sugar, so look for all-natural brands or freshly ground. My favorite brand is Smucker’s Natural because it is carried in almost every grocery store and is relatively inexpensive.

Careful of the Middle Aisles

The middle aisles are where all of the foods that do not need refrigeration are, so these are usually very processed. Processed foods are much more likely to have added sugar. Some of the cereals and granola in the picture above look healthy, but are actually very high in sugar. Try making your own granola like this Pumpkin Spice Latte Granola!

The produce aisles are your friend!!

Use spices to liven these foods up. Like cinnamon in oatmeal, smoked paprika and garlic on chicken, dill on potatoes, and basil on pasta.

Have Fun and Shop Locally

This is an awesome opportunity to support your local farmers by buying what is in-season. Fall is great for squash and apples-my favorite!

I went to an apple orchard this weekend and picked buckets of my own fresh apples. Not only are these a tasty afternoon snack with some natural sugars, but I can use them in lots of recipes! Like this no sugar-added apple pie.

While I always love a good trip to the grocery store, I’ve been dreaming about a trip to Paris to try all of their culinary creations. Jasmine from Leisure Jobs notified me of a competition they are holding to win a trip for two to Paris and a Michelin Star Meal! I’ve never been to Europe, and I’ve been wanting to try their famous cuisine. The meal included in the trip may be the most exciting part for me. I would definitely order the escargot in Paris because I have never tried it before and it is very famous there. What would you like to try?

 You can enter to win the trip HERE. I’ve already entered, so I wanted to let my lovely readers know about it, too. Good luck!

Do you have any grocery shopping trips? Also, have you ever been to Paris?

This is a sponsored post, but all thoughts and ideas are my own.

Hey everyone!

If you haven’t signed up for the sugar-free challenge yet, here’s another incentive to take the plunge. I partnered with Laura Thomas from Happy Sugar Habits to give away weekly 1-2-1 Skype counseling sessions for the month of October.

There will be one winner, so sign up here while there’s still time! It starts in one week.

New this year! If you have signed up (yay!), we have a Facebook group just for challengers. I highly encourage you to join. You can connect with other challengers to encourage each other, post your meals, and ask questions. Request to join here.

• What Your Sugar Craving Means
• Beware of the BBQ -Surprising places sugar lurks
• 10 Ways to Kick Sugar’s Butt! 
• How to Reduce Sugar Consumption
• Just a Spoonful of Sugar (or 20) -A look at Sugar addictions
• The Psychology Behind Sugar Addictions

I’m looking forward to another great challenge! We have 85 participants so far, and I’m hoping we get many more. One week until go-time!

I’ve had multiple requests to host another challenge, and it is finally here!

I’m especially excited for this challenge because I’ll be using the survey data to write a Thesis on the negative effects of sugar and what happens to the body when it is eliminated from the diet. Help me spread the word on what sugar does to the body, and show the world through this research study! (Please know that if you do not wish to participate in the study, you can still take the sugar-free challenge and opt-out of the surveys).

Check out the Sugar-Free Challenge Homepage here to sign up! 

Common benefits others have reported after taking this challenge are increase in energy, clearer skin, and less cravings.

The Challenge lasts 21 days, and it starts October 1st. It’s a great opportunity to challenge yourself to go sugar-free! Here are some articles I wrote to help you out:

• Beware of the BBQ -Surprising places sugar lurks
• 10 Ways to Kick Sugar’s Butt! 
• How to Reduce Sugar Consumption
• Just a Spoonful of Sugar (or 20) -A look at Sugar addictions

Look at a sample day of a sugar-free challenge HERE.

Are you excited for the Superbowl this Sunday? 

Honestly, I’m not a big football fan, but I am always excited for some fun with friends and family and good food! If you’re having your own party, bringing a dish to someone else’s party, or simply want to make a few tasty treats for yourself-check out these healthy treats.

The average Superbowl fan-fare contains hundreds of calories from fatty wings, cheesy dips, and empty calories from chips and sweets. These recipes are easy-to-make and calorie-dense to keep you satisfied so that you don’t overindulge.

Snacks

 Roasted Chili Lime Nuts

Roasted nuts full of flavor without lots of oil and sugar. Nuts are rich in fiber, minerals, phytonutrients, and antioxidants. They are also high in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats which can help lower cholesterol.

Buffalo Ranch Popcorn

Every Superbowl party needs some buffalo ranch flavor. Instead of traditional wings, get all the flavor in stove-top popcorn. Lots of fiber without the excess trans fat oils.

Appetizers

Roasted Artichoke Hearts with Horseradish Dip

Anyone else love artichokes as much as I do? When I learned they could be roasted and dipped into a creamy horseradish sauce, I was hooked!

Shrimp with Cocktail Sauce

I’m a sucker for shrimp cocktail. Did you know the cocktail sauce you love to submerge your shrimp in is loaded with added sugar and high fructose corn syrup? Make your own! It’s easy and you can’t feel guilty double dipping.

 Main Course

Dairy-Free Cheezy Nacho Supreme

That’s right-dairy-free nachos. These nachos are made with raw nuts and spices, but I promised they still taste great! Top with everything your heart desires: ground beef, beans, salsa, guacamole, olives, jalapeños…

Homemade Spring Rolls

Maybe not your typical Superbowl food, but they’re fun because you can eat them with your hands. It’s like a handheld salad with a tasty peanut butter dipping sauce. If your friends are up to it, make a “Spring Roll Salad Bar” and have them make their own.

Dessert

Carnival Cookies

These are fun little bite-sized cookies filled with everything you need at a live football game: popcorn, peanuts, and chocolate. High in fiber and compounds to stabilize blood sugar.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites

I don’t know many people who don’t like the peanut butter and chocolate combo. No one will know these egg-free, flourless cookie dough bites are healthy.

Drink

Strawberry Lemonade Sparkler

If you want to make a fun non-alcoholic drink for yourself or the kids, this strawberry lemonade sparkler is tasty without the sugar-crash.

What are your plans for Superbowl Sunday?

Comment below with the recipe ideas you have for the big game!

Sometimes I get into a snacking mood where I just want to eat big handfuls of something crunchy. Do you ever get that?

My favorite way to satisfy my munchies is by making popcorn. It’s tasty, healthy, relatively low in calories, and I can eat a lot! I don’t make just any microwave popcorn, though, I use the stovetop method and cook the kernels is coconut oil for a few extra nutrients. In fact, I really recommend not making or consuming store-bought microwave popcorn because the bags are lined with Perfluoroalkyls, PFOA and PFOS, to keep oil from leaking into the bags. As a result, these PFOA’s and PFOS leach into the popcorn as it cooks. They’re dangerous contaminants that effect the endocrine system and reproductive hormones and can cause infertility, immune system problems, thyroid disease, and cancer in the liver, pancreas, and reproductive organs (Source).

It’s really easy to make stovetop popcorn, too, and it tastes way better! I’ve briefly listed the steps in the recipe below, but I should hopefully have a picture tutorial on how to make stovetop popcorn up on the site soon.

Sometimes I do get a little bored of plain salted popcorn, though, and this new recipe is a favorite of mine now. The popcorn combines spicy buffalo chicken wings with ranch dip all in one snack that you can eat every day (instead of only enjoying every once in a while like wings and ranch on special occasions).

Get to poppin’!

Heath Benefits:

• Popcorn: Popcorn kernels without oil are very low in calories (about 30 calories per cup popped), and they contain lots of fiber to keep you full longer. It contains both soluble and insoluble fiber to help lower cholesterol and improve digestive functioning. Popcorn is also a whole grain that is minimally processed, so it still has the hull intact which contains lots of polyphenols to help fight disease. Popcorn also has an antioxidant called ferulic acid that has therapeutic effects against cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular and neuro-degenerative diseases, like Alzheimer’s because of it’s anti-inflammatory properties.
• Coconut Oil: Coconut is widely misunderstood because of it’s high fat content; however, coconut’s saturated fat is made up of medium-chain fatty acids. These medium-chains are easy to absorb and digest, and are converted quickly into energy. This means that the body is less likely to store the medium-chain as fat. It is also great for healthy skin and hair.
• Himalayan Salt: Himalayan salt is the most-pure salt you can find, and conventional table salt is 97.5% sodium chloride and 2.5% chemicals from refining process. It contains all 84 elements found in the body, and it can promote blood sugar health, prevent muscle cramps as a electrolyte, and it helps with the absorption of food throughout intestinal tract. Many believe too much salt contributes to hypertension; however, sugar is consumed in much higher quantities in the United States that cause more hypertension. Read more here.

Thought-provoking, mind-prodding question of the day:

What’s your favorite way to eat popcorn?