Apr 6, 2012

Fun Facts Friday

By · 2 Comments

Happy Friday! Hopefully you’re reading this from your couch because you don’t have to go to work today (like me!). If you’re not, well… At least it’s still Friday! Since I’m writing this post a little later than planned, I’m going to keep it short (read: I’m feeling a little bit tired and lazy).

Chelsey, the writer behind one of my favorite blogs (Clean Eating Chelsey), writes a “Fun Facts Friday” post for her blog every Friday. Though I can’t commit to doing this every Friday, I am going to give it a try today—so here goes nothin’!

1. Nerd Alert: I really like words. And grammar. Actually, I really like proper grammar. I also really like alliteration, which is why this Fun Facts Friday post is going to list five facts.

2. Tomorrow I’m getting a massage with one of the many Groupons I’ve purchased throughout the past few months. Yes, I have a problem and buy too many of them, but I just can’t pass up a bargain (I blame you, Mom)! I’m excited because I don’t remember the last time I got a massage, and I desperately need one—my legs are pretty tight from all of my half-marathon training.

3. I saw a pretty shocking, kind of disgusting photo on Facebook yesterday. Check it out below:

Sugar Poster

How GROSS is this!? Can you believe THAT much sugar is in ONE Mountain Dew? You’d never eat that much sugar at once, but I see people drink one or two sodas in one sitting without even thinking twice about it. CRAZY!

4. I received AWESOME news today about the Hope Express. We’re organizing virtual runs to raise money for THON and the Four Diamonds Fund! If none of that makes sense to you, don’t worry—I’ll be telling you all about it in a future blog post.

5. About two weeks ago, I decided I wanted to join the Foodie Penpals program that’s been growing in the blogging world. Today, I found out who I’m sending a package to (and who I’m receiving one from!), and I’m super excited! I can’t wait to show you all what I get—it’s like a foodie Christmas!

That’s a wrap! Enjoy your weekend, and stay awesome!

What are some fun facts about you?

Filed Under: Personal · Tagged: , ,
Apr 4, 2012

Is Sugar Toxic?

By · 2 Comments

The end is in sight, my friends… The end of Lent, that is! I honestly can’t believe how quickly it’s flown by, but what’s surprised me even more is how well my sugar detox has gone! I truly thought this was bound to be the most miserable few weeks of my life. In reality, it’s been some of the best! I feel better, my moods are more stable and I don’t crave sugar like I did before.

I might be jumping the gun a bit here, but I really think this is a way of eating I’ll be able to stick to for the rest of my life. Fruit provides plenty of sweetness for me, and I plan on experimenting with baking with stevia—though I know it can be difficult to work with. And, of course, I’ll be indulging in chocolate occasionally! I have some raw, vegan, organic, refined sugar-free that’s been calling my name for a month now, and I can’t wait to dig in!

Sunday night, CBS’s 60 Minutes showed a 15-minute piece about the toxicity of sugar, and Robert Lustig, a professor known for his research on the link between sugar and obesity, was the segment’s main guest. Though some of the information discussed wasn’t new to me, ALL of it was worth sharing. Check out these tidbits:

  • Diseases linked to sugar include obesity, type II diabetes, hypertension and heart disease.
  • In the United States, 130 pounds of sugar are consumed per person every year. That’s about 1/3 pound every day!
  • It’s recommended that women consume less than 100 calories per day from added sugars—but that’s less than the amount of sugar in just one can of soda.
  • Some studies have found that limiting sugar decreases your chance of developing cancer. What’s more, certain types of tumors actually redirect sugar that enters the blood stream to fuel their own growth!

Want to hear it for yourself? Watch the segment!

If that last one isn’t enough to make you reconsider how much sugar you eat, I don’t know what would! Thankfully, the past several weeks have taught me that life does go on without sugar. My personal experience has made me want to keep sugar out of my diet, and information like this definitely makes it less of a challenge. Knowing that I’m doing something so good for my body is great motivation!

I encourage all of you to try to kick your sugar habit, even if it’s only for one week. If you really want to make the most of it, keep a journal and write down how you feel throughout your detox. Taking the time to truly be aware of how you feel—both physically and emotionally—can be a great tool to help you permanently eliminate (or at least reduce) refined sugar from your diet.

How much sugar do you think you consume on a daily basis right now? What are some things you can go to reduce that amount?

Filed Under: Nutrition Tips · Tagged:
Mar 19, 2012

Aspartame: An Artificial Sweetener to Avoid

By · 3 Comments

Only three weeks until Easter, and you know what that means… Only three more weeks of Lent! For those of you who gave something up for Lent and have stuck to your guns, congrats! If you’ve slipped up a few times, don’t worry about it. One mistake (or two or three…) isn’t the end of the world—I promise. Just keep pushing to the end; I know you can do it!

My Lent experiment has actually been going surprisingly well! If you’re late to the party, I chose to part ways with sugar. I haven’t had any baked goods, candy or chocolate (I know, I can’t believe it either), and I feel great! My cravings have diminished, my mood has been more stable and my skin is clearing up. Needless to say, I’m thrilled with the results!

Though the purpose of my journey has been to eliminate refined, white sugar from my diet, I’ve chosen to avoid all sweeteners as best I can, regardless of whether or not they’re considered to be “healthy.” One sugar substitute that’s been the center of this debate for a long time is aspartame, an artificial sweetener sold under brands like Equal and Splenda.

Aspartame

(Source)

Since aspartame was approved for use in food products by the FDA in 1974, most people believe it’s safe to eat. After all, why wouldn’t you? The FDA’s primary job is to protect and promote our health, and most people believe that’s what it’s doing. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case.

What a lot of people don’t know is that the FDA denied aspartame eight times before it finally was approved, or that some of the scientists who worked closely with the chemical compound even questioned its safety for human consumption. What’s even more mind boggling are the 92 side effects associated with aspartame ingestion, ranging from cravings and weight gain to memory loss and Alzheimer’s.

The lure of this sugar substitute is the fact that it’s calorie-free. But have you ever stopped to wonder why? The only reason aspartame has no calories is because your body doesn’t know what to do with it—you can’t digest it. Instead of being digested like real food, your body converts it to formaldehyde, a nerve toxin used to preserve dead bodies. Yuck!

I know you think you’re doing yourself a favor by using sugar substitutes like Splenda—at least I did! After all, what’s better than the taste of sugar without the calories? I remember thinking about the calories I was saving by drinking diet sodas instead of regular ones, but it turns out that didn’t even matter! There have been studies that show aspartame consumption actually increases your cravings for sugary foods, which (if you give in to them) leads to weight gain.

At the end of the day, I recommend avoiding aspartame as much as possible. I’m not suggesting you swap your daily Diet Coke for a sugar-laden Coca-Cola, but you should think twice before you pop open your next can. If you’re looking for sugar alternatives, try researching options like agave nectar or stevia. Ditching aspartame (and the foods that contain it) can be difficult at first, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t give it a try—trust me, your body will thank you!

What are your thoughts on aspartame and artificial sweeteners? Have you ever tried a different sugar alternative?

Filed Under: Nutrition Tips · Tagged: , ,
Mar 16, 2012

Bye, Bye Sugar… Hello, Clear(er) Skin!

By · 2 Comments

TGIF! I don’t know about you, but this week has been absolutely crazy for me. Have you ever crossed one thing off your to-do list, only to add on three more? I feel like I’m being pulled in a million directions, and while I do enjoy being busy, it’s getting to be a bit much. Thankfully, I have my relaxing, plan-free weekend ahead of me—I just have to get there!

With all of this stress in my life right now, I’ve been mentally preparing myself for the skin breakout I thought would inevitably happen. So far, I’ve been lucky (knock on wood) and don’t have any pimples camped out on my face. Since I’ve been paying such close attention to my skin this weekend, however, I noticed something: my skin is much clearer than it was two or three weeks ago.

Hmmmm… Why is that? I haven’t really been doing anything differently…

Then it hit me: sugar! It’s been about three and a half weeks since I cut sugar out of my diet, so the timing made perfect sense. What an awesome surprise! When I made the decision to give sugar up for Lent, my goal was to gain freedom from my addiction to the white stuff (no, not crack) and become more in tune with what triggered my cravings for it in the first place. Clearing up my skin was not something I expected, but I’m not complaining!

Not wanting to mislead you, I will say that my skin isn’t completely clear… At least not yet. Though I’ve been doing better than I expected with my sugar detox, seeing the effects of eliminating it from my diet definitely gave me some motivation to keep pushing to the end of Lent! I can’t say I’ll never have refined sugar again, but I will make a strong effort to avoid it for the rest of my life. After all, my cravings are weaker, my skin is clearer and I’m just much happier—who needs a better reason than the last one, anyway!?

Have you ever noticed how your diet affects your skin? What food(s) cause you to breakout?

Filed Under: Nutrition Tips, Physical Health · Tagged: ,
Mar 7, 2012

IINspiring is a Mega Understatement

By · 4 Comments

In Monday’s post, I mentioned going to sunny California for the weekend. Anyone remember that? I flew out there Thursday morning for the Integrative Nutrition Mega Conference, an event that brought together thousands of IIN students and graduates for a weekend full of passion, encouragement and true IINspiration! Recapping the entire event would result in a post long enough to make your eyes cross, so I’ll only highlight some of my favorite parts—though I can’t promise that’ll make it much shorter!

Someone upstairs wanted to help me stay on track with my sugar detox this weekend, because the most popular topic mentioned during Saturday’s presentations was sugar and its addictive and poisonous qualities. Julia Ross, an expert in the field of addiction and passionate about the dangers of sugar, spoke about sugar addiction. If you’ve ever tried to eliminate sugar from your diet, you know how difficult it can be. Ever wonder why? Well, maybe it’s because sugar is four times more addictive than cocaine. Yes, you read that correctly. COCAINE! This blew my mind, but it also made me feel like I wasn’t so crazy for craving the sweet stuff.

My favorite speaker Saturday (and that of many others) was David Wolfe. An advocate of raw foodism, David’s huge personality and infectious energy can be inspiring and terrifying, but one thing’s certain: he definitely makes you consider—even if it’s only for a moment—a raw food diet. He’s so passionate and knowledgeable about the lifestyle, it’s difficult not to hang on his every word! His presentation focused on superfoods, a topic I’ve been slowly learning more and more about. Some of the superfoods I incorporate into my daily diet include chlorella, maca and spirulina.

Superfoods

Many antioxidants are found in superfoods, and they provide the pigments that make foods like blueberries or carrots so vibrant. When in doubt, eat the rainbow—and I’m not talking about Skittles! (Source)

I will say, choosing one or two speakers to highlight from Sunday is impossible—I loved them all! The day kicked off with Stacey Morgenstern and Carey Peterson, two amazing women and the founders of Holistic MBA, a company that helps holistic health coaches develop their practices into more successful and lucrative businesses. They provided fantastic tools and I can’t wait to start using them with my practice!

Continuing with the business-oriented presentations, Eric Barron, a personal branding expert, talked about DiSC behavioral styles and how to use them to better communicate with people. After taking a short survey, I discovered I have a personality with high C (compliance/cautious) and I (influence/interactive) tendencies. Not only was the material interesting (I love personality psychology), Eric was a phenomenal presenter! His delivery was relatable and hilarious.

The final conference speaker was John Robbins, the only son of one of the founders of Baskin Robbins. To make a long story short, John chose not to take over his father’s company and now dedicates himself as an advocate for healthy, happy and sustainable living. He also managed to convince his father to adopt a plant-based diet and helped him add another 20 years to his life—that’s no small feat! The best part of his presentation, however, was just four simple words. “Less pain. More love.”

Though this recap touched on some of the incredible people I had the opportunity to listen to, the real inspiration and learning came from the people I was lucky enough to stay with while in California. My experiences with them deserve an entire post, and that they will. Get ready for some real IINspiration!

What are some of the most inspiring experiences you’ve ever had? What did you learn?

Filed Under: Inspiration, Integrative Nutrition · Tagged: , , ,
Mar 2, 2012

Stevia, a Super Sweet Alternative

By · 1 Comment

Can you believe Lent started more than a week ago? That means I broke up with sugar 10 days ago, and let me tell you—I miss it! Though I’m happy to say I’ve stuck with it so far, I’ve definitely had some cravings here and there for something sweet. Luckily, I’ve been able to handle everything so far, and I feel great! I’m looking forward to seeing how the rest of my journey goes.

For those of you who are trying to cut refined sugar out of your diet, stevia is a great alternative that’s starting to gain popularity. You might have heard of Truvia or Stevia in the Raw, two brands that sell stevia extracts. Is none of this ringing a bell? No worries—read on!

Stevia

A natural sweetener, stevia extract is derived from the Stevia rebaudiana plant. (Source)

Stevia is a leafy green herb native to South America and has been used by people in that region of the world for centuries. Hundreds of times sweeter than table sugar, stevia extract does not influence blood sugar levels and is virtually calorie-free. The natural sweetener is sold in both powder and liquid forms, but try to buy those that are green or brown in color—the white or clear versions are much more refined.

Because stevia extract is so much sweeter than refined sugar, substituting it in baking isn’t done with a 1:1 ratio. If you’re using 100 percent stevia extract, replace every one cup of sugar with one teaspoon of stevia extract. It’s crazy, I know! Before following this rule, however, be sure to check the package of whatever brand you bought—some of them have different instructions.

Baking with stevia can be tricky at first, so don’t get frustrated if your first batch of stevia-sweetened cupcakes don’t turn out perfectly. It’s important to note that you might notice a bit of an aftertaste, similar to that of licorice. Don’t think baking exclusively with stevia is for you? Try a blend of stevia and white sugar, and remember that any reduction of white sugar is better than none!

Are you willing to try stevia? If you give it a go, let me know what you think!

Filed Under: Nutrition Tips · Tagged: ,
Feb 27, 2012

Cravings: Three Tips for Controlling a Control Freak’s Worst Nightmare

By · 4 Comments

I’ll be the first to admit it: I can be a control freak. When it comes to my life, I like things to be put a certain place or done a certain way. Is that a crime? Not necessarily, but it can be a pain in the ass. This is an especially annoying trait when I come across things I can’t control, like the weather, other people’s grammar or the drooling that happens when I come within a 10-foot radius of any type of baked goods.

CT ct-cookies-0126 red

In college, I would actually change my route to avoid a Girl Scouts cookie table for fear of coming home with a box… Or three. I just couldn’t say no to a nine-year-old with a box of Samoas! (Source)

Despite my type-A personality and slight OCD tendencies (Does anyone else need the TV volume to end in a zero or a five?), my cravings for sweets have almost always gotten the better of me. I’m the queen of swearing off sweets, only to succumb to a late night binge-fest of the closest chocolate-covered something I can get my hands on. But no more!

Emotional triggers aside, one of the reasons I’ve struggled with cravings for so long is because I never knew how to deal with them. Sure, I’d chew sugar-free gum until the cows came home and will my cravings away until my head hurt, but nothing ever worked. Whenever these didn’t work (read: every time), I’d dive into a downward spiral of overeating because I felt like a failure. Though I didn’t recognize it at the time, I wasn’t a failure at all—I just failed to handle my cravings in a healthy way.

Since I’ve started my education at the Institute of Integrative Nutrition, I’ve learned ways to cope with cravings, especially ones related to sugar. Are you ready to work toward overcoming your cravings? Check out these tips to get started!

  1. Reduce your caffeine intake. I know, I know… What are you supposed to do without your coffee fix!? Though it might be a rough ride at first, reducing (or eliminating, for the brave souls out there) caffeine will help with problems like dehydration and unstable blood sugar. Since both of these are associated with sugar cravings, reducing them means reducing cravings!
  2. Eat fruits and sweet vegetables. Debating whether or not to have dessert? Go for it—just make it something healthy! Fruits are a light and healthy way to satisfy a sugar craving. Plus, the more you eat, the less you’ll crave the white stuff!
  3. Find other sources of sweetness in your life. Though you might think you’re craving a slice of cake, sometimes what you really need is a little bit of lovin’! Next time you have a strong craving, try to take a step back and think for a second. What do you really want? Often times, your craving can be satisfied by catching up with an old friend, getting a night of restful sleep or de-stressing with a yoga class.

I hope these helped! The best part about them? They’re healthy.

Do you struggle with cravings? If so, how do you deal with them?

Filed Under: Emotional Health, Nutrition Tips · Tagged: ,
Feb 24, 2012

A is for Agave

By · 2 Comments

I’m happy to report that my sugar detox is going well–so far, so good! To be honest, I haven’t had to deal with much temptation during the past few days (not that I’m complaining). I know it’s still early on, but I’m all about celebrating small victories!

Though my sugar detox began in honor of Lent, reducing the amount of refined sugars from your diet can start anytime. Want to do that, but can’t imagine a life without sweets? Enter: agave nectar.

Source

Agave nectar, or agave syrup, is a natural liquid sweetener made from the juice of the agave cactus. It’s about one and a half times sweeter than refined sugar, but doesn’t give you the same rush.

Agave is noted for its lower glycemic index and glycemic load compared to many other natural sweeteners. However, it is high in fructose–higher than that of even high-fructose corn syrup–and some research suggests that fructose doesn’t shut off appetite hormones. This may decrease glucose tolerance and ultimately lead to overeating, so just be aware.

While similar to honey in appearance and texture, agave nectar is vegan! It also naturally contains iron, calcium, potassium and magnesium–though I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it as a daily supplement.

Ready to start baking? Here are a few tips for substituting agave nectar for white sugar in recipes:

  • Replace every cup of sugar with 2/3 cup agave nectar.
  • Reduce the total amount of other liquids in the recipe by 1/4 cup.
  • Reduce your oven temperature by 25 degrees and increase baking time slightly.

I realize the baking time bit isn’t exact, so be sure to keep an eye on your recipe while it’s in the oven! Pay attention to your batter while baking, too–if it becomes too thin, try adding some more flour to it. In fact, some people suggest increasing the total amount of dry ingredients by 1/4 cup instead of reducing the other liquids. I’ve always done it the first way, but it’s really up to you.

Just experiment with it. After all, a botched recipe just means you get to bake (and eat) more goodies!

Have you ever used agave nectar as a sugar alternative? What did you think?

Filed Under: Nutrition Tips · Tagged: ,
Feb 22, 2012

Sugar, Sugar

By · 11 Comments

Today is the start of Lent. As a not-very-religious person, I won’t be attending any Ash Wednesday services or trying to strengthen my relationship with God during the next 40 days. However, as someone who loves a challenge and is always seeking ways to improve my life, I will be giving something up for Lent.

I thought about what I wanted to give up for a few days. Nothing really earth-shattering came to mind, but one thing did keep creeping back into my mind like a bad song stuck in my head. Giving it up isn’t going to change the world, but it may very well change my life.

Sugar. That sweet, addictive white stuff that might as well be crack–at least for me. I’m the kind of girl who would take dessert before dinner any day of the week, would definitely pick a sweet snack over a salty one, and could easily live on chocolate for the rest of her life.

You can’t tell me this doesn’t look ah-may-zing! (Source)

When I was in high school, I gave up soda for Lent. Prior to my soda abstinence, I used to drink at least two Diet Cokes every day–those used to be my crack! After going cold turkey for 40 days, though, my cravings for it disappeared. To this day, I honestly don’t crave soda (unless it’s accompanied by a shot of rum), so I’m hoping that I can reap the same benefits this year!

In honor of my sugar detox, I’m going to (try) to relate a good chunk of my posts during the next few weeks to sugar: alternatives (both good and bad), its addictive properties, and ways to kick a sugar habit–especially if completely eliminating it over night seems like too daunting of a task! I’ll also keep you updated on my journey over the next 40 days, but I can’t promise it’ll always be pretty. (I apologize now for the mood swings that are almost guaranteed to happen.) Wish me luck!

Are you giving anything up for Lent? If so, what? If not, why?

Filed Under: Nutrition Tips · Tagged: