First and foremost, happy Friday! This might be too heavy a topic for the common Friday folk, however I feel it’s a good and necessary one.

“Low-sugar” “Sugar-free” “Low-fat” “Fat-free.” All these have one thing in common – they’re crap. You’ll find these slogans all over packaged products like cereal, oatmeal, crackers and the like. Now, any normal person who hasn’t studied nutrition will rightfully believe the obnoxious advertising located on the front of the package. Is it low-sugar, is it sugar-free or is it fat-free? When you look at the nutrition label, sure it may be lower in sugar or fat, however that’s not what’s important in terms of long-term health. Low-sugar means sugar has been taken out and some ‘fake’ sugar like poison has been put in. Same goes for sugar-free. How can something possibly sugar free and taste as if it has sugar in it? Well, they replace ‘real’ sugar with ‘fake’ poisonous sugar which comes hidden in the form of “sucralose” “aspartame” and or “dextrose.” 

Sucralose, aspartame, dextrose and sugar alcohols further explained:

“Equal, NutraSweet, and Canderel are ingredients of approximately 6,000 consumer foods and beverages sold worldwide, including (but not limited to) diet sodas and other soft drinks, instant breakfasts, breath mints, cereals, sugar-free chewing gum, cocoa mixes, frozen desserts, gelatin desserts, juices, laxatives, chewable vitamin supplements, milk drinks, pharmaceutical drugs and supplements, shake mixes, tabletop sweeteners, teas, instant coffees, topping mixes, wine coolers and yogurt.” Read more…

Sucralose sounds like real sugar as it ends in(-ose) but couldn’t be farther from the truth. “The presence of chlorine is thought to be the most dangerous component of sucralose. Chlorine is considered a carcinogen and has been used in poisonous gas, disinfectants, pesticides, and plastics.” YUM!!!!  That low-sugar cereal you just ate, or those 3 packets of splenda you put in your coffee… yeah you hit your daily chlorine intake Read more…

Dextrose can be found in various “Stevia Leaf” powders (which is considered natural zero calorie sweetener.) The problem with this is that ‘dextrose’ is actually a form of glucose and as you know glucose is a form of sugar. Therefore, this natural sugar-free substance is not sugar-free at all.  If you like stevia, I suggest looking for liquid stevia or brands that do not list dextrose as their first ingredient. “Dextrose, commonly called glucose, d-glucose, or blood sugar, occurs naturally in food, and is moderately sweet. It is a monosaccharide (basic unit of carbohydrates, C₆H₁₂0₆) and has a high glycemic index (digested carbohydrates ability to raise blood glucose levels, also called Gl) ranking at 100.”Read more…

Sugar alcohols are anything that ends in (-tol). Examples include; sorbitol, mannitol and xylitol. “Sugar alcohols naturally occur in many fruits and vegetables but are most widely consumed in sugar-free and reduced-sugar foods. The sweetness of sugar alcohols varies from 25% to 100% as sweet as table sugar (sucrose). ” These are standard ingredients for ‘sugar-free’ products.  Read more…

Side effects for most people – when ingesting these chemicals- include:

• Gas
• Bloating
• Diarrhea
• Stomach Cramps
• Intestinal Distress

These sweeteners are hidden in pretty much everything, which is why it’s important to read ingredients! You have to always wonder to yourself – if this claims it’s sugar-free what is in here as a substitute? If this is fat-free what has it been replaced with? Always question their claims or better yet stay away from anything packaged that has such claims because real food doesn’t need to claim it! Especially if you are prone to stomach issues, have IBS or other bowel disorders, artificial sweeteners and sugar alcohols will wreak havoc on your system – I know this from first-hand experience. :/

If you need to sweeten up your life there are plenty of ways to do it without expanding your waistline. Remember, sugar is at the top of the pyramid so you should be eating it sparingly regardless. Fruit is your best option if you need sweetness daily along with honey or real maple syrup (in small amounts.) There are so many ways to make healthy, natural and real sweets you just need to get creative.

Examples include:

• Greek yogurt topped with fresh berries, nuts and a drizzle of honey,
• Plain oatmeal with berries, some raisins and nuts,
• A smoothie with banana, berries and peanut butter.
• A waffle or toast with peanut butter and natural jam or honey

The options are endless, you just need to search and put in the time! Bottom line: If you want a treat here and there (which is very normal) just go for the real stuff! It may have more calories now, but it wont give you cancer later!! You decide which is more important

I hope I don’t disappoint you all when I say that I am giving up tweaking this meatless challenge. Before you go off judging me, I want to explain my reasoning! It has officially been a week since I started this challenge of mine and I can honestly say I didn’t feel my best.  

Throughout the week I was constantly bloated, gassy, and had the endless munchies! Now, I know it’s not just because I stopped eating meat, part of it was mental and part of it was adding in more fiber from lentils and grains – but I just found myself never fully satisfied, so I turned to late-night snacking to fulfill my cravings. However, the positive side to this was that I incorporated  more veggies into each meal.  

In regard to going vegetarian, I wanted to bring up my experience – as short-lived as it was – to show that no one diet works for everyone. Some people thrive on only fruits and veggies, some need meat and dairy etc.  You know yourself better than anyone and know what foods work best with you – the key, and I’ve said this before, is to try different approaches and see how they affect you. With that said, since I know myself very well, I know that a well-balanced diet is what I thrive on. Cutting out food groups all together has never really worked for me (I’ve had plenty of trials with that) – and sugar should not be considered a food group btw We’re not talking about fad diets here, were talking about healthy lifestyles – ones that are realistic and sustainable.

I may have failed at going 100% meatless, however I am continuing this sugar-free, processed foods free challenge and vowing to cut down on my meat intake. I also want to note that in general eating less meat is obviously a better choice than eating it three times a day, but instead of cutting foods out, it’s best – and easier –  to crowd them out by adding in more of the good-for- you foods such as; vegetables, fruits, some grains and healthy fats.  Figuring out your body and mind is a continuous journey and something you will always have to work at no matter the circumstance. Don’t give up because one thing doesn’t work for you, instead take that as a lesson and keep trying to figure out what does!

When the world says, “Give up,”
Hope whispers, “Try it one more time.”
~Author Unknown

According to my training schedule, I’m off duty up until race day. What’s a girl to do with all this time on her hands? Why bake of course! I must say, this recipe from Whole Foods that I’m about to show you is incredibly easy – with only five ingredients – yes, only five and it tastes amazing!! If you love peanut butter that is

Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Cookies: (flour-less!)

Ingredients

1 large egg
3/4 cup sugar (I used 1 cup)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup creamy unsweetened peanut butter (Costco’s organic natural peanut butter)
1/2 teaspoon gluten-free vanilla extract
1/3 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Method

Preheat oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Beat together egg, sugar, baking soda and vanilla in a standing mixer with the paddle attachment or with a hand-held mixer. Beat in the peanut butter. Stir in chocolate chips if using.

Drop dough by teaspoonfuls onto prepared baking sheet, pressing lightly with the back of a fork. Bake for 10 minutes, until lightly set. Transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Nutrition

Per serving (3 cookies): 200 calories (110 from fat), 12g total fat, 3g saturated fat, 6g protein, 19g total carbohydrate (2g dietary fiber, 16g sugar), 20mg cholesterol, 210mg sodium

Final Goods:

As you can see, I had a few pieces of dark chocolate chips left so I put them on top and I also broke off a small piece of the cookie because I just had to try them! Final verdict: A-MAY-ZING! Another way to make these is to put a thumb print instead of the fork print before you bake and place a Hershey’s kiss on top!

If you love peanut butter you have to try these! Happy Baking

Free at last! In honor of this fabulous day I’d like to share another recipe that I found from the same blog I cited yesterday.

Pumpkin Spice Pancakes – Paleo Style

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 4 eggs
• 1 tbsp coconut milk
• 1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
• Cinnamon to taste
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• Earth Balance

Nutrition Facts: (Makes 4 pancakes)

It’s Hump Day, hooray!! A quick update on my workout(s) last night. As you know, I wasn’t really up to par yesterday, and I almost let myself get away with it until I received some encouraging messages from George, a good friend of mine.

When I get home from work I’m usually hungry, but I didn’t want to eat dinner right then because I tend to get the lazy-girl syndrome after that, so instead I ate a de-licious Kind Bar – gluten free to boot. If you’ve never had one or heard of it , it’s a fruit and nut bar that’s far better for you than any protein bar (in terms of ingredients.) I had the apple cinnamon and cashew one – so good!! It was just enough food to give me energy for my upcoming three mile run. I ran it outside – as it was around 70 degrees and perfect. As I was running, I couldn’t believe how “fast” I was going and I didn’t even stop for walk breaks. I kept telling myself “you got this” and apparently I was right because I completed the run in 32 minutes – my fastest time ever – averaging a 10:39 min/mile. Usually, I’m around 11:30 min/mile. I went from wanting to go straight to sleep to running my fastest three mile run -incredible how that works. It doesn’t stop there peeps. Somehow, I also managed to make it through an hour of Zumba and abs for a grand total of an hour and 30 minutes of exercise! Yep, it’s possible!

That being said, it’s also pretty amazing how exercise affects your energy. As I stated in my last post – to regain your energy you need to be active (even when you are tired as hell.) True story – today I woke up thirty minutes earlier than usual and had energy prior to drinking some coffee. Miraculous. The moral of this story is that, “a body in motion stays in motion” so get moving!!!

Moving on to the interesting stuff. I came across this recipe last week and practically salivated as I read the title.  As I was reading the ingredients I noticed “Pumpkin Butter” and had no idea what that was or at least I had never heard of it before. Being the curious cat that I am, I researched it and found that it’s incredibly easy to make on your own.

I chose to try this recipe from Eating Bird Food’s Blog.

Maria’s Homemade Microwave Pumpkin Butter

• Scant 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon clove
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cups (15 oz) canned pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling mix)

Cheers! It’s FI-NA-LLY Friday!! Seriously, this was a long week and it didn’t go as well as expected or planned! Remember when I posted that I was planning to run 3 miles on Wednesday? Yeah, that didn’t happen! Thursday didn’t happen either. I’m going to put the blame on that special time of the month that we all eagerly anticipate, but enough is enough. I cannot use this as an excuse anymore even though it’s so incredibly easy to do, especially when all you want to do is sit on the couch and cure your savory cravings with chocolate and popcorn!

I know i’m not the only one on this boat, so I’m going to provide you (and myself) with some healthy tips on how to maintain a positive attitude when you’re always bloated!

Vicky’s 5 tips on how to help prevent bloat during this wonderful-wonderful time:

1. Reduce caffeine or at least try to limit to 1 cup a day. Replace this with tons of water.

2. Increase your vitamin B12 if you don’t take a multi-vitamin already. (Vitamin B12 helps with energy and metabolism, so if you’re feeling tired this should help boost your energy)

3. Try and stay away from starchy carbs – like breads, pastas, crackers anything processed that comes in a bag or a box (so hard, I know, but carbs tend to make you retain water and that’s exactly what you don’t want. Also, the preservatives in processed food cause bloating – and are not good for you in general.)

4. Absolutely positively stay away from sugar. Yes, chocolate is sugar. If you MUST, stick to Dark Chocolate – the darker the better.

5. Exercise every day. Sweat-it-out. (Exercise releases endorphins- the feel good hormone and actually helps fight depression, lower stress and maintain a positive attitude – and of course helps with bloating.)

I know what you’re thinking. How do I cut caffeine when I always feel tired, how will I exercise when I have no energy and how will I stay away from carbs and sugar when that’s all I crave?!? Brilliant questions- all of them. I’ll have to get back to you on that one… Stay tuned!

Just kidding. Honestly, it’s definitely much easier said than done – believe me, but the hardest part are the first few days. I like to follow these rules a week before it actually strikes because that’s usually when your symptoms arrive and the whole point is to prevent them from coming. Once you get into the groove you’ll actually find it quite surprising how quickly your cravings go away, but once you give in to those temptations – it’s over. Kinda like what happened to me these past few days. I got lazy, but that shouldn’t be in my/our vocabulary. Sometimes you just can’t control it and I have been there, but get back up and pick up where you left off.  Mind-over-matter. 

On a lighter note; this weekend looks promising. Birthday celebrations with great friends and family – there’s nothing better! I’ll keep you posted on my weekend workouts (that I will complete this time) and any new recipes!

*Vicky