Hello! Detoxing much? Trying some of the detoxing/sweet help I suggest in the ebook? What’s working?
- by Always With Honor
Some quick housekeeping
* OK, I’m doing my first webinar tonight. I’m doing it on ustream and you’ll need to either go to my #IQS Facebook page or here (if you’re not on Facebook) to register. You’ll be able to “chat” with me and post questions…and it should be fun and it SHOULD work…
Three things:
- I will have to do this at 6pm, NOT 6.30pm AEST now. I hope this doesn’t muck any of you around.
- If it does, the video will be up on ustream and Facebook…I’ll send around links tomorrow.
- This is a bit of an experiment for me…so bear with me…fingers crossed it worked (and please suggest any tips!)
* Little reminder: it’s your last day to register for Febfast. Go on. Do it. Here.
PS I was on The Circle this morning chatting about Febfast…there I am…And will be chatting with Yumi and Chrissie Swan on radio – The 3pm Pickup – tomorrow about #IQS…tune in.
A few elevator pitch statements
OK…all that aside I thought I’d share a few elevator pitch statements with you that come in handy when people say, “what’s this no sugar thing, in a nutshell”? People only want nutshell, chomper-size soundbites, mostly. So serve it up to them!
* In caveman days sugar – or fructose – was so rare that when we DID stumble on it, we were designed to binge on it AND store it instantly as fat. Our biology hasn’t changed in the 10,000 years since the agricultural revolution, nor since the 1800s when sugar was introduced. We’re still designed to binge on it and store it as fat.
* Fructose is the only food molecule that we a) don’t have a corresponding enzyme in our brain that says “we’ve had enough” and b) that goes straight to the liver as fat.
* Yep, sure sugar is natural. Fruit is natural. But so is arsenic and petroleum.
* Our grandparents didn’t eat four pieces of fruit a day. Plus the fruit back then didn’t contain as much sugar. Fruit day has been “bred” to be sweeter.
* A glass of Coke and a glass of apple juice – the same amount of sugar is in each…about 10-12 teaspoons.
Of course, if this fails…you might want to just point out how good you’re looking.
Or show them this lovely comment from Matt, which I thought I should share in case you missed it on the forums:
I’ve lost 11kgs to date, now am at a perfect weight for my height and eat as ‘much’ (quantity-wise) as I used to but am now eating the right things. Really important difference, as I’ve discovered. I’m bouncy, have clear, glowing skin and am just generally enjoying life without the lethargic, dark cloud that was sugar hanging over me constantly. Back to acting how a young guy should be acting, really.
A reader questioned whether it was more about doing exercise than just being about sugar….
To be honest Leila, when I read posts on this blog, I think the same thing. Oh, they must have exercised while quitting sugar, done something else etc. Other than lifting the occasional 20kg dumbbell in my backyard (which I have always done, mind you) I’ve exercised no more than usual.
The whole experience has just been incredible. I started at 98kg in November last year, am now at 87kg as of this morning.
I followed Sarah’s recommendations, but went cold turkey on all sugar from the first day of the plan. I still ate berries over the entire experiment (couldn’t cut it all out) and loved my coconut products, nuts, bread, eggs, cheese, yoghurt etc. I even continued to eat pizza (thin base, home made, fresh topping and minimal sauce) and pasta (pre-made Latino branded stuff even) about 1 or 2 times a week. As long as it fell into Sarah (and David Gillespie’s) sugar content per 100g guidelines, I just stuck by it.
I have strong willpower when I want to do something, so sticking to the plan was easy for me (once I got through the first 2-3 weeks).
I love my fruit, but used to eat it in such copious amounts. I also have a very sweet tooth, so it was something I wanted to change.
Living this experiment has just opened me up to a whole new way of living life. It has become everything Sarah talks about and more.
Obviously no person is the same, so it will work differently for everyone. I’m also a student, with no kids so I can worry about myself a lot more than I’m sure parents can.
You’ve just got to stick to in for the long haul and the results will come!
A detox product to try
I love this tea by Aphroditea, run by Therese and her sister. Their Clarity tea has licorice, anniseed, peppermint and fennel in it – great for digestion and for a “sweet hit” and their Harmony tea is PERFECT for anyone having detox pain: black cohosh, dong quai, licorice, ashwaganda, St John’s Wort etc…Buy it here.
Some readers’ tips for craving curbers
Some of you have provided some GREAT tips… thought I should share cos they’re really rather brilliant.
Emma says: I chill a tart tea (like cranberry, raspberry or pomegranate) & then add this instead of juice to smoothies, or in baked items like pancakes.
Mia says: I find a glass of milk works if I am craving sweetness. I don’t know why, but it seems (much like coconut oil) to taste sweet without being sugary. Other than that, my favourite thing at the moment is a coconut juice & natural yoghurt smoothie with berries and cocoa powder in! The berries sweeten it up just enough so the cocoa tastes chocolatey. Yuuuum.
The Clean Beauty Blog says:I’ve replaced dried fruit in my porridge with a spoonful of coconut oil, pinch of cinnamon & chia seeds – so delicious and healthy!
toni says: The funny thing is that, after being sugar-free for 11 weeks, so much food with little or no sugar tastes sweet to me now…for instance a squeeze of lemon or lime juice in a dressing sets my tastebuds quivering, my organic beef chilli with a touch of cinnamon and cocoa powder almost tastes like dessert, coconut water (YUM!), corn fritters with harissa and barambah yoghurt on top, the list goes on! It’s amazing how sharp and refined your tastebuds become, just like your mental clarity really.
Claire says: My big tip is: Artisana Coconut Butter – this is not the same as coconut oil, it is a whole food made from the whole coconut, so includes the flesh. It is the most heavenly, divine, rich, delicious creation ever.
Jemma says: My fave treat at the moment is mixing big dollops of Barambah Organic yoghurt (the 97% one) with a little stevia, some cinnamon and vanilla powder when craving something rich and sweet -it’s soooo delish. I’m also having a couple of teaspoons of coconut butter for dessert which I find more satisfying than 85% dark choc….it’s divine!
Cathy F says: Spiced Pumpkin Soup – saute 1 chopped onion, 1 crushed & chopped garlic glove, 1 tbsp chopped fresh root ginger, 1 small red chilli – deseeded & finely chopped, 1 entire root washed & chopped coriander. Saute these ingredients first in about 1-2 tbspns coconut oil. Then add 1 chopped butternut (or any other) pumpkin. Saute on low with lid on for another 5-8 mins. Add enough homecooked vegie OR chicken stock (I used chicken) to cover pumpkin mixture + add one bayleaf, sea salt & peppper. Cook until pumpkin just tender – about 10 mins. Let cool a little & puree. Add 2 tbspns coconut milk & garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
extra reading
Some of you have asked about kids’ lunches…here are some links that might help
The Nourished Kitchen has posted 10 days of healthy, sugar-free school lunches (they tend to be on the paleo end of the spectrum)
This post has a few healthy kids “treat” ideas, but only half are sugar-free.
And these coconut chips might just get you out of a pickle!
See you at 6pm and don’t forget to post your questions below. I’ll be answering them tonight and in next week’s newsletter…
