Saying, "Good bye" to Refined Sugar

One of the best things you can do for your health is to ditch refined sugar.  Refined sugar is the white sugar that is found in almost everything we eat.  It is a carbohydrate and a preservative wreaking havoc on our bodies.  I know I feel much better since we have started actively avoiding it.  I did not say that we have eliminated it completely, because I realize there are times when we eat it without knowing and others we choose to have it.  I will say, however, that after an episode with birthday cake, I'm much more picky about what I choose to eat that contains sugar.  Around my birthday, I had some delicious cake after no refined sugar for a while.  I didn't think twice about eating it, until later that evening when I experienced the WORST. HEADACHE. EVER.  I believe it was a migraine and I can only attribute it to the sugar in the cake.  I will probably have cake in the future, but only a bite or two to satisfy my interest.

Why avoid refined sugar?  Refined sugar has little to no nutritional value, is addictive, makes you fat, tired, depressed, can cause you to age faster, makes your skin dull, depletes your immune system, and, in excess, can cause a variety of diseases.  It's time to get it out of your system.  

Tips for avoiding refined sugar:

1.  Decide how dedicated you are to tackling this challenge and be realistic with yourself.  You may decide to go without cake, cookies, brownies, ice cream, etc. but are you willing to give up everything else that contains refined sugar?  This includes many processed foods you find in the grocery store (cereal, granola, breakfast bars, pre-made meals, crackers, etc.).  It is even in some canned vegetables!  Do what works for you and set small goals.  You may gradually work towards giving up all refined sugar, but remember that small victories lead to bigger victories and less frustration.

2. Use natural sweeteners.  My favorite is honey.  I buy raw, unfiltered local honey and I love it.  I do not like honey that has been filtered, plus all of the 'goodness' is filtered right out of that honey.  There is a difference in taste I promise, give it a try and if you don't like it, I'll take it!  Make sure you get honey local to your area in order to get all of the pollen goodness from your area.  This may help all of you allergy sufferers out there.  My favorite local honey (in Austin) is Good Flow Honey followed by Round Rock Honey.  Other natural sweeteners include unrefined brown sugar, molasses, maple syrup, dates, etc.  Try this link if you want more, detailed information and a conversion chart for baking.  My fellow blogger, Food Babe, recommends Organic Coconut Palm Sugar or Date Sugar.

3. Avoid "Sugar Free" goodies and opt for "Naturally Sweetened" or "No Sugar Added" instead.  Learn to read labels to see what you are eating, but in general "Naturally Sweetened" and "No Sugar Added" are safe.  A great app for helping you read food labels is Fooducate.  You scan the barcode and the app will give you a grade (A, B, C, D),  tell you about the sugar content, gives you points if you are dieting, and other important information.  It also gives you alternatives for the food you've scanned regardless of the grade.  LOVE this app.

4. Avoid artificial sweeteners like Sweet'N Low.  Artificial sweeteners are nothing but chemicals and break down in the body like carbohydrates and some break down like sugar in your body.  If you have any questions about artificial sweeteners, let me know and I'll send you information.  I'll let you decide about Splenda, we do not use it.

Not sure you want to take on the task of avoiding sugar?  Check out this news report talking about the need for sugar to be regulated like cigarettes and alcohol.  Also, watch for my next post about why I do this for my family.  There will be a TED Talks video on there that will shock you when you see all of the sugar our kids eat.

I will post recipes for you all to create delicious refined sugar free goodies soon.  Including my mint chocolate chip ice cream made from my homemade coconut milk, honey, peppermint extract, and chocolate (the healthy kind).

Questions, feel free to leave me a comment or ask on Facebook.

Good luck!