With all the news about negative effects of refined sugar, I can assume it has made a few of us look at what place sugar has in our lives. People are in search of something, anything, to replace the ultimate sweetness of refined sugar. Some people turn to artificial sweeteners, or even natural sweeteners that have no calories. I am hoping to break some of you free from this addiction as well.
I have learned something that I am hoping will make sense to you as much as it does me. I have heard the concept before, but it really got nailed down when I watched the movie "Hungry for Change." At least that is where I think say this (to paraphrase); Sweeteners, natural or artificial will lead to refined sugar cravings. Reason being; when we put something sweet on our tongue, our body expects to process that into energy (weather we use it or not). When you give it something that resembles energy, but in fact is zero, your body responds with an even more fierce desire for the real thing. At this point a piece of fruit may suffice, but there is no way your mind is going to go for that! Have you been here?
I have always been warned of the dangers of sweeteners, so I have not dabbled in them much, but I can speak about my dealings with refined sugar, and how my mind and body react. Since reforming my eating habits and adopting a Nutritarian lifestyle (if you click the link it gives a great breakdown of the program). I have become more in tune with my food processing system than ever before. I love losing a couple of pounds here and there, who doesn't? But for me, this reform is not about weight loss, because, trust me, I would love to keep a few cookies and ho ho's on the side for cheat day.
I have learned something that I am hoping will make sense to you as much as it does me. I have heard the concept before, but it really got nailed down when I watched the movie "Hungry for Change." At least that is where I think say this (to paraphrase); Sweeteners, natural or artificial will lead to refined sugar cravings. Reason being; when we put something sweet on our tongue, our body expects to process that into energy (weather we use it or not). When you give it something that resembles energy, but in fact is zero, your body responds with an even more fierce desire for the real thing. At this point a piece of fruit may suffice, but there is no way your mind is going to go for that! Have you been here?
I have always been warned of the dangers of sweeteners, so I have not dabbled in them much, but I can speak about my dealings with refined sugar, and how my mind and body react. Since reforming my eating habits and adopting a Nutritarian lifestyle (if you click the link it gives a great breakdown of the program). I have become more in tune with my food processing system than ever before. I love losing a couple of pounds here and there, who doesn't? But for me, this reform is not about weight loss, because, trust me, I would love to keep a few cookies and ho ho's on the side for cheat day.
For a person who wishes to make healthy choices, Sweet Tomatoes restaurant can be a double edged sward. The unlimited array of salad toppings is the center of any veggie lovers dream dinner. I have gone in there and stuck to the plan. I know you cannot possibly believe me, as I barely believe myself, but I promise, I have done it…at least once. The problem is when I make the decision to venture over to the baked goods, that is the station where my train derails.
Last weekend I had been to that restaurant twice. The second time was on a Sunday morning for brunch. I told myself (before I had made my sugar quitting decision concrete) "Go for it! Have all the sugar you want, Monday is a new day." The bible plainly states that we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28. The action I took in the next 30 minutes of this story really needed the working together for good. Each choice for my plate was sweeter than the next. Sugary dust, sticky gooey apples, ice cream, cakes etc…I could not get it into my mouth fast enough. I couldn't stop. Once that refined sugar that I had not eaten all week touched my tongue it was like I could not control what I chose for my plate. My evil sugar mind took over. Her name is Soocralena.
The next day was Monday, and I woke up feeling exhausted. I rarely wake up that tired, even on a Monday. After thinking about it I associated it with the sweets I had eaten over the week end, which were more than just my Sweet Tomatoes extravaganza. I told myself I wasn't going to eat any sugar for at least the rest of the week. That whole day I was irritable and craving the white refined stuff. The next day I had another effect of the sugar show up. I learned a long time ago that excess sugar intake can lead to shifts of chemistry in a woman. I believe what happened was not good, but that God has worked it together for good in my life. I made the decision right there standing in my kitchen to break free from refined sugar.
1. I had a lot of other options I had been using to fill the sweet tooth cravings.
2. I knew it was like when I quit smoking for good, it had to be all or nothing. I proved this week end that I cannot be a casual sugar eater.
3. There are other things I can remain addicted to and not bat an eye…like coffee.
As I posted my mission on Facebook, I have had some great recommendations of resources for sweet recipes. I am super excited to check those out. In the mean time, I had a muffin recipe that I was trying to make for 3 days. The reason it took me so long was missing ingredients. Once I had all my ducks in a row, I got down to business. Here is a link to the recipe online.
Dr. Fuhrman's Berry Explosion Muffins.
Here is a list of the ingredients, you will find the full recipe in the link provided.
1 c whole wheat flour
1/2 c almond flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 Tbsp ground chia seeds
1 1/2 c white beans or 1 (15-oz) can no-salt-added or low-sodium white beans, drained
10 medjool or 20 regular (deglet noor) dates, pitted
2 bananas
10 oz frozen strawberries, thawed and divided
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
1 c fresh blueberries
1 c fresh raspberries
Here is part of the process:
I will share more about what I made this week, and crumbling in my weakness in the next blog post. Thank you for reading!
The next day was Monday, and I woke up feeling exhausted. I rarely wake up that tired, even on a Monday. After thinking about it I associated it with the sweets I had eaten over the week end, which were more than just my Sweet Tomatoes extravaganza. I told myself I wasn't going to eat any sugar for at least the rest of the week. That whole day I was irritable and craving the white refined stuff. The next day I had another effect of the sugar show up. I learned a long time ago that excess sugar intake can lead to shifts of chemistry in a woman. I believe what happened was not good, but that God has worked it together for good in my life. I made the decision right there standing in my kitchen to break free from refined sugar.
1. I had a lot of other options I had been using to fill the sweet tooth cravings.
2. I knew it was like when I quit smoking for good, it had to be all or nothing. I proved this week end that I cannot be a casual sugar eater.
3. There are other things I can remain addicted to and not bat an eye…like coffee.
As I posted my mission on Facebook, I have had some great recommendations of resources for sweet recipes. I am super excited to check those out. In the mean time, I had a muffin recipe that I was trying to make for 3 days. The reason it took me so long was missing ingredients. Once I had all my ducks in a row, I got down to business. Here is a link to the recipe online.
Dr. Fuhrman's Berry Explosion Muffins.
Here is a list of the ingredients, you will find the full recipe in the link provided.
1 c whole wheat flour
1/2 c almond flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 Tbsp ground chia seeds
1 1/2 c white beans or 1 (15-oz) can no-salt-added or low-sodium white beans, drained
10 medjool or 20 regular (deglet noor) dates, pitted
2 bananas
10 oz frozen strawberries, thawed and divided
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
1 c fresh blueberries
1 c fresh raspberries
Here is part of the process:
I apologize for its blurriness. The is the beans, dates, bananas, and strawberries.
My eleven year old was sitting near keeping one eye on homework, and the other eye on my makings. When I had this all built up she said "Wow, that looks colorful." Yes, she asked about the beans.
This is what the mixture looked like once blended. It tasted mostly like banana and almond extract.
I did not take photos of me mixing the dry ingredients with
Here they are piled into the flexi-pan tin. (again apologies for blurriness)
I knew not to expect them to get fluffy like a muffin from the photo in the cook book, and on the linked website
I am happy overall with the finished product, however I vaguley remember reading that with flexipan®, you are not supposed to use muffin paper.
I wish there was more about storage of these muffins. I chose to store them on the counter in a large ziplock. They have a very cake-ey consistency. I plan to do the recipe again, sans the muffin paper. I was really looking forward to sharing these with friends and clients.
I will share more about what I made this week, and crumbling in my weakness in the next blog post. Thank you for reading!
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