[SUGAR DETOX]: Few Health Hacks To Kick The Sweet Tooth... Buh-Bye!

With the holidays wrapping up, I finally had time to sit... rest... and FEEL the effects of all the holiday goodies had on my body.  Seriously.  I was a wee bit cranky... and the mama-fanny pack, aka. MFP, was protruding more than I care to admit.  But, hey.  I couldn't resist some of those homemade desserts that only come out during Christmas celebrations... right?  You feel me?

Anywho. 

I figured it was the PERFECT time to do a quick "5 Day Sugar Detox"... and thankfully, some beautiful ladies in our Community were ready to link arms with me and kick the sweet cravings together!    

But... you may be wondering, "why on EARTH would I need to do a sugar detox?" Hmm... Well. Check it. 

Benefits one may see when reducing their sugar consumption, include a reduction in: 

• Acid Reflux        
• Migraines    
• Fatigue     
• Joint Pain
• Irritable Bowel     
• Rashes        
• Anxiety/stress

With the Sugar Detox Series, we broke things down simply in our community with daily lives.  But, I'll break it down for you, too... because.  honestly, who wants to watch me talk for 10 minutes. 😉 There's so many facial expressions popping out on the screen it's downright comical.    

Here you go, love!  

01 // BE A LABEL READING MASTER

Seriously.  

Did you know that ~75% of all packaged foods contain ADDED SUGARS?!?  Seventy-Five percent!  So... it's time to prep yourself + become a master label-reader.  

Now.  One cool tip to spot sugar is by looking for the ingredients that end in "ose"... check it: glucose, fructose, dextrose, lactose, galactose, maltose and sucrose.  But a scary thing is that sugar holds many other aliases and we talked about ~67 different names sugar can be masquerading as on a label!  Some of these aliases include: barley malt, carob syrup, agave nectar, and molasses.  

If you want to dive deeper, here's an article which lists a few more. 

02 // THE GOOD. THE BAD. THE UGLY!

We explored the world of sweeteners... for instance, did you know studies have linked artificial sweeteners to certain health problems.   Thinking these chemical sweeteners may actually change the bacterial makeup of your microbiome  which can be a trigger for autoimmune problems, diabetes and metabolic disorders.  YIKES, right?  

Want to keep reading?  Here's an article you might enjoy!  

But you may be wondering... um. what DO you use, Amber?!?  Well.  Let's break it down in BULLET-FORM, shall we? 

• Stevia - this is a natural, zero-calorie low-glycemic sweetener which sounds pretty freaking amazing. It is… but you need to make sure you are getting RAW + ORGANIC!  
• Maple Syrup -  actual 100% pure organic maple syrup, not Mrs. Butterworth's syrup, love!  It’s loaded with minerals and antioxidants!  There use to be a grading system for maple syrup; however, here’s my go-to rule… the darker the maple syrup the better (because of the higher amounts of antioxidants!)  We use maple syrup for our traditional Saturday pancakes... like our delicious pumpkin pancakes!!! 
• Honey - seriously.  I could talk a whole hour about the goodness of honey, but let’s keep it simple.  Local raw, unfiltered honey.  
• Blackstrap Molasses - for a wee bit, I had no idea HOW molasses was actually made until I used blackstrap molasses in our Christmas Gingerbread Cake!  (um. That was THIS year!)  For those of you who don’t know, molasses is made by boiling down the raw sugar to remove the sucrose.  What’s left is a thick and dark syrup!  
  • Blackstrap is a wee bit more nutrient-dense since it undergoes the process THREE times to remove as much sucrose as possible.   Another cool fact about blackstrap molasses:  it contains MORE iron than any other natural sweetener! Which is important for your red blood cells… and oxygenating your tissues… and warding off fatigue. 
• Dates - Growing up, I thought dates were merely for old people with constipation.  However, I have come to LOVE these little buggers and add them to our primal granola for a wee bit of sweetness.  Dates are completely unprocessed… and you can eat them fresh, dried or even make a paste and use in baked goods.  Remember:  they are a bit high in fructose, so… limit the intake. 

03 // SUGAR TRIGGERS (FOR ME!)