UnDiet...Week 23+24

Hello UnDieters! 


You know when you are swimming lengths in a full size pool and in the middle of the lane the water gets a bit rough and choppy and it is a bit of a slug to get through it? I think that is where I am at with the UnDiet. I was considering bowing out early but I think that it is important to keep things going. Because these posts, like being on a healthy living journey, go through ups and downs. So I am going to stick with it, if you are going to stick with me!


So for this week (and last), let's do something bold. Can you handle going without an sweetened drinks for a whole week? Yes!! A whole week. That is no soda, no sweet tea, no mocha hazelnut frappucinos, no margaritas. Yikes. 


This challenge will separate the big kahunas from the teenie wahines. Sugar is all pervasive in our society and drinking sweetened drinks is a huge contributor to obesity. Blah, blah, blah. We all know it. Time to put our money where are mouths are. Who knows...you may even come out of this week looking pretty darn good on the beach.


Since I like to focus on what you can drink....here is a list of "Green Light" bevvies:


- coffee and tea, plain or with milk or veggie alternative. Think iced skim latte instead of coffee frap
- plain ol' water or club soda or seltzer or carbonated mineral water
- beer or wine (although if you go too crazy on the hooch, you probably won't shed pounds. if that is okay with you it is okay with me!)
- unsweetened liquor like vodka (watch out, some have added sugar!) or gin, with club soda or neat, you stallion, you!
- plain coconut water
- milk, soy milk, almond milk....all the veg milks but only UNSWEETENED versions


This could be a rough one, folks. But I believe in you. It is time to cut the sweet tooth. If you like the way you feel this week, try and keep it going all summer long.


In good health,
Desiree

UnDiet...Week 13

If you must splurge...make it worth it. Thomas Haas macarons fit the bill.

It's week number 13 UnDieters!


The number has always been a lucky one for me...so let's hope this week is good for you too. We are going to do something that might sting a bit at first but it will make you feel better before long. It's about cutting down on sugar. 


We are living truly sugar laden lives. Not only do we eat more treats than ever before but our savoury staples are also being pumped full of the sweet stuff. I have typically never been much for sweets but I have found that since having E I have been worshipping at the syrup shack a bit too often for my liking. 


This month, my lovely friend Robyn Green at Kai Event Management has been observing Sugar Free March and I wrote a blog post to help her followers steer clear of the stuff. Give it a read for in depth information on how to spot hidden sugars in foods and for some ideas for great sugar free snacks.


For you, I am asking you to choose one food or beverage that you sweeten on a daily basis and keep it unsweetened. Just one! It is an experiment in weaning yourself off the sauce. Reason being, once you get used to the taste of things in their unsweetened state, you will start to like it. And then you might want to cut the sweet out of other foods in your life. It may take a week or two for you to get accustomed to the new taste of your food but eventually you will be able to appreciate the nuances of flavour that sugar had been bulldozing over with syrupy sweetness.


So choose your current poison: will it be your first morning cup of a coffee? A GREAT place to start. Or will you swap a sweetened yogurt for a plain version with some chopped fruit? Or maybe you will drop the afternoon granola bar and pick up some raw almonds instead. If you don't typically eat sweets, go after the savoury foods in your pantry like tomato sauces or breads that may be unexpectedly sugar filled.


Don't eat anything sweetened? At all? Good for you. Take the week off but go easy on all the other cranky, sugar deprived souls. 


Good luck and remember, you are all sweet enough as it is.
Desiree