Tour My Sugar-Free Kitchen

Look Quick!

 The cupboard is clean, sort of. But it gives you a peak into how we eat and it starts in the cupboard. We use large glass jars to store grains and beans. You see Garden of Life, Super Green in a canister. We add that to Green Smoothies (check out GreenSmoothieGirl.com) and can drink it in plain water. For sweet, we have pineapple and shredded coconut with NO ADDED SUGAR.  Apples for homemade raw applesauce is also a special, sweet treat with no sugar, just cinnamon.

 Here are some of our sweet treats, carob snowballs. Great fun for winter fingers! They are just carob, coconut oil, soaked buckwheat, rolled into shredded coconut and sprinkled with Stevia (dehydrated raw organic from Navitas Naturals is the only kind that we use).

Aahhh, the fridge! You see it is also a challenge to find good healthy food to put there but YOU CAN! We have mung bean sprouts, which by the way will taste incredibly sweet when you go off refined sugar.We also have Snowville Creamery Whipping Cream in the half gallon to make butter or the put on breakfast grains. It is the best, naturally sweet thing ever! Well, maybe next to coconut oil. It's all so delicious with your taste buds are freed from the sugar addiction.

 We do use local honey and bananas in moderation; whole foods that contain sugar are still able to impact the blood sugars or endocrine system depending on your specific health circumstances.

Sugar-free pancakes - yes, without syrup. I never thought that I could switch but I love blueberries and shredded coconut. The grains themselves even taste sweet. We use spelt and barley for these (spelt is a older variety that we can handle).

Kefir making its magic! Love the cottage cheese with fruit. These sit in my cupboard almost daily.

My favorite little 4 year old eating machine. He eats non-stop. He needs tons of energy for his one-man, yelling, wrecking, tackling, passionate life. He has one volume, LOUD. And only one speed, FAST, and for that he needs tons of healthy calories. I shudder to imagine his little life if he were given refined sugar. It would not be fun for any of us.

Do you need any sugar-free recipes? Do you have any to share? Creativity is great fun when it is sugar-free!

Sugar-free No Bake Cookies

After several requests, here is my sugar-free no-bake recipe which I adapted from Serene Allison's wonderful cookbook Rejuvenate Your Life, Recipes for Energy. I have adapted the recipe because for our health concerns we do not use the amount of honey or other natural sugars that Serene calls for in her recipe called "Buckwheaties." She has written a raw cookbook, funny sounding I know, but delicious and full of interesting information. I highly recommend it and it is available from www.aboverubies.org or 1-877-729-9861.

Sugar-free no-bakes
5 ingredients

4 cups sprouted buckwheat KEEP READING - it is easy, truly. I buy buckwheat groats from Whole Foods Market or Jo-Ad's in McConnelsville. Soak them in a bowl (glass or stainless steel) overnight. Drain and then rinse once in the evening, and day#2 morning and evening give a quick rinse. You will see cute little tails sprout.

1 cup tahini ground up seasame seeds

1/2 tablespoon of Stevia green powder (if you are transitioning off sugar you may use 1/8 cup of honey or maple syrup but be aware that it does impact the blood sugar and disrupt the endocrine system similar to white sugar. Of course, I recommend going cold-turkey off sugar, honey, or maple syrup if you are fighting any kind of illness or working on weight management).

A good sprinkle of Carob powder - raw if you can find it but roasted is yummy too.

1/4 cup of extra virgin cold-pressed coconut oil - best place to find it is mountainroseherbs.com or Whole Foods but read labels carefully.

Place in the frig and then cut into squares or other shapes. We also eat this as a cereal in the morning with nut milks, coconut milk, or whipping cream.

Very healthy and yummy. Adapt the recipe as fits your family's needs but know that when you give up sugar your tastes will change DRAMATICALLY. When I ate sugar, it was like watching black and white TV.  When I gave up sugar, it is like watching everything in Hi-Def!  I will never go back because everything tastes so much better.

Baby Steps to Sugar-free Running and Mothering!



My friend Teresa -middle- introduced me to The Body Ecology Diet and will be running with me in Columbus on Sunday for the 1/2.

 As a long-distance runner and full-time mother, I am always on the watch for foods that provide health and endurance. There are plenty available, but there is one set of "foods" that will drain and damage our bodies quickly when eaten in excess - sugars. I am the first to admit that moderation is difficult, o.k. close to impossible for me when it comes to sugar. I'm a recovering addict. Excess is the the norm I suspect in our culture as well.

Baby steps to sugar-free running (and living!)

1. Read labels on everything. Even toothpaste!
There are so many names for sugar, that manufacturers sneak it in everywhere. My kids are the ingredient police. Once I told them about reading labels, they will never let me put something in the cart without reading first. So convicting! Here's a list:
Barely malt
brown sugar
corn syrup (high fructose and otherwise)
granulated or powdered sugar
date sugar
dextrose
fructose
glucose
maple syrup
mannitol
molasses
monosaccharides
sorbital
sucralose
turbinodo sugar
xylitol
honey
organic agave syrup
organic cane sugar
organic molasses
rice syrup

2. Consider them poison in excess because they will disrupt the multiple systems of your body.
The Body Ecology Diet explains the excess of sugar feeds yeast called candida which can cause many parts of the body to become diseased. www.bodyecology.com has a great health quiz and info on this topic.

3.Be aware of combined amounts throughout the day.
As we have become aware we just naturally ate less. Then, I became so ill I had to go cold turkey.  I will never go back.  The one exception that I do make is for training. I use GU energy gel which I have been able to use without ill impact. It has vitamin C with the maltodextrin and the combination seems to do well. It is only for long runs and I am extra sure not to have any other form of sugar.

As runners, we often think we can eat whatever we want. Or, as mothers, we think we should have a sweet treat to get us through the day. Both of these are a lie that I have told myself. They are both wrong. Healthy food and prayer and slowing down will provide more balance than a candy bar or cookie. Those sugar-filled things will leave us sick and broken down; ask me how I know!

What baby steps have you taken toward more healthy eating, running, and mothering?

How Homebirth leads to a Marathon

My midwife with my little man

Before Andrea was born, I ran a marathon in 3 hours 47 minutes and missed qualifying for Boston. Then I had a baby. Thinking that if I could run a marathon, I could have a baby naturally, I was ill-prepared for the mac-truck that hit me. C-section. I did not run well for 18 months. The recovery was horrible. I still have pain.

Then, I had Nathan born naturally at the hospital. I was so excited; I ate a cheeseburger and walked around. I felt like I could run after having Nathan. Heck, I could even take myself to the restroom. Completely amazing this whole natural childbirth thing! I ran that year with my double jogger, doing 5K's frequently. I see why people have more than one child.

God has a sense of humor. We thought we would deliver at the same hospital for baby #3 and that everything would be the safe, smooth ride as baby #2.  Two doctors and a threatening consultation later (where I was told that to even consider a VBAC would be to consider killing my child, with no regard to Nathan's previous uncomplicated delivery), we decided to consult a homebirth midwife. From the first moment, we knew she was different. She consulted Kurt and I together as a team. She respected Kurt's position and input as the head of our household. She educated me and had complete confidence that I knew my body and could do this homebirth VBAC, called HBAC. My midwife also taught me about herbs and nurtition like never before. We learned more in the sessions with her than all previous OB appointments combined. She had me take garlic and probiotics (kefir) to help boost my immune system. After a 2 hour labor and delivery, I was sore but elated. This was true luxury. I climbed into my own bathtub filled with fresh flowers as my midwife and my best friend attended to my every whim. Kurt dressed Ethan and held him until he fell asleep.

My recovery was still challenging because I had not yet given up sugar completely. That summer, I was terribly sick (see sugar-free posts).  However, my midwife still consulted with me and talked me through natural remedies. I gave up sugar for good and have never looked back. My running is much improved because my health has improved. Nutrition and natural childbirth are key components to the last 18 months of running. I have run faster and stronger than ever before.

Not to mention the spiritual side of the physical life I live. My faith has been restored where the c-section left me devastated. My fears have been relieved where I feared for the lives of each of my children in childbirth. And, my strength has been given back to me, more than I ever dreamed possible. I serve a great Savior. Now, I am running a marathon and everything I have learned and trained for will be tested. Still, I know through all of this, I serve a great and powerful God. I will run in faith instead of fear because I know that Christ has brought me here to this place.

Please feel free to share you birth or running story...I always love to here them all!!!

Sugar-Free for Grown-Ups

I dislike being sick. When I get sick, I cannot function. This is what my kitchen looks like - or worse!  Nothing goes well when I am down. I always have struggled with colds. Always. Until this year when I was convicted that I needed to be free of my sugar addiction (let's call it what it is!). I finally decided to ask for help from God. I knew that if I asked two things would happen a) He would help me and b) I'd actually have to do my part.  Both scary prospects.  I seriously take it one day at a time.

Here's what I've found that has helped me transition from a life centered around sugar to freedom from being sick and addicted (and maybe I'm getting caught up on dishes, too!).

- Do keep other items you like in the house and remove all tempting sugar. Just do not buy it! Here's what we buy instead.

Whole milk yogurt with the cream on top

steel cut oats

coconut milk for smoothies

dates (makes sure they are plain and not covered in sugar...they are sweet enough that just one will satisfy for a sweet snack with almonds)

frozen blueberries

homemade energy bars (made by my mom! yummy)

apples and sugar-free peanut butter

***current favorite - tahini with coconut oil and stevia (great as a fruit dip or just plain).

tons of fruit and veggies to dip in the yogurt or tahini like carrots, bananas, frozen strawberries, raspberries, mangos, pears, arugula, raw spinach, cucumbers, radishes. We go crazy in the produce section at Krogers and we do NOT even venture into the rest of the store. I let the kids pick out one new item a week. That keeps me trying new things. We had pomegranates this week. Different but yummy!

Key point: Combine your new list of sweet things with good fats and protein ex: coconut oil, nuts, oatmeal. You will feel more satisfied and less hungry. The good kinds of fat will NOT make you gain weight when eaten in moderation.

Since going sugar-free, my taste buds and sense of smell have intensified dramatically.  My health has been stronger than ever. I am able to handle sleep-less night of teething children and marathon training much easier than I ever did before.  I still get sniffles; I still struggle. But I will never go back to living addicted and enslaved to sugar. The  freedom and strength God has given to me is far too precious. Blessings for your journey....

Web resources:

www.nancyappleton.com

http://www.bodyecology.com/aboutbed.php

Sugar-free kids

My sweet friend, Cristy, made cupcakes for her daughter's birthday (above...isn't the crew too adorable with their princess friends) that were special for my kids. She is always on the hunt for good ideas for me. She has used baby food fruit or applesauce.  I thought that was an ingenious idea, especially in a quick baking pinch for a variety of recipes. I have used copped prunes. Fruit does have sugar in it, but is still the best choice comparative to white sugar, which should not even be in the home. Please do not even purchase it at all due to its poisonous nature.

The impact of sugar on children is widely talked about today with the rise of AHAD and behavioral problems. Sugar, of any kind including honey, maple syrup, and even fruit sugars, can disrupt the endocrine system when used in excess. Read author Nancy Appleton's 141 reasons that sugar is poisonous at http://www.nancyappleton.com/.  About a teaspoon per day is what she recommends for a serving for a healthy person. I have tested with our children and they can tolerate this well, but no more.  We have found ways to encourage our children to make healthy choices and be sugar-free kids by offering yummy healthier alternatives.

Here is a list of some of the things we do instead of sugar:

Stevia extract (but watch out for ones with "natural flavors" in them...I called Truvia and they would not tell me what "natural flavors" are!)

Frozen bananas

Carob pudding - recipe to come

Cinnamon

Blue berries with Snowville Creamery Whipping cream (again do not buy the kind with additives!Yuck!)

Taste buds do change with going cold turkey off sugar. I have been completely shocked at the incredible tastes that I now enjoy because I do not eat refined sugar. What kinds of foods have you tried to improve your family's eating habits? What things would you like to change about how your family eats?