Clean Foods by Rebecca

If you’re like me, you used the craziness of the holidays as an excuse to forget the sugar rules! This not only includes sweet treats, but also pasta, pastries, cereal or any processed bread product that your body recognizes as sugar as well. Complex carbs found in whole fruit, grains and beans do not have this negative effect on the blood sugar because they still contain their fiber component. Other common sugar sources are found in soft drinks, energy drinks, sports drinks, Starbucks drinks and juices. We must look at the carbohydrate and sugar content of the foods we are eating. Aim to limit added sugar to 36 grams/day for men and 25 grams/day for women and children. 

A sugar detox is going to take a serious mindset shift since in today’s world we are surrounded by carbs, a.k.a. sugar. The traditional food pyramid that nutritionists have been teaching for many years has literally engrained this information that bread, potatoes and pasta should be the basis of your diet. We now know that simple carbohydrates are quickly converted into sugar and this sugar is devastating to the body. Sugar is known to drastically weaken the immune system so it isn’t just being together at Chuck E. Cheese, but the crazy amount of sugar that the kids are consuming at those birthday parties. Our bodies are not meant to be eating such high amounts of carbohydrates. Your brain functions much better when it is burning fat instead of carbohydrates. You can think of this as putting higher quality fuel into your car. Your cells mitochondria will function much better and therefore your overall health improves with more energy, less brain fog, and reduced or eliminated diseases. According to Dr. David Jockers, elevated blood sugar and insulin cause excessive free radical damage and inflammation throughout the body. In addition, sugar depletes the body of important electrolytes and minerals, promotes cancer cell division, inhibits your body from slowing down tumor growth and sugar elevates cortisol levels. By reducing your sugar intake, you’ll be amazed at the improvements in your mood, energy, weight, hormonal imbalances, skin and more! 

When planning your meal think about filling your plate with cooked vegetables (especially dark leafy greens), protein, and don’t forget a high quality fat, such as ghee, coconut oil, extra-virgin olive oil or avocado oil. The Glucose Goddess is a great resource on the importance of managing your blood sugar, even for non-diabetics. Her research has shown that a good trick to lessening the blood sugar spike is to eat your veggies first. The veggies act like a net to catch and slow the absorption of sugar into the bloodstream. Protein also helps slow down the absorption of starchy foods. High-quality fats such as the previously mentioned oils, salmon, avocado, nuts and eggs do wonders for crushing the sweet craving. I feel best when I’m doing a ketogenic diet (high fat, moderate protein, low carb) and it helped me lose the extra 30 pounds I was hanging onto after having children. According to Dr. David Jockers, one of the biggest benefits of a ketogenic diet is that it regulates blood sugar levels. This helps curb insulin resistance and drastically downgrade inflammation in the body. But remember, there are tricks you can do if you do indulge in a sweet treat. Glucose Goddess’ research has shown that a 10-20 minute walk, 30 squats within an hour of eating or drinking 1 Tbsp. of apple cider vinegar mixed with a glass of water will drastically lower your glucose spike and therefore less damage to the body. 

Now that you’ve had a full nutritious meal, your mind may still wander over to dessert from time to time. The goal is to distract your mind and go indulge in another item – nut butter & almond crackers, coconut yogurt (I love Cocoyo), handful of berries, dark chocolate, protein powder/veggie/berry smoothie or my cashew protein bars (found in recipe section). Dandelion root and fresh cilantro, both available in the produce section at Whole Foods, are a great addition to your meal to help detox from sugar. And remember, sugar is sugar whether it is coming from cane sugar or maple syrup. I’m on this challenge with you – I know it is difficult, but we can overcome this inflammatory ingredient that is wreaking havoc on our health together.