Cut the Sugar Challenge : Day 12

Hey everyone and welcome back to the Cut the Sugar Challenge where we tackle those bad sugar cravings and win over with healthier food (and sugar!)

Today, let’s talk CARBS!

Did you know that all carbs are sugar?

All foods that are or have carbohydrates like bread, pastry, pasta, candy, cupcakes + all other sweets, soda, juice, including starchy vegetables like carrots and potatoes ALL have sugar!

All carbs turn to sugar (glucose) once they enter your intestines – so that’s why quite often you see carbs + sugar in the same category (bad!)

Sugar is a big big interesting topic to discuss and I’m only sharing bits and pieces over this challenge this month – but there’s so much to cover I could put it all in a book! ;) 

So I wont’ get into everything right now – but know this :

Not all carbs are created equal!

The type of carbs you choose will really affect :

• your nutritional intake
• how quickly your blood sugar is affected
• how much sugar you consume
• how your energy will be affected
• what else you’re consuming : preservatives, colouring, flavouring, GMOs

These are really important things to keep in mind when choosing your carb intake.

There’s a lot of mixed information out there. “Carbs are bad!” “Grains are bad!” “Sugar is bad!”

Seems like there’s a lot of focus on how bad it all is and not many are sticking up for these guys in the good way!

I know what you’re thinking – ‘You’re this new sugar girl telling us to cut sugar and yet you’re now saying it’s good’?

My mission with Cut the Sugar and my food philosophy isn’t to scare you about sugar but rather to inform you about sugar. My goal isn’t to simply to say “don’t eat it” and be done with it. My goal is to help you make healthier decisions and help you make better choices out there. I myself have been confused by the food isles and the advice out there in the real world. It’s hard to trust anything these days. But back to sugar, sugar…. :)

When it comes to carbs, there’s some simple facts you could consider :

• choose healthier grains (ancient grains are a lot better than bleached wheat flour, even whole wheat flour)
• chose fresh fruit rather than chocolate bars or cookies for a healthier snack
• avoid juices and soda so you don’t spike up your blood sugar too quickly
• look for foods with fibre which helps to slow down digestion
• avoid yeast in foods
• be mindful of serving size, try not to go over 60 grams of sugar/ carbohydrates per serving (if you’re unsure about how much sugar is found in foods like pasta or slice of bread, you can check the packaging or google about that food)
• avoid carbs with carbs : for example; a slice of bread with jam + fruit

We don’t often think of overdosing on sugar when we eat a bowl of pasta or a sandwich BUT these carbs essentially affect your blood the same way. Try to be mindful of the type of carbs you choose and the amount.

I like to make veggies and protein the star of my meal and have a serving of healthy grains like quinoa, buckwheat or sourdough ancient-grain bread with my meals.

So today, try to look for healthier swaps in your meals and snacks? Can you see where you can improve? Are you mindful of the serving size?

Share your experiences about cutting out sugar in the comments below. I love to hear from you! It’s all about helping each other!

 

ps. don’t forget to tag your progress with the hashtags #cutthesugarchallenge #cutthesugar and #cutthesugarbook

pps. I just checked and the Cut the Sugar book has been further reduced on Amazon.com – so if you haven’t picked up a copy, this is the time!! ;) Thanks so much for all your support and love!! xo ella