Cut the Sugar Challenge : Day 18

 

Hello and Happy Monday my friends!

I hope that you’re all doing great so far into the new year and into our Cut the Sugar Challenge!

Are you seeing some improvement in your wellbeing and health? Are you feeling happier and healthier? It’s ok if you’re feeling a little overwhelmed – maybe you’re not seeing some magical results just yet!? It takes time to get there AND also I actually hate January for new drastic changes. Why? Because for the most of us in the Northern hemisphere we’re in winter and this is not a natural time for change. If you’re like me and feel like soups, warm socks and a bit of hibernation is your thing than don’t get upset. It’s what your body naturally needs ~ listen to it. Yes make little changes of improvement – but don’t stress out over if you’re not getting where you want to be quickly. Just stay patient.

But to continue on our mission with cutting out sugar this month – we’re back to discussing carbs!

Because CARBS are sugar!

I often see food pics on Instagram that have way too much carbs  and mix the wrong foods together(for example):

potatoes + rice + beans
sweet potatoes + quinoa + beans
slice of bread + nutella + fruit
pasta (even gluten-free) + fruit for dessert

All these combinations sound healthy, right? (maybe not so much the Nutella) But what you’re actually doing is increasing your sugar intake spiking your blood sugar while thinking you’re eating healthy food.

Foods such as pasta, potatoes, bread, grains (even healthy grains like quinoa) all are sugar because they convert to glucose in your intestines and still spike your blood sugar. Same goes for beans – beans are carbohydrates too so they also become sugar in our body.

I know this can be confusing. Yes, I consider these foods healthy. Yes, there is nothing wrong with these foods – it’s the combination and portions of them being together that’s not necessarily healthy. 

Try these same options as above like this :

potatoes + veggies + healthy protein (beans are great for this but I dropped the rice, see?)
rice (choose brown rice so it has more fibre) + veggies + healthy protein
sweet potatoes + veggies + healthy protein
quinoa + veggies + healthy protein
slice of bread + nut butter + fruit
smaller portion of pasta + zucchini noodles + healthy protein
fruit in between meals

When you separate carb portions and combine with lots of veggies (which are high in fibre) and healthy protein with a fat source (like dressing with EVOO) you reduce the amount of carbs to a serving (a handful) and really load up on veggies and protein.  A bit of fat will aid in proper digestion and you’ll get more nutrition from the food you’re eating.

This isn’t proposing a low-carb diet or fat-free diet – it is simply a reminder to keep to a serving size of pasta and eat more vegetables than pasta or grains.

A side note for pasta : if you suspect a gluten intolerance try switching to gluten-free pasta. There are so many varieties and they taste great + they feel really lighter on the stomach. I have a wheat intolerance but my husband who does not have any specific issues with wheat feels so much better with gluten-free pasta vs. wheat or whole-wheat pasta. Just worth to try it out and see how you feel. In terms of blood sugar glucose – the same thing applies – gluten-free pasta also spikes your blood sugar so just change up the portions to have less pasta and more veggies – still filling and very much delicious and healthier.

Are you watching the carb combinations on your plate? 

For today’s challenge :

Try reducing the starchy carbs and keep the vegetables strong in your meal and serve with a healthy source of protein and fat.
Is it still filling and delicious? I bet it is!! :)

ps. Today the Cut the Sugar Cookbook is even further reduced on Amazon.com to $15.35 ~ so crazy! So get your copy quick! :)