Cooking in the kitchen of a different style!

It has been a few weeks since I last wrote... so much has been happening in and out of the kitchen!

I'm so proud of my husband Ben. He has finished his teaching degree! Maybe this is why I haven't blogged recently; I've been busy soaking up some family time and loving every minute of it under the warmth of the spring sun. Flowers are blooming, chicks are chirping and the weather is warming - what a wonderful time of year.

 As for my 'sugar free life', I have certainly hit a speed bump. I celebrated my birthday in September and as part of the celebration, I enjoyed a slice of mud cake & some mini Cadbury chocolates. I had absolutely no reservations in doing this. I want to show my daughter that I do eat sugar  and enjoy it on special occasions, but not every day. If only I knew the effects it would have on my mind and body.

Although it may be hard to believe, I was actually quite sick later that night. I had stomach pains, a headache and felt dizzy. The following day was absolutely TERRIBLE!!!! I craved sugar like you wouldn't believe. It was absolutely crazy and to make it even worse, it was a good 7-10 days before I could really say that I wasn't being overtaken by that 'sugar craving'. For the first time (since I began this journey), I had a strong reminder of just how addicted to sugar my body is. It has been a really tough month. I've been reaching out for more fruit than normal too, which is just giving me another sugar hit.

My husband helps to keep me focused, he appears to be more disciplined then me at the moment and brushes off any talk I have about craving sugar. Thanks babe!

I've eased off on my reading at the moment too - (something to do with having my husband home)....I'm just slowly finding my way through 'Sugar Blues', written by William Duffy. This book has blown me away. It is probably the best book I've read so far (even though I haven't finished it) and ironically, it was the cheapest ($7) and is the oldest (written in 1975). I'm finding that this book is filled with unbiased interesting facts.

For something a little different this month, I decided to have a crack at making some of my own cosmetics. I made my own toothpaste, washing powder, shampoo, conditioning treatment and anti-dandruff shampoo. Sadly, the conditioning treatment and anti-dandruff shampoo didn't turn out as good as I would have hoped, but the shampoo is AWESOME, the washing powder is GREAT and the toothpaste is the BEST!!!!! Even better is that it only took 10 ingredients to make it all!!!

From left to right: Body Shop Deep Sleep lavender oil (I always add this to my mop water when mopping the house!), tea tree oil (add to washing powder or homemade anti dandruff shampoo), vegetable glycerine from the healthfood store, jojoba oil, citronella oil (I plan on making my own insect repellant and Body Shop Deep Calm oil (always on my pillow!)

Here are the details on how I made each item.



Ruby's toothpaste on the left and Ben and

my tooothpaste on the right

 TOOTHPASTE
3 Tbsp coconut oil
3 Tbsp baking soda
25 drops of peppermint essential oil
Optional
stevia - liquid or powder
2 tsp vegetable glycerine

Simply mix all ingredients in a bowl!!!!

This recipe REALLY suprised me. At first, the lack of 'frothing bubbles' and the taste was a bit confronting, and for my first batch, I ended up mixing in the rest of my Colgate toothpaste with it. I'm used to it now and my second batch needed no adjusting. For my daughter Ruby, I bought some DORA toothpaste and added a bit to hers and put some cute stickers on the container. She's uses it with no complaints.

One AMAZING thing did happen with this toothpaste. After tidying up the bathroom, my husband found me and asked me where the homemade toothpaste was as he couldn't find it. I told him to look on the shelf and that there were spare tubes of other stuff if he couldn't find it. He INSISTED on wanting the homemade stuff and when I asked him why, I was stoked. Turns out that an abscess that my husband has had in his mouth for most of his life had disappeared within a week of using my homemade toothpaste!!! I knew that coconut oil was an anti bacterial and anti fungal agent, and now I was convinced. Not only is this toothpaste good for an abscess, but also great for looking after your gums, brushing your tongue and keeping your toothpaste bristles hygienic!!  I am VERY impressed to see how easy, quick and cheap it is to make my own.

Homemade Coconut
Milk Shampoo

SHAMPOO

1/4 cup of coconut milk

1/3 cup liquid castile soap (I bought organic castile soap from my local health food store for $6)

1 tsp jojoba oil

15 drops of essential oil (I used lavender)

Simply add all ingredients together and add to a bottle. I used one of my old shampoo bottles. It is quite runny, I just squeeze it straight onto my hair and I LOVE it!

WASHING POWDER

This REALLY REALLY REALLY impressed me! So easy and so cheap!!!!!!

 

Washing soda

1 cup white vinegar
1 cup baking soda

1 cup washing soda (I found this in Woolworths on the top shelf for about $4). I have read that you can make your own washing soda by putting baking soda in the oven for a long time but I didn’t do this. Simple Google it if you'd like to make your own.

1/4 cup liquid castile soap (the same stuff I used for the shampoo)

This recipe took me back to high school; I had the baking soda and washing soda in a bowl and tipped the vinegar straight in - BIG MISTAKE!!!! It was an instant volcano in my kitchen. Instead, my second batch saw me slowly adding the vinegar and then the liquid castile soap. Just keep stirring, just keep stirring, just keep stirring, it will harden up and continually stirring (or shaking.if in a sealed container) will keep it in a powder form. Add essential oil (before the vinegar) for a nice scent.

The final product

I hope that you've enjoyed this weeks blog - feel free to leave a comment. See you soon!

A test of the tastebuds

Sugar Free Recipe Facebook Group

The last couple of weeks has seen me getting my hands (and kitchen) dirty as I have been trialing and testing out numerous sugar free recipes for my family and me. Some have been a complete flop and others a wonderful scrumptious suprise. I've started a sugar free Facebook group where I've been sharing some of these recipes and inviting others to do the same.   Click here to join this page and check it out.

My sweet potato bread

A couple of interesting things happened while I was doing all this cooking. I cooked Sweet Potato Bread, which included 1/4 cup of rice malt syrup and some sultanas.  I woke up in the morning with ants all over my kitchen bench and when I followed the little ants trail, they were feasting on my Sweet Potato bread! At that moment, I realised that the use of sultanas and rice malt syrup probably attracted these ants to my bench and I wasn't suprised. It reminded me of a book I read which mentioned sugar being used in toothpaste. One of the telltale ways of seeing if there is sugar in your toothpaste is waking up to see ants climbing all over it....Mmmmm



Russell and Kelly



While I was going crazy for homemade bread, I also made carrot, coconut and cocoa bread. No, the ants didn't make it to this bread. It didn't stay on the bench long enough as we took it to my mother in laws house for an after dinner treat. When Ben and I tried this bread, we couldn't believe it. It was sooooooooooooo sweet, yet I had added no refined sugar, just rice malt syrup, raw cocoa and sultanas. We toasted it and spread it with butter and were LOVING it. I was rather excited sharing it with Jean (my Mother In Law) and the following day I shared it with my good friends Russell and Kelly. It was at that moment that I realised that what is sweet to us (my family) does not mean sweet to others. "Isn't it amazing?", I said to Kel and Russ. I got no reply. Russell just glared at me as he was slowly chewing (he reminded me of Mr Ed the talking horse with a mouthful of peanut butter) and Kelly was scrunching her nose up. When Kelly told me that it tasted like cardboard, I couldn't believe it. I kept telling them that it was so sweet to me and that I was even considering keeping the sultanas out next time to reduce the sweetness. Russell's eyes perked up "Sultanas!!!  Where??? Give me one"...he was searching for some kind of sweetness. Then I realised, to Russell (who had drunk a bottle of Coke earlier) and to Kelly (who also enjoys her sugar), this bread was no comparison. I then gave them some more so that I could take their photo when Russell said, "Do I have to eat this?". I shook my head as I was scooping up the last of the crumbs to eat. We just had to laugh, but boy, what an insight!

I've finished reading "Eat Fat Lose Fat" by Dr Mary Enig & Sally Fallon, and have written a little book review in my 'Reading List' post. To keep it short, if you're interested in improving your health and losing weight, read this book. I'm now reading Sugar Blues, written by Willliam Dufty in 1975.

Did you know that Sugar Blues was a song written in 1931? It coincides with the prohibition, which saw an increase in the use of corn and sugar (for home brew). Here are the lyrics.

SUGAR BLUES, EVERYBODY'S SINGING THE SUGAR BLUES
THE WHOLE TOWN IS RINGING
MY LOVIN' MAN'S SWEET AS HE CAN BE
BUT THE DOGGONE FOOL TURNED SOUR ON ME

I'M SO UNHAPPY, I FEEL SO BAD
I COULD LAY ME DOWN AND DIE
YOU CAN SAY WHAT YOU CHOOSE, BUT I'M ALL CONFUSED
I'VE GOT THE SWEET, SWEET SUGAR BLUES, MORE SUGAR!
I'VE GOT THE SWEET, SWEET SUGAR BLUES

Crazy as a coconut

I am going to share a few basic facts about coconuts and why they are so amazing. In this blog, I will talk about the various coconuts products - and how they can be useful from cooking to camping.

Before I begin, please be mindful that if you are new to coconut products, do not start 'over' consuming coconut oil in your diet. Coconut oil is not digested in the same way as other fats. It does not need bile to digest, as it is directly absorbed. If you are not used to coconut oil, this direct absorption may cause a tummy ache or two if you are all of a sudden filling your digestive system with the stuff for the first time. I suggest that you start off with only a couple of tablespoons of coconut each day and see how your go. Slowly increase this over time.

Me up a coconut tree

Here are basic coconut products and common uses are written in blue:

• Coconut Oil: White when solid, creamy coloured when liquid. It melts between 21 and 24 degrees Celsius. It can be a great temperature gauge!  Coconut oil can be found in most supermarkets and speciality stores. Look for virgin coconut oil, which means that the extraction of oil did not involve high heat or harmful chemicals. Aim to pay less than 2c/ml of virgin coconut cold pressed oil made from the flesh and not copra. Copra oil will be described as 'refined' or 'just plain'. Avoid this oil. Coconut oil made from copra usually involves the use of harsh chemicals to bleach and clean the oil. At the moment, I purchase 5L of virgin coconut oil for $62 - this is on the Sunshine Coast. USES: Unlike olive oil, coconut oil can withstand higher heats so it is great to cook with. Common everyday uses for coconut oil include, add to baked goods, stir frys, stews, desserts, add to your tea and coffee and drinks such as smoothies and juices. Mary Enig (author of Eat Fat Lose Fat) recommends making an oil blend by heating 1 cup of coconut oil with 1 cup of sesame oil and 1 cup of olive oil. This will give you a great oil to use in everyday cooking without an overwhelming coconut flavour. You can even use this for salads.

• Coconut Milk: When coconut flesh is pulverised in water and squeezed, a rich creamy liquid drips out of the meat - this is coconut milk. Slightly sweeter and creamier than cows milk it is best to use whole coconut milk and not 'lite' versions. USES: Can be used to make smoothies (combine with full cream milk if the flavour is too overpowering), very common in curries and stews, can be frozen with fruit to make ice cream, use in your coffee or pancakes, use when making oats etc. Simply use coconut milk instead of 'cows' milk in any recipe or dish.

• Coconut Cream: Coconut milk, when left standing will separate into coconut cream (top) and a watery liquid (on the bottom). For this reason, coconut cream contains less water and is a thicker creamier liquid. USES: Whip chilled coconut cream to ice cakes, have on pancakes or with fresh fruit. For a thicker creamier taste - add to curries and stews etc.

• Coconut Water: Coconut water is the clear sweet liquid inside young coconuts, usually around 7 months old. USES: great beverage to add to smoothies or juices or just on ice with fresh lime, lemon or orange. A great hydrating drink to use after exercising. Freeze into ice cubes to add to any drink this summer!

• Desiccated Coconut: Desiccated Coconut is the coconut meat shredded or flaked very coarsely and then dried to remove as much moisture as possible. Dessicated coconut can be very fine or coarse depending on the process used. Be careful as some dessicated coconut can be 'sweetened' - so read all packaging carefully before buying so that you get the product that you're after.
• Shredded Coconut: A thicker version of dessicated coconut - shredded coconut is long thin shreds and flaked coconut is wider and thicker again. USES (shredded and dessicated): add to muesli, sprinkle on fruit, add to smoothies for texture, sprinkle on cakes and baked goods, dress savoury foods too!

• Coconut Butter: This is made from whole coconut flesh with all the fats and solids included. The oil and flesh meld together to made a creamy texture that spreads well. USES: spread on toast, pancakes, waffles etc, mix with peanut butter or honey to create your own 'spread', spread on a cob of corn and add to muesli bars etc

• Coconut Flour: Put simply, this is dried, ground up coconut meat. The difference between this and dessicated coconut is that the fat has been removed from coconut flour as part of processing. USES: Coconut flour DOES NOT perform the same as grain based flours.It absorbs moisture quickly and is NOT equivalent to grain based flours so do not simply 'substitute it'. My suggestion is to follow a recipe that is designed with coconut flour to begin with.

• Creamed Coconut: This is pure coconut flesh pulverised and moulded into blocks and is hard unlike coconut cream which comes in a can as a liquid. You can use creamed coconut in very much the same way you use coconut cream - just melt it down first.

Using Coconuts outside the kitchen

When you use coconut oil on your skin for the first time, you may notice a small outbreak of small pimples, but this is actually a cleansing effect, and it soon clears up. For skin care, be sure to use virgin coconut oil as it has not been treated with harsh chemicals (Eat Fat Lose Fat, Dr Mary Enig & Sally Fallon, 2006., p.283)

Keep a separate container or bottle of coconut oil that you plan to use for 'beauty' reasons so that your fingers are not dipping in and out of the jar and then being used for cooking.

Bath Oil: Simply add to your bath with a few drops of essential oil - melt some coconut oil, add essential oils and put into a jar to have in your bathroom. You could add some fresh lavender for some texture and it looks pretty. This makes a great homemade gift.

After bath moisturiser: After a bath, rub some coconut oil into your skin - it'll feel so soft!

Make Up Remover: Coconut Oil is also great for removing make up!

Body Scrub: Mix coconut oil with brown sugar for a sweet body scrub.

Lip Balm: Keeping some in a small container for lip balm will keep your lips hydrated. Just be mindful that heat will liquify this lip balm so be careful when you open up your jar that it hasn't melted.

Facial Moisturiser: Simply use a small amount and massage into your face - be mindful of doing this and staying out of the sun!

Foot Treatment: Mix some coconut oil with some peppermint oil and rub all over your feet including dry spots. Put on a pair of socks and keep on overnight. Add salt to make it a foot scrub and moisturizer before you shower.

Hair Treatment: Rub coconut oil into your hair, leave on for 15+ minutes and rinse. You can also mix it with your own shampoo or conditioner

Fungal Infections: Mix 1 cup of coconut oil with 1 teaspoon of tea tree oil - great for fungal infections and rashes

Warts: Warts will often disappear after applying coconut oil to them several times a day.

Insect Repellent: If you'd like to stay away from insecticides such as DEET (commonly found in insect repellents) make your own. Simply mix 1 cup of coconut oil with 1 teaspoon of catnip oil and 1 teaspoon of other oil such as citronella, lemongrass, peppermint or tans. (Dr Mary Enig & Sally Fuller)

Deodorant: Simply use under the arm for a natural deodorant that won't stain your clothes!

If you would like to read about the medicinal (both traditional and modern) benefits of coconuts visit the Coconut Research Center website.

At my one of my favourite places... Chili Beach, Cape York
Coconut heaven!

Sugar is not love

I am happy to say that my enthusiasm and interest in the health and well being of my family is only strengthening. The more I read about our nutition, the more I am intrigued to find that next book.

 So far, my sugar free lifestyle has been a relatively easy transition (never thought a once sugar addict could ever say that!). Apart from the occasional craving for sugar, sugar is no longer an issue. 



The two smallest (and most important) reasons
 why sugar is no longer in our lives.



I just finished reading 'Little Sugar Addicts', which is a must for anyone with children in their care. What I took from this book was about our childrens ability to maintain a sense of 'calm' and how food affects their behaviour. I have learnt to make sure that there is sufficient protein in Ruby's diet and she has a source of protein with every meal and every snack. Peanuts, cheese, eggs and meat are examples of these. I can see now when Ruby is running 'low' by her moods. She becomes upset, frustrated, emotional and/or tired and I know now to give her something to eat containing protein. It has made me more aware of how often she eats and what she is eating. She eats at regular intervals and I insist on this. I know that if dinner is running late and it has been a while since her afternoon tea to give her some crackers with peanut butter on them. It has made an INSTANT change in her behaviour. It is like reading a book and knowing the contents page! I am very impressed. Ruby was already eating very well, but this is just improving that even more.

  I also read a section in the book about 'special occasions'. It talks about being prepared and planning for occasions where there will be an abundance of sugar (Easter, Christmas, Birthdays etc). It got me thinking about how I was going to cope with my two children on these occasions.

Click on my reading
list for my book review

Easter is easy, I've already thought about it - no more filling up the basket with sugar, but instead books, clothes, games and any other Easter/bunny/egg material.

Christmas - that is also pretty easy, just make sure Ruby and William have enough 'good food' in front of them first and talk about it with them both beforehand.

But birthdays is more difficult for me to comprehend. I have read that beating the sugar addiction for children means no more birthday cakes - to break the 'tradition', but my husband and I have been talking about it and I'm not sure if it will be that easy. After all, it isn't just her birthday that we're talking about, it is everyone elses too. Anyhow, this is still a topic that I'm deep in thought about. I know that when Ruby has her 4th birthday next year, I will be working my magic in creating a sugar free party for her and her friends and I'm happy with that - I'm just not sure about the whole cake thing. Do birthday parties always have to have a traditional cake?


Who wants to live
happily ever after?

My answer is NO.



 I love Ruby and for her 4th birthday next year, I will show her that I love her by feeding her healthy nutritious food that she will feel good eating (both before and after!). I know that some people will read this and think 'oh, poor Ruby.... she's gotta have cake on her birthday' and may even think that I'm too disciplined. But, I'm not saying 'no' to cake. I'm saying no to the traditional sugar filled cake with a party full of cupcakes, lolly bags, soft drinks and chocolate. I want to create a birthday party where Ruby and her friends have a fantastic time playing, eating, drinking and celebrating without the sugar. It is possible.

Google 'sugar free parties' before
your next party

One of the most important things in all of this though is having the support of friends and family. It wouldn't be easy if my friends and family rocked up with soft drink and donuts. So far, most people in my life have accepted and respected our choices, but occasionally, I have to smile and relax as Ruby is offered a sugary treat. When this happens, Ruby looks straight at me as if to say "Mum, can I have it?". I know she wants it, but she isn't sure what to do because she knows that 'mummy doesn't approve becaise it is not good for her'.  I'm not sure how I feel about all this. The angel on my left shoulder is telling me that I am doing the right thing by saying 'no' to her having that cupcake but the little devil on my right is saying 'give it to her...she's only three". And this is the dilemma I am faced with. Most times I compromise. She can have the cupcake after she eats her lunch, (which is always nutritious). That way, we have met half. The last thing I want is for my daugther to be shoving her face with cupcake as she hides in the bathroom! Luckily, this doesn't happen very often, so I just go with it when it does.

Sugar is not love

The book also talks about how we relate sugar to 'love'. Our society says "I Love You" with sugar and I hate that!!!!   I love you, so I bought you a block of chocolate......I love you, and baked this double chocolate mud cake with chocolate icing on it... I love you....so I bought us a packet of chocolate biscuits to have with the movie tonight. This is why we have so many options of 'chocolate gift boxes' and you can even buy a chocolate bouquet! This is why we have birthday parties for kids FILLED with sugar treats and a big fat sugar cake. Because we love them and we want them to be happy and feel good. There is a reason why chocolate makes us feel so good. DId you know that eating choclate makes you happy because it contains phenylephylamine - the same hormone the brain triggers when you fall in love. This is science!
These traditions are poisoning our children and our children's children. We need to step away from the sugar bowl and start opening our minds to creating healthy nutritious meals and snacks for all occasions.

2 months on and going strong!

I just can't believe I'm here... at the two month mark. I remember at the start thinking.... Mmm... am I going to be able to do this? For how long? How will I cope without all this excess sugar?

Goodbye weetbix with honey

But here I am eight and a half weeks later with no intentions of going back. Neither does my husband. My daughter has been great too. The only thing Ruby has asked for is honey - which we no longer have in our pantry. I know when she asks for it, that it is simply her brain giving her a signal of 'feed me sugar'... but she's getting over it. I must admit...all these years of having weetbix and honey was one of the hardest habits to break, for all of us.

Did you know that my newborn son William, who was born prematurely was given sucrose (sugar without the calories) before his eye procedures? Babies are routinely given this dose before ome procedures as it 'supposedly reduces the pain'. If only I was more informed back then. I would have much preferred for him to have a dose of breast milk! What chance do our kids really have when our trained doctors and medical staff are giving sugar to infants and children. Can you ever remember leaving the doctors or denist and being given a jellybean for being brave? Oh please! Fore more information on this, simply Google 'sucrose to newborns' or click here to read an article written by the Guardian as part of their medical research news.

Just keep reading, just keep reading...

I think that one of the keys to keeping so motivated is that I am constantly reading books or research online. There is so much data and so much research about how serious sugar addiction is, that eating sugar is no longer an option. To me, after reading so much about sugar, it is on par with cigarettes. I wouldn't give my daughter a cigarette and I won't be giving her sugar either. In most of the books I read, there is lots of references to laboratories testing sugar on rats. Did you know that when rats were exposed to cocaine and sugar, 94% of the rats chose sugar. Even those rats previously addicted to cocaine chose sugar when given the choice. Click here for one website which talks about this, however you'll find this information repeated in most books and medical journals worldwide.

I still have the very rare craving for something sweet, but I stick to the same motto as I did in the early days "fill my body with so much of the good stuff that there is no room for the bad stuff". It works. I sat in the bakery yesterday feeding my son and it was the first time I was able to look at all the cakes, slices, biscuits and sweets and see nothing but poison and I had no desire to buy anything.

I know that some people will think that I'm being a bit 'extreme' or 'too disciplined', especially with my daughter, but I challenge those people to actually pick up a book and read about sugar - do some research and then see what you think. I am making an educated decision, based on research, data and statistics and I've never felt healthier. I feel great. I have so much energy (suprising since I feed my son every 3 hours), I am not moody, I have a clear head, no bloating and I feel in sync with my body.

I am currently now reading 'Suicide by sugar; written by Nancy Appleton (who also wrote Lick the Sugar Habit - which is sitting on my bookshelf ready to read next). She speaks very frankly about sugar addiction and talks about how she used to be sick for most of her life until she quit sugar. I am only half way through and will add it to my reading list when finished.

I also read an interesting news article this morning about a bear in America who broke into a shop and ate nothing but chocolate. The bear made seven trips inside the store, taking chocolate and eating it outside before being scared away by a car. To read the full story click here . My first thought after reading this was about how the bear could very well be addicted to sugar. If he is, where will he get his next fix?

Reading List



Here is brief summary of my reading list

This book for me took the focus off sugar for a while. Instead, this research based book details the truth about fats, how real foods are for health and healing and also some great recipes and resources. It was nice to learn about the different fats, which I had never really known much about. I learnt that saturated fats solidify when cool and turn to liquid when warmed. This book talks alot about coconut oil, which I loved. It certainly identified for me some of me fat misconceptions and I recommend this book to those interest in improving their health. This book also details indepth how to lose weight and even has a dietry plan. A great read and a boo that I have gone back too several times already for info and notes.

Read this book if you have ANY interest in learning how sugar is effecting your children. This book was a very informative read when it comes to sugar addiction in children. For me, as a mother and also an educator, this book provided some valuable information as to how sugar effects the little bodies of our children. It gave me a real insight into how sugar effects childrens ability to 'function' everyday, socialise, learn, concentrate and behave. Personally, I've made some small changes in my own life and have seen instant changes in my daughter. If you thought sugar was bad enough in adults, imagine the effects on children.  This book talks about sugar sensitivity and very slowly takes the reader through a program on how to get your children off sugar - for life. Most importantly, it teaches you how to facilitate this journey so that is directly driven by your kids and not you! Amazing stuff! 

Click here for more detailed information about this book.

I found this book one of the 'heavier' books to read. Nancy talks alot about the body's balance (homeostasis) and this was new info to me and I found it was quite complex. This book definately had some other areas that were not really addressed in previous books, such as more detailed information about the Gycemix Index and Glycemic Load, Oral glucose tolerance tests and alternatives, hard facts about soft drink and also more info about sugar related diseases and conditions (cancer, obesity, hypoglycemia, metabolic syndrome and epilepsy). A jam packed book that definately needs re-reading in order for me to comprehend everything. Alot of new learning for me in this book.

The layout of this book makes it a VERY easy read! As it says, there are 501 ways to help get sugar out of your life and these tips are organised into the following categories - get sugar out of your kitchen, out of breakfast, out of soups and salads, out of entrees and side dishes, out of sandwiches and snacks, out of drinks and party foods, out of baking, desserts and treats, out when you eat out and out of your mind and out of your life. This makes it a great quick reference book as I could easily go to the drinks and party food section if I wanted ideas on organising food for a party. It is full of great recipes, research and easy to read scientific info too. The only thing I found with this book was that alot of the recipes still use honey, fruit, dried fruit and syrups, which my research has lead me to believe that these are not a good idea - and I still stick to that today. She also talks about full fat milk having alot of sugar in it. But again, my research still has me sticking to full fat milk and staying clear of honey, dried fruit and syrups. I can't recall much of a mention of coconuts in here either. Overall, a very easy to read book that will only help you stay off sugar for life.

Sarah Wilson's sugar free ecookbook that you can purchase from her website for $15. Full of great ideas and most of them are pretty easy - like making your own cream cheese from a tub of full fat natural yoghurt!




The 8 Week Program, which started my journey. This is an ebook, which you can buy from Sarah Wilson's website http://www.sarahwilson.com.au/. An informative ebook, which sets out an 8 week program on quitting sugar. Has some great tips and ideas organised into a weekly plan.



This very popular book is what got me out from out of my sugar  cave! This is the most amazing book. David Gillespie has turned all his years of research (and medical terminology) into an easy read for anyone interested in sugar and how it effects our lives. A MUST READ!!!! For me, this gave me knowledge - things you must 'know'. His next book (eating plan) helped me more specifically about what to 'do' with all this knowledge.

As I said earlier, this book gave me the 'what to do' with all the knowledge I had read in Sweet Poison. Again, it is an easy read with no hard terminology and no need to consult Google or a dictionary. It has some great dextrose based recipes tried and tested by his family.

I started reading this book when I learnt how valuable coconuts were. This gave me some good general knowelge.



This book was intersting as it identified four different types of addictions someone could have to sugar. It then talked about how that addiction  and worekd through strategies to overcome it. Again, a great informative read.  Click here for more info on this book.



I just LOVED this book. Probably because I love history. I am so fascinated by this white powder that it was a no brainer for me to learn about the history of it - where it came from and how we got to where we are today. This book had me constantly calling to my husband 'listen to this' and 'did you know this'.....it was amazing and I'm going to re-read it again as it was full of alot of detail and I'm sure to pick up something else when I re-read it. I love the title too - just another plant turned into a drug....just like cocaine and heroine!

Don't get me started on this book written by an author in South East Queensland. If the first 14 pages doesn't have you hooked, nothing else will. What I love about this book is the authors personal anecdotal notes - her personal experiences and those of her friends. I found myself relating to alot of the personal stories and could read through the black and white marks on the page as to how sugar has affected her life so dramatically. I learnt in this book that 12% of a cigarette is sugar and she also talks alot about alcohol addiction and it's relationship to sugar - VERY interesting. I borrowed this book from the library, but it is so good I'll be buying my own copy (which you can only buy online as she has produced it herself). Click here to view her website and/or purchase this book. A MUST read!

week 7 - my toughest week

Week 7 - my toughest week

Where did this week come from? Last week I was feeling so good, so confident and sugar was no longer an issue...but that was all about to change.


Sugar free chocolate with polydextrose - got me sucked in!

 This week I have really craved sugar - big time. It is also the same week that I have reintroduced fruit and I"m starting to wonder if I should have waited. I'm not talking alot of fruit, just a few strawberries or a kiwi fruit here or there. Maybe it was enough for me to get that fructose rush again. I found myself looking forward a piece of fruit - or maybe it is the sweetness I looked forward too. After all, fruit is the sweetest thing I've eaten in 7 weeks. On Thursday, I caved. I bought sugar free chocolate (picture attached) and loved the taste of every mouthful. My brain had a rush of dopamine, which is exactly what my brain was asking for in this crazy cycle of addiction - it needed a 'fix'. Although the Nutrition Information Panel (NIP) said that it contained 0.2g sugar per 100g, I was smart enough to read the ingredients and see that it contains polydextrose. Anything ending in 'ose' is sugar in some shape or form. Polydextrose is supposed to reduce the sugar and calorie count of foods (which it did and I got sucked into buying it...) but increase fibre. Click here for more information on polydextrose. Either way, it satisfied my brain and gave me that warm fuzzy feeling - thanks dopamine!


The following day I made things worse. While celebrating someones birthday I had a few chocolate coated strawberries. This itself isn't a huge deal to me as this is what I wanted to do - keep sugar to special occasions - not everyday, but as I was the one making the chocolate coated strawberries with my daughter, I have to say that the temptation of helping her clean up the chocolate bowl was too strong and there I was, in the kitchen cleaning up the chocolate bowl with my 3 year old daughter. Ruby thought it was great.  What happened next blew me away, I got an instant headache! I could not believe it. I had the worse headache and felt very sick. So sick, that I didn't even touch the birthday cake.  I also felt like crap knowing that I was re enforcing this sugar addiction  into my daugther's brain (I am only re enforcing those brain pathways) - the smile on her face said it all. Her dopamine levels were as sky high as mine - and what comes up, must come down...the seratonin will kick in soon.
Today is a new day, I thought that I'd be craving sugar all day today but I'm not. I started my day with a healthy omlette and I'm just making sure that I'm too busy filling my stomach with the good stuff that I don't have time to think about the bad stuff. So far it's working.



From this...



to this!

I also made my own minced garlic this week after discovering 'sugar' in my jar of bought minced garlic. I know that sugar is a preservative, but so is my freezer! I bought 20 knobs of garlic, pulled them apart, bashed the cloves with a meat basher and minced it all with a little olive oil. I then froze them into ice cube trays and am keeping them in the freezer to grab when I need them. There are certainly no vampires at my house this week. I also chopped a whole heap of spring onions and home grown chilli's and have them frozen in the freezer too.  If you do this at home and end up leaving your minced garlic in the fridge for a few hours or overnight, be aware that the garlic will turn green or blue. Yes, green or blue! Mine turned green overnight as I had so much, I was freezing it in batches leaving the rest in the fridge. I did some research as to why it was green and found that it was a reaction between the enzymes in the garlic (depending on how you process the garlic will depend on the colour it may turn). It is completely safe to eat still, but it made me realise how the sugar in my bought minced garlic was keeping it a nice natural colour - imagine without preservatives buying green garlic in a jar. Click here for more details about how this occurs.



Gourmet Kitchen's inspiration

I've been continuing to try to be a bit creative with my cooking and this week I made a delicious tuna roll for dinner, I simply mixed 425g tuna with some zucchini, parmesan cheese, ricotta, lemon and garlic and rolled it up on filo pastry. To prepare the pastry, I used chilled filo (much easier to work with then the frozen stuff) and lined six sheets on top of each other with butter spread in between each sheet. Roll up the mixture in the pastry to make a big log, spread some melted butter on top with a sprinkle of poppy seeds and it cooked in the oven for 30 minutes. It was yummy. Ruby loved it too. You'll probably notice too that I never cook with cabbage, broccoli or cauliflower and that is because I am breastfeeding. Zucchinis, beans, snow peas, lettuce and peas are really my main greens at the moment. For the full detailed recipe from 'Gourmet Kitchen' click here.





Week 6 - introducing a little sweetness

Week 6

A really strange thing happened to me this week. I realised, that 'not eating sugar' is no longer an issue. It is something that I no longer think much about, and I am not tempted in any way to eat the chocolate cake that has been sitting on my mothers table all week. Six months ago, I would have had a piece everyday! I have no desire at all. I feel as free as a bird, but as Sarah Wilson says in her 8 week QuitPlan, this is the week not to feel 'too proud of oneself'....but I do feel proud.

This week was all about introducing a bit of sweetness. Maybe some low fructose fruit such as berries, kiwi fruit, mandarins and oranges. But because I no longer crave sweetness, I didn't even find myself wanting fruit. To be honest, this week I've had a slice of orange and a few strawberries - that's it. I didn't even do that on purpose, it just worked out that way cause I didn't crave it. The only time I've been tempted to grab fruit (now that it is an option) is when I'm running out the door and want a snack.

Fruit is so easy to grab. Instead, I've just changed my old habits and had other snacks on hand. In my pantry I have little containers filled of mixed raw nuts and popcorn. I keep mixed nuts in my bag at all times and I have also been snacking on raw vegetables or salami this week. Today I was running out the door hungry and I looked at the orange and thought 'nah, not interested' and had some nuts and took a hot cup of tea. I didn't eat till dinner - which was vegetable and tofu miso soup.  I was going to make my own dashi stock (Japanese stock) with bonito flakes, but they are full of sugar!!! Instead, I bought the miso paste and although the sugar content is high (22g/100g), I only made 1 cup of miso soup and filled it with vegetables and silkin tofu and enjoyed every mouthful, which equated to 2g of sugar.



Wholemeal boats - mix 1/4 cup lukewarm
water  and 1/4 cup of lukewarm milk
with 8g yeast. Mix 5 cups of w/m flour with
 a pinch of salt. Combine and knead for 10 min.
Leave to rise for 45minutes. Shape boats.



Persian pides with side veges and ricotta
sauce. Ruby loved it too. She just
thought that it was a pizza. She hasn't
made one comment about the change
to brown pasta, rice and bread.

This week I had fun cooking my own wholemeal bread for the first time. I made persian pides with a side of grilled veges. Ruby and I had fun making the bread, then I rolled the bread into litle boats, filled it with my meat mix and served it with some zucchini, haloumi, capsicum and mushrooms. Oh.. on the side I made a ricotta and lemon sauce for my hubby and a ricotta and cucumber sauce for me. It was yummy, although I've learnt to reduce my bread mixture as I made way too much and also to make my 'boats' thinner so that they were 'less bready' and more about the filling.

Ben is off to a birthday dinner tonight (I'm home with the sick bubby) and I'll be interested in how he gets through the night with a set menu - but more importantly, how he feels afterwards. I have to say, one thing that I have noticed this week is that I've had a bit of an upset tummy - but only first thing in the morning. So weird! I thinkI know deep down that I am having too much dairy. Having a full glass of milk before bed isn't doing my body any favours, so I'm trying to cut back on the dairy.  The other thing I notice is that after having a healthy dinner (for example, I had chicken, carrot and snow pea stir fry with brown rice) lastnight, followed by a herbal decaf 'sleepy' tea, I am not hungry when I wake up!! It is only habit that makes me think.. Mmm... I should eat breakfast, because that is what the clock says, but instead I let my body decide when it is hungry. Breakfast can be 11am some mornings.

The book that kept me up
(or was that William?)

Lastnight, (while up trying to settle my little man), I managed to read an entire book - it wasn't very big! It was written by Richard Branson called 'Screw it- let's do it'. It was a motivational read about how he takes calculated (not foolish) risks and how he sets himself realistic goals and doesn't stop till he achieves them. He talks about how his mother dropped him 1 mile from his house when he was only 4 years old and told him to make his own way home...she always instilled in him that he could do anything. He talks about making an offer of buying a £3 million island for only £180,000 - because that is all he could offer - and he got it! He certainly has had his fair share of luck, especially in his epic hot ballooning adventures, but I got the picture very quickly that this was a man who went for what he wanted and didn't take no for an answer. He believes in himself and so does his family, which is why his aunty mortgaged her house in the early days to loan him the £7,500 he needed to buy the manor and make a record studio. It was a great read.

I'd love to hear what you think of my blog, so please feel free to make a comment. Let me know of any great reads (non-fiction for me) or if you have any questions.