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.

Wet weather + sick baby = craft time @ home!!!

Wet weather + sick baby = craft time @ home!!!

Yes, William is sick with bronchitus and the wet weather has left Ruby and I at home with nothing but our imaginations - and we went wild.

Here is a snapshot of the things we created this week and a quick rundown on how each item was made. This is more like a picture gallery (except the first one) - as they are so simple to make, detailed instructions aren't needed and all you neeed to do is to look at the picture to see what we used.



Re-planted our vegetable garden



Gardening
The finished garden (left) and our herb section (right)

Ruby just LOVES this and we've been doing this for years. The wet weather made it perfect planting time too. Ruby knows to use her spoon to dig the hole, stick the plant in the hole and put the sugarcane mulch around it (we call that the blanket).

We then cut out old milk containers - stuck them to bamboo skewers (sticks would be better) and labelled our plants before covering our garden beds with old mosquito nets.

 This can be done in pots, old shoes, evens styrofoam boxes or just dig into the grass - sprouts are cheap, easy and super fast to grow

Wonton Wrappers - I LOVE THEM!



Circle wonton wrappers

Wonton wrappers are a little square or circle shaped wrappers made of wheat-flour, eggs, salt and water. They can be purchased in most major supermarkets in the chiller section and I pay about $1.90/packet.  You can use wonton wrappers for sweet and savoury cooking. All you need to do is google 'Wonton Wrapper recipe' and you'll find loads of recipes to choose from. They are great baked, steamed, boiled, steamed or deep fried and can make anything from ravioli, nachos, chips to sweet desserts. You can find recipes that take as little as 5 minutes (wonton chips) to 50 minutes (orgami wonton cranes) and I have included these recipes below.

They are so cheap that I never bother making my own, but if you'd like to make your own, click here for a recipe.



I have used wonton wrappers for a while, but usually only made pork dumplings or short soup. But lately, I have been discovering how versatile they are. Wonton chips are soooooooo simple and easy to make - 5 minutes is all you need.

Wonton chips

Simple cut your wonton wrappers into whatever size/shape you want your chips to be (cookie cutters will make this fun for kids). Spray with some oil and dust with salt, pepper, paprika, chilli flakes, all spice, cinnamon or any other sprinkle that takes your fancy. Cook on 120 degrees for a few minutes or until crispy. Done! These are great as a snack or to use for dips or even your own nachos. Be careful not to leave them in the oven too long - they burn quickly!

Ravioli is also another simple and easy dish to create using wonton wrappers. Put simply, ravioli this way is filling the wonton wrapper with ingredients of your choice, sealing the wrapper and boiling for a few minutes. You could also fry them lightly in butter after they've been boiled and it gives them a nice brown covering with a bit of crunch. Here are two recipes that I've made lately with some pictures attached below.

Before I include my recipes, it is important for me to say that I am no chef. I rarely measure anything and this ravioli is no excuse. I didn't measure anything and that is the best thing about make ravioli with wonton wrappers, simply create your own filling based on taste. If you don't like spinach, add more peas or grate a zucchini. If you don't eat cheese, throw in an egg or a bit of coconut cream. Anything goes - add all different types of meats, grated, shredded or mashed veges, cheeses, coconut cream/milk, salt, pepper, spices and fresh herbs.

Spinach, Pea and Cheese Ravioli

Ingredients - the amount depends on your own taste!

Filling the wonton wrappers with my
egg and bacon mixture

Spinach

Peas

Ricotta Cheese

Parmesan Cheese

Cream Cheese

Wonton Wrappers

Method

1. Finely dice and cook spinach (I simple microwave it)

2. Cook peas and mash (or leave whole - anything goes)

3. Mix spinach and peas and add a couple of spoonfuls of ricotta, some grated parmesan and a couple of spoonfuls of cream cheese.

4. Mix together and add salt and pepper to taste.

5. Lay out wonton wrappers and spoon some mixture on top (as pictured).I play them on a tea towel to stop them sticking to the bench.

6. Rub some water, coconut milk/water or milk around outside of wrapper so that you can close it and seal the wrapper (if you don't seal the wrapper properly, the mixture with spill out when boiling). Sealing the wrapper is as simple as pressing it together. Click here for some videos showing ideas on how to fold wonton wrappers.

7. Boil a large pot of water with some salt and add about 6 ravioli in the pot for a few minutes - until they come to the top

8. You can now fry them off in butter or serve with some fresh herbs, toasted nuts or freshly squeezed lemon

Cooked ravioli - these stuck
together! I should have separated
them on the plate.

NOTE: After they are boiled, don't store them on a plate on top of each other (like I did in the photo)- they will cool and stick together

Other mixtures: there are lots of other mixtures that you can use to put inside your wrappers (ricotta is a great 'binder'), here are some suggestions

- Egg, bacon, ricotta, shallots, salt, pepper

- pork mince, prawns, soy, garlic, ginger, salt (great for short soup)

- mashed pumpkin with pine nuts

- Chirizo, thyme and pumpkin

- Mixed cheeses & herbs

- Crab meat & peas

- Mushroom, ricotta and zucchini

As you may have read in my week 5 post, I even filled these little wrappers with a muesli bar mixture before deep frying them and serving them with cream. I'm not a sweet eater (anymore) so I can't share first hand anything that I've made with these wrappers for dessert, but I have read loads of recipes including chocolate fillings, coconut and lime, chocolate and banana, mixed berries, sugar and banana or pear...



Wonton cranes ready for baking

I hope to add more recipes on here as I continue to experiment with them. They are ALWAYS in my fridge and I can't wait to discover more quick and easy recipes.

Oh, I have to add, don't just fold or cut these wrappers. Use them in muffin trays as a 'basket'. I did this one night and used the casings for tacos - filling them with mince, cheese, salsa, guacamole and sour cream. They were a REAL favourite.

I found this picture on the net of someone using wonton wrappers like origami - now that opens up the door to creativity. Imagine what you can make. Over the weekend, I am going to use cookie cutters to shape them into chips and may even spell out my daugthers name on them or do some numbers for her. She'll love to help too. How exciting!

Click here for detailed instructions on how to make these wonton cranes.

Week 5 - Definately detoxing

Week 5 - Definately detoxing



Just about to bake our muesli bars



This week has been relatively easy. In saying that, I have still had moments where I have craved a sugar hit. Even tonight. But I soon get over it. And that's the key. The craving passes very quickly. A simple cup of tea or glass of milk is all that is needed and I feel much better for it too. Herbal and flavoured teas now excite me and taste sweeter than ever and I look forward to a cup of tea after dinner or in the morning. I'm not too keen on the caffeine though, so I've purchased some decaf organic tea and I drink that after 2pm so that the caffeine isn't keeping me up. I have a newborn son that is already doing that!

Apart from the occasional craving, this week would be the first week that I actually feel like sugar has really lost its appeal. I never ever thought that this was possible. Not for me. Of course, it has only been 5 weeks, so I am not out of the woods yet, I just know which direction I am going. I am excited about what the future holds for me and my body with whole fat whole foods taking much more of my food intake instead of foods sweetened with sugar or honey or low-fat foods full of sugar. My husband Ben is also feeling good, he is a chocoholic and made a comment this week "If someone gave me a block of chocolate I wouldn't eat it anyhow". He's clearly making his way out of the woods too!

  

Making the peanut suprises



As for our 3 year old, Ruby, she doesn't know any better and as I can control what she eats 95% of the time (not when she is with friends or relatives) I am making the most of this opportunity. I know that one day she will be old enough to make her own decision, and staying off sugar might not be one of them. I do tell her why she is not allowed lollies, chocolate and ice-cream all the time. She knows that there is something called 'sugar' which is bad for her and she doesn't argue. She certainly has treats at Nannys house, and I just leave her to it. She also knows that this is another reason why she doesn't eat sugar at home, eating it at Nannys is enough.  

 



As a breastfeeding mother, I am also aware that what I eat goes directly to my son, so staying off sugar isn't only just benefiting me, it is also directly benefiting him. Another bonus. It has also helped stop me from having 'highs and lows' with my moods (as sugar does this). I am tired from breastfeeding during the night and have the potential of having big 'highs and lows', but I think that my diet is helping control this.



What I call 'peanut suprises'. Delicious.

This week Ruby and I tried to make our own sugar free muesli bars, which we took the recipe out of Sarah Wilson's sugar free cookbook. Unfortunately, they did not 'hold' and ended up as a crumble. I then tried to be creative and I used wonton wrappers, filled them with the nutty crumble, deep fried them and served them with cream. Delicious sugar free snack and it warmed the belly! I've attached a pic of what it looked like cooking them and the final product. Wonton wrappers are amazing - cheap and versatile - perfect!

As always, I have continued to re-read Sarah Wilson's blog (click here to visit her blog) along with her two ebooks & my two Sweet Poison books.

 I read something today that really made me think. David Gillespie talks in his Quit Plan book about smoking being an addiction like sugar. He talks about how 50 years ago everyone smoked - at their desk, in bed, at work, even on aeroplanes - everywhere. If you didn't smoke, it was kind of weird. Now, all these years later, smoking is seen as an addiction with life threatening side effects. There are now quitlines, quitting programs, graphic pictures on cigarette packets and advertisements costing millions trying to re-educate people on the implications of smoking.

Sugar is the same. Everyone eats it - at their desk, in bed, at work, even on aeroplanes - everywhere. If you don't eat sugar, it's kind of weird. Research is now showing the life threatening side effects of sugar, but it is not yet seen as an addiction. There are no warning signs on labels or graphic pictures on packets of sugar. There is no sugar helpline.

My opinion is that people spend $$$$$ on gyms and eating plans, but continue eating sugar. Does this have anything to do with our growing obesity rates? The gyms and diets are clearly not working for the majority, and how can it when sugar is in so many things that we eat and we're too busy buying low fat this and low fat that? Next time you buy a low fat item, compare the sugar content of it to its full fat sister. You may be pleasently suprised. 

Week 4 - face the demons

Week 4 - Face the demons




I am definately feeling good this week. Not too many demons to face at all.  And if I do feel like i'm struggling, I just eat something good and read one of my books. Like Sarah Wilson suggested, crowd out the bad stuff with the good. It works!  

My shopping lists looks much better

When I look at my shopping list, I can see that my choices have changed. I no longer need to even glance at the confectionery aisle - there is nothing for me or my family here. I also steer clear of spreads and am careful when looking at the yoghurts. My shopping has changed.



 Headaches, what are they? I am definatley happy with my appetite control system as I continue to eat whatever I want, whenever I want - just not sugar. I am continually amazed that this little white substance has been having a party in my body for all these years. My afternoon 'cravings' are no more and sometimes I have to think hard to remember what time I ate last. I do have to say that I am being careful not eat out of 'habit'. We have dinner at about 6pm every night, and I normally have something else to eat before bed. This 'something' was normally fruit and sometimes ice cream, lollies or chocolate. Now I might have a small bowl of granola and am getting used to the idea of cheese, grilled haloumi or a simple glass of milk. Milk has NEVER tasted so sweet!!! It definately gives me that 'sweet' fix if i am looking for one.



This week I am re-reading David Gillispies Quit Plan book and decided to clean out my pantry (as you can see in the pic). I go rid of anything that contained too much sugar. It wasn't until I looked at all this stuff on the table, that I realised that my house was full of sugar.



Ridding my pantry of sugar filled food



I also sat down and looked closely at the Nutrition Information Panel (NIP) Did you know that the Jam, Maple Syrup, Fruit Chutney, Sweet Chilli Sauce, BBQ sauce, Tomato sauce, Silver Cachous and chocolate eggs all had sugar listed as the first ingredient! This means that based on the weight of the product, sugar makes up most of it. Argh!! I also felt pretty dumb when I realised that condensed milk was just milk and sugar... Mmm, no wonder I could eat it out of the tin!

The top items with more than 20g/20mls per 100g/100mls were the jam, condensed milk, Sweet chilli sauce, Sweet n Sour sauce (jar and packet), Maple syrup, Fruit Chutney, BBQ sauce, biscuit base, muesli, sweetened coconut flakes, chocolate eggs and of course all that sugar. Oh my gosh!!! Out it went.

Pantry staples - these get used EVERY day!



What has replaced this has been a group of 'must haves'. Coconut oil (I use for EVERYTHING including lip balm), cinnamon, salt, pepper, chia seeds, olive oil (for cooking on low heat) and walnut oil (for pouring on salads etc).

Week 3 - Quit

Week 3 - Quit!
This is the week that any slightest bit of sugar I was still having in my diet (and I wasn't) had to go. I didn't find this too hard as I had pretty much cut it all out anyhow. My husband had been eating fruit up until this day and he had to stop this.
This week left me feeling empowered.

I loved having control over what I was eating instead of having sugar control what I was craving.

My new tea box

The headaches have continued, just not as often or as bad, I could feel myself getting better - inside and out. My tummy feels flatter and I feel better all round.

Tea has really become my best friend (along with coconuts) and I treated myself this week to a tea storage box. I just love it. I am a virgo and very organised so having my flavoured teas in a neat little box suits me perfectly (see pic to the right).

I've really been getting into cooking too. I continued to make Coco-Nutty granola every week and have discovered that I don't like it with rice malt syrup or with butter. Coconut oil suits me fine and i like it with full cream milk, not yoghurt. It is a great snack. I've made zucchini pie this week, egg and bacon cupcakes and have been adding chia seeds to everything. I found it impossible to find vanilla powder this week, but will keep looking. I spent $40 on nuts at the shops this week and am trying to find a more affordable supplier other than the normal supermarkets - no luck yet. 

My girlfriend visited me this week and had arrived with a tray full of gourmet cakes and slices from the bakery. Not your normal stuff, these were tiny bundles of handmade delicacies. Thankfully, she fully understands and respects my decision and didn't jam them down my throat or make me feel bad for not eating them. Instead, I made homemade spinach, ricotta and pea ravioli and served it for brunch. Yum. Should couldn't believe that I could eat this yummy ravioli when I was turning down the cakes. She was suprised at just how much and what I could eat. The funny thing is though, I've noticed this week that my appetite control system has kicked in. I am NEVER hungry. how could this be? I'm the girl that never stops eating. I'm the girl that could live at the bakery... but for some strange reason, I eat when I'm hungry and have NO desire to eat at any other time. I did not feel deprived at all when I said no to the cakes, instead, I felt like I had control and my body would be thanking me.

Homemade tomato and BBQ sauce

Oh, I made my own tomato and BBQ sauce this week. The tomato sauce is great although I think I added too many cloves but the BBQ sauce hasn't taken my fancy yet. I just put them back i the normal bottles, my daughter has definately noticed and so she doesn't have much now, which is exactly what I want.

Week 2 - Eat fat

Week 2 - Eat fat


Good fat? You be the judge

 This week was a ground breaking week for me. I had read more and felt educated and informed about why I was doing this with my family. But I was worried that eating fat would make me fat - just how I've been persuaded to believe over the passed 30 years.That is why my fridge was full of low fat yoghurt, mayo and cheese - little did I know the vast amount of sugar in each of these. The labels should read - Low Fat and High Sugar.

 This week coconuts became my best friend...with tea a close second. Coconut water, oil, flakes, shredded coconut, milk and cream - where have you been all my life and why do you have to be so expensive! I use coconut and coconut products in alot of my cooking. It is a fridge and pantry staple. I even borrowed a book all about coconuts to arm myself with more info. It was great.Click here for a website that lists 80 great uses for coconut oil.



Breakfast started becoming a challenge - until I changed my thinking. I was no longer going to eat a bowl full of sugar, like I'd been trained. Although we are really a 'Weet-bix' family, muesli was being shown the bin, but the oats and weet-bix were staying. We started cooking alot of breakfast, re-heating left overs for breakfast and this week I discovered Sarah Wilson's Coco-Nutty granola - oh my gosh!!! I'm in heaven. I just love it and have a jar of it on my bench at all times. When it is baking in the oven, it fills the house with the most amazing aroma.I find nuts to be quite expensive, so I add a couple of cups of oats to the mix and leave out the rice malt syrup (as this makes it too sweet for us).

I'm still getting a few headaches, but not as much. I lapsed while at my mothers and had a mini twix - and so did my daugther. I honestly enjoyed the taste, just not the thought.

 

My homemade Coco-Nutty Granola -
 always on my bench



I also started hearing about this book 'Sweet Poison' again. I had seen it lying around at friends houses in the past but thought nothing of it, until now. When I went to borrow it from my local library, I saw that 66 people had lined up to reserve it - whoa, it must be good. A friend lent it to me and I began to read, re-read, read aloud and read again. I was completely gobsmacked with what I was reading - the history of sugar, how rare it was, how abundant it is now, how it is used, what research and testing has shown, the data, the statistics and the effects. 

I now own these books and can do nothing but recommend them for anyone interested in finding out about sugar. The are a great read, very informative, up to date and turn the complicated science of our body into an easy read.

I was left asking myself the question: have I been hiding under a rock my whole life? How could I be 30 years old and only just realising this white crystal is nothing but poison? I refuse to let my two children follow the same path as me.

These are David Gillespie's two books I purchased and have read and re-read over and over again. I have taken lots of strategies from the quit plan and combined them with Sarah Wilson's 8 week program. I'll talk more about these books later.

 



Week 1 - cutting back

Week 1 - Cutting back

This week was all about parring back. Not cutting it out completely, but just being 'aware' of my sugar intake and to cut back on some things. For me, I pretty much cut it out altogether. If I'm going to do something, it is normally full steam ahead (which isn't always good) and so parring back for me meant - no fruit, no honey, no muesli and no fruit yoghurt. And boy did it hurt! I got lots of headaches and could feel my body ridding itself of this poison. During the week I ate a strawberry (without thinking) as I cut some up for my daughterI was AMAZED at how sweet it tasted. It felt like it had been dipped in icing sugar. I questioned whether it was just one of those 'really sweet ones' or was it actually possible for sugar to taste this sweet after being off it for a few days? I'll never know.

Fruit for breakfast, lunch and dinner...not anymore.