Sugar. It is difficult to find a processed item in the grocery store that doesn't have it in one form or another. It's in everything. And there's a reason for it. It makes things taste good and it's addicting. Unfortunately it's also horrible for us. When you eat excess sugar (and excess really isn't that much, people!) and your glycogen storage space gets filled up, that left over sugar quickly converts to fat. On top of that, it wreaks havoc on your digestive system.
That being said - I've tried my darndest to steer clear of sugar for the past few years, but quite seriously over that past few months. So, when my work place asked people to bring in treats for the annual bake sale fundraiser - my mind starting thinking about "healthy" options I could bring in or "paleo cookies" I could make. And then I took a step back, shook my head and said, "Marge! It's a freakin' bake sale! People don't want your healthy food at a bake sale."
So, I made cookies. Like, real honest to goodness butter + flour + sugar cookies. And I made my favorite kind. Snickerdoodle and molasses. And I ate some of them too. And damn! The girl can bake! They were really really good.
Okay - so what's the lesson here? When making a healthful lifestyle change, you are going to have times when you don't adhere to your higher health standards. There are going to be times when you "slip" and eat that cookie or eat that plate of fries or that pizza or that fill-in-the-blank-tasty-food. And that is OKAY. Just make it count - make it something awesome. Don't blow your "cheats" on food you don't really love. When they have birthday parties at work with store bought sheet cake and every one else is chowing down, I pass it up - cause I'd rather "slip" on something that actually tastes good.
Further reading:
To learn more about how sugar is processed in your body read this!
The Definitive Guide to Insulin, Blood Sugar & Type II Diabetes (and you'll understand it)Because she says it better than me, read this!
The Whole9 Guide to Eating DirtyAnd just so this isn't all about sugar slips - here's what I ate for dinner tonight.
Lettuce wrapped chicken burger:
~1/2 lb ground chicken (got this from the farmers market, you could use any ground meat)
1 egg
2 tbsp (roughly) almond flour
shake shake shake of chili powder
shake shake shake of cumin
grind grind pepper
shake shake red pepper flakes
tiny bit of trader joe's crushed garlic (1/16 tsp? a little goes a long way)
Sorry - I don't measure spices very well! Mix it all up good, make a patty or two, throw it on a skillet or foreman grill for a couple minutes. Cut up some tomato, put some natural salsa on top - wrap it up in lettuce and you have a lettuce wrapped chicken burger! I chopped up some asparagus and broccoli, had it steaming simultaneously and I had a meal in about 15 or 20 minutes. Healthy cooking isn't complicated cooking!
