Kicking Sugar to the Curb

Hello, Monday morning.  You have just had your coffee.  Maybe you had a little bit of coffee with that cream and sugar.  Maybe you had some Frosted Flakes (used to be my favorite breakfast cereal because I could eat it dry!).    Chances are you had SUGAR in whatever you had for breakfast and before long that sugar crash will happen, right?

I have been struggling with health issues and after kicking dairy, I moved on to being gluten free.  A little bit harder and I’m still not 100%.  Now it is time to move to

I never thought of myself as a “sweet eater”.  More of a stress eater or even a “secret eater”.  This weekend, I really had to evaluate where I was in “Giving sugar the boot!”

Hubby is trying to kick refined sugar so I figure if the sweet eater himself can do it, so can I.  Refined sugar is one of many factors in a yucky, unhealthy lifestyle. So I’m going to try it!

I kicked cigarettes “cold turkey” so I am thinking that is the way to go.  I am going with the “one day at a time” theme which at any given moment can be “one minute at a time”.

Sugar pros: YUM.
Sugar cons: Goodbye nutrients, minerals, vitamins. Hello high blood sugar, energy crashes, high cholesterol, diabetes and weight gain.. to name a few.

Sugar is hiding EVERYWHERE — from your morning oatmeal, to the sauce on your pasta and packed into my favorite drink – WINE!  Let’s be honest, are we going to give up the occasional glass of wine (or your favorite drink)?  Probably not  but I’m going to do my best to limit it the best I can.  The keys is reading labels, so be prepared for your next trip to the grocery store to take awhile.

Did you know that 4 grams of sugar = 1 teaspoon?  YIKES! No, ladies, should try sticking to six teaspoons daily, tops. Men can have nine.  It figures!

First stop is to clean out your pantry! Now, I know this is tough with kids but move it out of your sight.  If you are like me, if it’s nearby, I’m going to be tempted!

FP Madisyn has some tips for us:

• Try cutting sugar out your own way, on your terms. If you want to ease into it, nothing is wrong with that!
• If you need something sweet, nibble on some dark dark chocolate.  This is bitter to me so I don’t want to eat much.
• Replace processed sugars with natural sweeteners. Find one that works for you.
• Drink tea! Rumor has it that drinking something warm, like pomegranate green tea, helps mellow out your sweet tooth and calms cravings.

Don’t beat yourself up. Your friend’s birthday? Eat cake! Need a treat? Treat yourself!  Just don’t let it lead to a downward spiral to eating more sugar.

The best advice is to be aware and do the best you can. Whatever steps you take to kiss sugar goodbye are positive ones.

Not sure how this will go but I am hoping that it will help with my weight loss AND help with the MS symptoms.

So, how do you kick sugar’s butt? Let me know your secret!

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!

 

 

Javita

STRONG Green Tea…. my hubby’s favorite drink – all day, every day.  He continually tells me the wonderful benefits of drinking green tea.  Despite the fact that I LOVE STRONG black tea, I am not a fan of green tea without a lot of sweetener.  Now, I could drink WAWA’s Diet Green Tea cold by the gallons but I am sure that doesn’t have the same healthy benefits as pure green tea.  Today’s spotlight is on Javita…

 

Andrea Moore introduced me to Javita.  I had seen the product before but was not really into what I thought was the “instant” tea/coffee thing.  Andrea shared this about the company:

Javita is a company committed to changing lives one cup at a time. We know that more than half the planet drinks coffee (&tea!). So if you’re already drinking it – now you can drink it knowing that you’re giving your body the extra push to start leading a healthier lifestyle. 

So, I was a little more than skeptical when Andrea suggested that I try warm green tea WITHOUT sweetener.  Okay, I would try it but REALLY how good could it be, right?  WOW! It was awesome, so of course I needed more details…

Javita Coffee Company also carries green tea.  I am guessing if the green tea is that good the coffee is probably pretty awesome too.  So here is the scoop on Javita’s green tea:

Lean + Green is a combination of Japanese Green Tea with herbs gardenia cabogia and gymnema sylvestre.  All natural, this superior formula is a refreshing flavor and light delicate notes.  It comes in a box of 24 individually packaged sticks that dissolve instantly.  If can be served hot or cold.  It is made in the USA.

I was sold on it simply because it had a GREAT taste without any additional sweetener.  I asked Andrea why she loved Javita and her are her reasons:

1- it is a healthy cup of coffee, Japanese green tea, and hot chocolate, that also tastes great! 
2- it has and continues to help her (and so many people with many different medical conditions) lower cholesterol and triglycerates numbers.  
3- I get to work from home, pick my own hours and meet great people!

After lots of research which is what hubby does on EVERYTHING – he said that he would use it especially when we travelled so that he could get his UNSWEET green tea.  He will always prefer pure brewed green tea but this is the next best thing.  I have to admit, that sold me on the product.

Want me details on Javita, check out Andrea’s website. Let her know that you heard about her AMAZING coffee and tea through this blog.

If you are curious, no payments have been received to endorse any of the products featured in my Saturday Spotlights.  These are products that I personal like, have tried or use on a regular basis.  I would love to hear what YOU have to say about Javita.  If you are interested in having your company or products spotlighted, please fill out the contact form, DO NOT place your information in the COMMENTS!  Thank you..

Name(required)

Email(required)

Website(required)

A Few words about YOUR product(required)

Submit

Δ

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!

#javita #coffee #greentea #productspotlight #partywithhope