Lowering the Sugar Intake

Sugar.

It's my biggest weakness.

And I have done several posts through the years about it.

For the most part, I do my best to keep the added sugars to a minimum.

Never being a soda drinker and not liking any sugary drinks to begin with, that was one habit I never had to break.

My love of tea in it's natural unsweetened state is also a good thing.

But, for my husband, it is a different story.

He loves his tea sweet, and added sugar finds it way into many of his foods.

But these last couple of weeks, he has been dramatically lowering his sugar intake.

Stevia has been his sweetener of choice for the tea.

And he has found that many foods don't need that extra sugar.

They are great just the way they are.

Glad to see him making these lifestyle changes.

Every little thing we do good for ourselves will keep us around longer for each other.

Way to go my dear!!

Stevia Sweetener

In a previous post, I discussed how I was watching the added sugar intake in my diet.

It hasn't been as hard as I thought it would be, and I really do feel better because of it.

I tried the different sugar substitutes on the market, but I couldn't get past the thought that they were artificial chemicals - something our bodies should not be ingesting.

Even the stevia sweeteners on the market have been processed with additional ingredients.

They are white and look like sugar.

The natural stevia plant is green.

So why not go straight to the source - the plant itself.

I ordered some dried leaves and soaked them in some vodka for 24 hours.

After straining it, it is ready to use.

It only takes 1/2 a teaspoon to sweeten a  16 ounce cup of iced tea.

With no calories and no affect on blood glucose levels either.

And it is all totally natural.

I think next time I will make it with water instead of vodka.

It only lasts a couple if weeks in the refrigerator though, so it will have to be a smaller batch as the alcohol preserves the vodka method indefinitely.

I am giving some thought to purchasing some seeds and growing it myself this summer.

I am glad to have discovered it - it is amazing what mother nature provides!

Watching the Sugars

It comes in many different colors and forms and even has many different names.

But unless it is naturally occurring in the food that is eaten, it is considered an "added sugar" in any of it's forms.

Back in 2008, sugar consumption in the US was 136 pounds per person per year.

That's above and beyond the natural sugars already in our fruits, vegetables, and milk.

And the rest of the world is not far behind us in their consumption too.

Heck, I have even seen our cat eating the sweet-eating ants in the summer, and everyone knows how much bears love honey.

Sugar is just too good and all the Earth's creatures love it.

Even though it is considered "empty calories" it is necessary in supplying the brain with energy.

But being human, it is easy to let our love of something get too far out of hand.

Too much sugar contributes to many health problems, the most widespread being, obesity.

And that leads to many other diseases and ailments which can all be avoided.

So, I have been carefully watching my "added sugar" intake over the last six weeks.

According to my weight and calorie intake, it is recommended that I get 25 grams of added sugar a day.

Man, I was getting over that in just my breakfast alone.

And that iced tea that we always prided on making ourselves - that needed a serious makeover too.

That added sugar is everywhere and in everything.

And I am not one who will substitute those no calorie sweeteners to take the place of the real thing.

Don't need those fake chemicals that do their own damages in other ways.

When I first cut out the sugar, I was eating none, even the naturally occurring ones in the fruits.

But after reading more, I realized that those ones don't count.

I needed to only count the added sugars.

And when it comes down to it, it really isn't all that bad after all.

Even during the holidays with all the goodies, I could get by on just a nibble.

And that is still all that is needed now - it really does work.

And all my tea has been sugar free as well, and I enjoy it just the same.

And the weird thing, I can even taste the sugars in the lettuce now.

Who would have thought that?