REAL FOOD MEALS ON A BUDGET

REAL FOOD MEALS ON A BUDGET

You have probably heard the saying that we are what we eat. And that is the truth. The quality of the foods we eat will directly affect the quality of our health. Conventionally raised foods, whether it is meat, vegetables, dairy, or grains have lost the ability to bring us high quality nutrition because of farming techniques. The current food system that is in place produces “antibiotic filled meat and dairy, glyphosate laden vegetables and destitute farmers.” Culinary Wellness Pt. 1 Student Guide 2020 Nutritional Therapy Association, Inc. .

If we are to try to turn our health around, protect and try to provide safe and healthy meals for our families, we need to start at the source of our food; where it is grown and harvested.

Modern agricultural practices deplete the soil, pollute the air and water, and burn through natural resources. Factory farms that provide vegetables use pesticides, herbicides and other soil additives which create health problems for the farmer as well as the people that consume these products. Animals that are raised on factory farms are subjected to inhumane treatment, such as small confined areas and gestation crates, as well as being fed GMO feed, antibiotics, and growth hormones. These types of practices create substandard products that do not nourish. “Husbandry is about stewardship - caring for animals, cultivating vitality, and conserving resources.” Culinary Wellness Pt. 1, Student Guide. 2020 Nutritional Therapy Association, Inc.

When you are looking for quality sourced foods, you do not necessarily need to purchase Certified Organic every time. It is a great certification to fall back on if you cannot find locally sourced, sustainably produced quality foods. There are a lot of farmers who cannot afford the Certified Organic certification, yet still grow a very high quality food. It is important to forge relationships with your local farmers and growers to learn how they raise their food products. Ask at your local Farmer’s Market how they raise their food - most farmers love to share how they are trying to create a sustainable, nourishing food product!

It can be expensive to make the switch from conventionally raised food products to organic, locally grown foods. It costs more for farmers to raise organic foods, and it costs a lot to get the certifications. But if you look at your budget and see how much of your money is going towards high quality foods to create good health for your family, you may see that it isn’t as much as you thought. Compare how much you are spending on eating out at fast food restaurants, on a car payment, or even your cable tv bill. The quality of the food you eat will directly affect your heath and the health of your family. Spending more money on quality foods will pay dividends later on in better health and lower medical bills. And the money you spend on food is a vote for either sustainably produced food or conventionally raised foods.

Programs like SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) are available for people who need help purchasing healthy foods. SNAP can be used to purchase fresh foods, but cannot be used to purchase ready to eat, hot foods (which are typically fast foods and are highly processed). You can even use SNAP to purchase seeds and plants so that you can start growing your own food. Using community gardens is a fantastic way to start growing your own food so you know exactly what you are eating and how it was raised.

There are also great foods you can purchase that are very affordable. Dried lentils, peas and beans are high in nutrition but are also very affordable. Pairing foods like this with seasonal vegetables can help those who are on a tight budget. Vegetables like cabbage, onions, carrots, apples, and summer or winter squashes are typically very affordable and available all year long. Using all the colors in the vegetable aisle will give you a bigger range of nutrients. Look for vegetables in colors like purple, dark green, red, orange, and even yellow. These foods can help to create high quality meals that provide a lot of nutrients at an affordable price. Organ meats and marrow bones can be added to make nutrient-dense meals as well.

Lack of time can also be a barrier to creating nutrient-dense meals. Meal planning and prepping ahead of time can help to reduce the time it takes to throw a delicious and nutritious meal together. Having vegetables and meats prepped ahead of time and knowing what you are going to make can help when time and energy are low.

Here are a couple of recipes that use both affordable cuts of meat and vegetables that are available all year long. Growth hormones are not allowed in pork, however they can use antibiotics and ractopamine, which is a feed additive that can bulk them up quickly before going to market. Look for pork that is pasture raised or raised without antibiotics when possible.

HERB PORK CHOPS WITH ROASTED VEGGIES

4 pork chops, seasoned with sea salt and pepper

ROASTED VEGGIES

1/2 onion (any color will do) diced

4 carrots, cleaned and chopped

4 zucchini

1 pound potatoes, diced

avocado oil

sea salt and pepper

1 teaspoon dried rosemary

1 teaspoon dried oregano

Season your pork chops with salt and pepper. Place in heated and oiled cast iron pan. Use enough olive oil or avocado oil to cover the bottom of pan and heat. Using medium heat, cook about 4 minutes per side until a bit browned and cooked through.

ROASTED VEGGIES

clean and chop veggies into bite size dice

use about 1/2 cup avocado oil over veggies and use your hands to stir veggies until they are all coated. Season with herbs, salt and pepper. Roast at 400* until slightly browned and cooked, about 30 minutes. A fork should be able to easily pierce the potato when done.

BACONY BEAN AND CABBAGE STEW

6 pieces nitrate-free bacon, diced

1/2 small cabbage (red or green - if you get red, it will color the soup pink)

1 medium red onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, diced

2 carrots, sliced thin

3 small potatoes, diced

1/2 teaspoon thyme or oregano

1/2 teaspoon basil

1 32 ounce box chicken broth (bone broth preferred)

olive oil to cover the bottom of soup pan to sauté veggies

1 can white kidney beans

Heat soup pot on medium heat, add enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan. Add garlic cloves, diced red onion, and diced bacon. Sauté until the bacon starts to brown a bit. Add cabbage and lower the temperature to low heat. Cook for about 10 minutes with lid on. Add the rest of the vegetables and herbs with the chicken broth. If the broth doesn’t cover all the vegetables, add enough water to cover the tops of the vegetables. Bring to a boil, then cover and lower heat to a simmer. Cook about 20 minutes or until potatoes are cooked. Add white kidney beans and stir. Keep cooking until beans are heated. Add sea salt and pepper to taste.

YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT

Your body’s health is directly related to the foods you eat.

Remember, your body replaces pretty much all it’s cells within 7-10 years. The foods you eat directly affect the quality of the cells that your body is making. If you are eating a lot of inflammatory foods or processed foods, your body is going to make cells according to the quality of the foods that is being presented to them.

Poor quality foods = poor quality cells

High quality foods = high quality cells

When you are eating properly prepared, nutrient dense whole foods, your body is able to generate higher quality cells and build your body into a disease fighting machine! Of course, there are other factors to consider, including your other body systems. But starting at the foundation of cell building is important!

Properly prepared foods are nutrient dense food prepared in a way that makes it easy to be absorbed in your digestive system. 

An example - Brussels Sprouts are a fantastic nutrient dense food! But when they are deep fried in canola or vegetable oil, it makes them an inflammatory food because that type of oil is highly processed.

Here are some guidelines to consider when preparing and choosing foods:

• look for foods that are as close to their original form in nature as possible

• eat a rainbow of all the vegetables and fruits - seasonal and locally sourced are preferred

• soak or sprout your grains, seeds, nuts, legumes, beans, as needed to make them more bioavailable

• choose 100% pasture raised (grass finished) animal products and wild-caught seafood as much as possible

HEALTHY FATS TO REDUCE INFLAMMATION

HEALTHY FATS FOR YOUR DIET

A healthy diet includes healthy fats and ideally, your body needs a 1:1 ratio of omega-6 fats to omega-3 fats. The average diet in the US has a ratio of closer to 10:1 or 20:1. Yikes. No wonder inflammation is at the root source of most chronic illnesses which is killing people.

A good goal to have which will give you great health benefits is to keep your omega fat’s ratio around 3:1. Here is a list of the best sources of omega 3 and 6 to choose from:

Best sources of omega 3 fats (choose wild caught over farmed fish)

• salmon

• herring

• Atlantic mackerel

• sardines

• fresh-water trout

• flax seeds

• walnuts

• chia seeds

• hemp seeds

• egg yolks

Best sources of Omega 6 fats

• grass-fed, grass-finished meats

• organic meats

• walnut

• sunflower seeds

• eggs (yolks)

• almonds

Refined vegetable oils are a source of Omega 6 fatty acids, but be warned that these are harmful and highly inflammatory for your body. Look for natural sources of omega 6 fats that come from whole food sources, rather than being refined and processed.

Be sure your diet isn’t all saturated fats, but don’t be afraid to include them in your meals, either! Look to balance your meals with high quality sources of fiber, healthy fat, protein, and greens.

The best way to incorporate these essential fats is to eat balanced meals that use whole, real foods and by eating a variety, you get more of these essential nutrients into your body!

How are you adding a healthy fat into your meals today? Let me know in the comments below!!

DITCH THESE DANGEROUS OILS TO REMOVE INFLAMMATION

One of the best things you can do to help remove inflammation from your body is to ditch the fake vegetable oils, fake butters and low-fat fake foods.  

Vegetable oils, including corn oil and canola oil, are processed and refined.  They typically are made from corn, soy, cottonseed, grapeseed, and even canola. and other types of oils.  If you stop to think about it, what vegetable is oily enough to be able to produce oil?  

We have been told that vegetable oils can be “heart-healthy”, but studies have shown that vegetable oils can actually raise levels of oxidized LDL cholesterol in the body. This process can cause inflammation in your body as well as build up plaque in your arteries.  

These types of vegetable oils also need to be watched so that they do not become rancid.  Vegetable oils are also bottled in clear, plastic bottles which allow light and air to reach them.  This allows them to oxidize quickly and easily and become rancid, which can cause it to affect your body’s cells in a negative way.  The fats we eat help us to make hormones and are used in the building blocks of cell repair.  If we are eating oxidized and rancid oils, it is going to affect the quality of our cells.   A couple of ways to know if your oil is rancid is to check if the consistency is sticky, if the smell is funky (and not fresh), or if the color of the oil is cloudy.  If you have any of these things showing up in your oil, it’s time to toss it.  

Vegetable oils are also associated with obesity and higher risk of breast cancer because it is processed with chemical additives and solvents.  Plus, these types of oils are generally made from GMO crops that are sprayed with pesticides like glysophate.  

The fake oils that can cause inflammation are listed below and try to avoid them as much as  possible: 

• vegetable oil

• corn oil

• margarine

• grapeseed oil

• canola oil

• cottonseed oil

• peanut oil

• safflower oil

• sunflower oil

• vegetable shortening

Replace them with these healthier oils instead:

• avocado oil

• extra-virgin olive oil

• coconut oil

• grass-fed butter

• ghee

• wild-caught fish oil

The best thing to do is just to toss out your canola, vegetable, corn and peanut oils and replace them with healthier oils like virgin olive oil, organic avocado oil and coconut oil!  Your inflammation will be reduced and your health will improve!  

DARK CHERRIES TO FIGHT INFLAMMATION

DARK CHERRIES TO FIGHT INFLAMMATION

Chuck and I ran out of fruit for our smoothies and when I popped into Costco to shop, I grabbed this bag of dark cherries since they were out of our usual organic frozen berries. 

Dark Cherries are AMAZE-BALLS to fight off inflammation!!  They are packed full of vitamin E, vitamin C, and flavonoids, specifically anthocyanidins and proanthocyanidins.   These specific flavonoids work to block the inflammatory process in the body that signal pain and inflammation much like a NSAID would do, without the side-effects. 

Dark Cherries are also packed with melatonin, which helps influence your sleep process and is a powerful antioxidant.  A study conducted at the University of Texas, found that Montmorency cherries contained 0.1 to 0.3 milligrams of melatonin per serving, which has been shown to be an effective sleep inducer!  

Cherries are also fantastic to help with the inflammatory disease called gout.  The Cherrie’s anthocyanidins inhibit the growth of the enzyme which produces the uric acid, which in turn causes the painful gout.  Clinical studies show that eating 1/2 pound of fresh dark cherries per day can help you lower your uric acid levels and prevent gout attacks.  

The darker the cherry, the better - they have more flavonoids!  

Here is a cobbler recipe that I made today- I hope you enjoy it.   

Cherry Cobbler

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

2 tablespoons corn starch

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

3/4 cup water

1 (12oz) bag frozen organic pitted dark cherries

1 tablespoon organic butter

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

Topping:  

1 cup namaste gluten-free flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 cup monk sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup milk (I used half and half)

3 tablespoons organic butter

Combine cornstarch, syrup and cinnamon in a large saucepan; stir in water until mixture is smooth. Add cherries and butter to sugar mixture and bring to a boil; cook and stir until cherry mixture is thickened, about 2 minutes. Pour cherry filling into the prepared baking dish.

Topping: 

Mix flour, 1/4 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt in a bowl; cut in shortening using a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir milk into flour mixture until topping is just moistened. Drop topping by spoonfuls over cherry filling.

Bake until topping is golden brown, between 30-35 minutes.

Grass-Fed Grass-Finished Beef and Why It's Better

Grass-fed Grass-finished beef

This flank steak turned out delicious!!  We ended up just cooking it quickly in a hot pan inside instead of grilling it like we had planned.  Either way, it was delicious and juicy!  

The quality of your meats is so important!  There is a huge difference between conventionally raised meats than a farm where the animals have room to roam, eat grass, and aren’t fed antibiotics and hormones that make them grow faster.  When you are eating sick animals or animals pumped full of hormones and antibiotics, it will affect your health.  But when you eat healthy, grass fed, grass-finished animals that are raised holistically, you will find that it not only tastes amazing but it is also more humane, and the nutrient density is much higher!   

Grass-fed grass-finished (be sure that it is grass-finished, because any beef can be taken to a feed lot to get fattened up with GMO corn.   Be sure to look for the grass-finished on the label. 

Grass-fed beef contains better nutrition, especially when it comes to omega-3 fats. It has 2-4 times more omega-3s than conventionally raised beef. Grass-fed beef is also higher in antioxidants like glutathione, superoxide dismutase, and vitamin E, as well as precursors to vitamin A.  All of these nutrients have important antioxidant and immune roles in the body.

Grass-fed beef is also higher in B vitamins, which play an essential role in cellular health. It’s also a good source of CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) which supports healthy cells and immunity.

I’m so glad I found Three16Ranch here in Kentucky!  It is right down US 42, not far from me, so it’s close by and they usually have  great stock of different cuts of meat that I can pop into my freezer!  

You can find Three16Ranch at 859-240-5386   625 Little Sugar Creek Road  Warsaw, KY  41095.  Call 

DETOX 101

DETOXING 101

Chances are, when you think of the word “detox” you think of drinking a tea or something that makes you want to poop non-stop.  Yes, having a bowel movement is a form of detoxing, but you should be having those at least one time a day, and optimally two to three times a day.  BM’s should be a normal part of your daily habits. Typically, detox programs will focus on the digestive system.  Which is good, because most people only eat about 5% of the daily fiber that they are supposed to eat.  And fiber is the food that allows your digestive system to eliminate the waste in the form of stools.  We should be having at least 1 bowel movement a day, if not 2-3.  

But I want to show you how important it is to detox  your liver as well, since it is one of the hardest working organs in our bodies!  

There are different thoughts on whether or not our bodies really need a detox.  I believe our bodies do need detoxing from time to time, specifically our liver.  

Our liver is considered a beast of a workhorse in our body’s function!  It has more than a thousand known functions and is crucial to our metabolism.  Our liver makes bile which helps us digest fats, metabolizes hormones, aids in digestion, stores fat soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K), helps control blood sugar by storing glycogen and as well as converts sugars into glucose, and helps to metabolize protein.  

This is all before it is bombarded with extra toxins from our environment like artificial pesticides, herbicides from our yards and foods, chemicals in our water supply, exhaust fumes, paint fumes, gasoline, laundry detergents, skin care products and pharmaceutical medications.   

We are exposed to toxins every day and pretty much all day long - from the air we breathe to the foods we eat and the products we use on our bodies.

Your liver’s ability to detox is dependent on the heath of your body.  If you are toxic, have poor genes, or are undernourished, your body cannot work optimally in order to detox.  It take’s a lot of energy in order to detox, and if our bodies cannot get rid of the waste, it can get stored in the tissues of our body. 

Elizabeth Lipski, PhD., CNS, FACN, IFMCP, says in her book on Digestive Wellness “Annually, we consume, on average, 6 to 9 pounds of food additives, including colorings, preservatives, flavorings, emulsifiers, humectants, and antimicrobials.  More than 1 billion tons of pesticides are used in the United States every year.”
Scary thought, isn’t it?  Our liver’s are working overtime to try to remove all the toxins to keep us healthy and we need to take care of it.  

Signs you need to detox

How do you know if your liver isn’t functioning at it’s prime? 

You may notice things such as:

nausea

bloating and gas

acid reflux

yellowish eyes or skin

dark urine

painful liver

itching skin

chronic fatigue

water retention

dark urine

frequent UTIs

inability to lose weight

anxiety

depression

moodiness

high blood pressure

acne rosacea

PMS

irritable

frustrated

uncontrolled/repressed anger

When you detox your body, you are able to allow your body to naturally restore itself.  Detoxification, which is really just the body removing waste material, is essential for a healthy body.  We can see this in how our bodies work when we sweat, sneeze, breathe, urinate and have bowel movements.  Our bodies are getting rid of waste material through our skin, lungs, and digestive systems.  

Ways you can detox your liver.  

As always, please check in with your health practitioner before starting any type of diet!  

Foods - Removing inflammatory foods, processed foods and sugar are the first steps towards aiding your liver to detox.  Adding in nutrient dense foods like dark green veggies, dark berries, tart berries, and vegetables full of fiber will support your body as you detox.  

Liquids - sipping organic bone broths, dandelion tea and lots of filtered water will provide hydration, nutrients and specific support to detox your liver.  Dandelion is a diuretic that specifically aids the liver, colon and kidneys with detoxification.  I love sipping organic dandelion tea and using organic bone broths when I make soups.  Milk Thistle is not considered a detox herb but it can be taken as a liver protector and regenerator.  Again, please check with your health practitioner before adding any new supplements to your diet, especially if you are taking medication.  

Fiber - It is important to eat fiber-rich foods in order to have bowel movements.  Your liver dumps it’s waste into the colon to be eliminated.  If you are constipated for too long, your body can reabsorb the toxins.  So consistent, daily bowel movements are essential for good health.  It is important that you eat fiber-rich foods instead of relying on a laxative.  Your body will become dependent on laxatives, which you don’t want.  Be sure you are drinking enough water if you find yourself constipated.  Also, listen to your body when it is trying to eliminate.  

Protein - be sure to eat high quality protein.  Grass-fed, grass finished meats, wild caught seafood,  and organic or locally farmed eggs (not fed GMO corn, antibiotics etc) are great proteins to choose.  These proteins help your liver function properly.  You can also get good protein from organic legumes, beans, nuts and seeds. 

Remove Toxic Products - Switching to products that are eco-friendly will help take a huge load off your liver and detox systems.  You can decrease the toxins in your environment just by switching to toxin free, eco-friendly products for your laundry, cleaning supplies, personal care products, and even cosmetics.   

Medications - are you taking too much Tylenol or Advil?  Any drug you take will be processed by your liver.  Check in with a Holistic Health Coach to see if you can cut down on any medication or use an alternative nutrition.  Again, work with a knowledgeable practitioner and your doctor on this if you decide you want to cut out medications or use a more holistic approach to medication.  Many times, just by providing your body with a whole food diet will allow your body to restore so that you can cut back on and even eliminate some medications.  It is amazing what real foods can do!

In closing, it is important to remember that our liver affects our whole body.  It is considered the “General” of our bodies as it interacts with so many systems.  If it is working poorly, it will affect our whole body from lack of energy to the accumulation of toxins that can cause extensive damage to our health.  Our goal should be to keep our liver healthy so that our bodies can use its own natural detoxification pathways to eliminate the toxins that we are exposed to on a daily basis. 

Waller, Pip (2018).  Deeply Holistic: A Guide to Intuitive Self-Care.  North Atlantic Books.  

Lipski, Elizabeth, PhD, CNS, FACN, IFMCP (2020).  Digestive Wellness.  McGraw Hill.

Groves, Maria Noël (2016).  Body into Balance: An Herbal Guide to Holistic Self-Care.  Storey.  

Healthy Alternatives To Refined Sugar

Healthy Alternatives To Refined Sugar

Want to kick your sugar habit but still satisfy your sweet tooth? Then you’re in luck!  Below we’ll be discussing five healthy, natural alternatives to refined sugar. Use them to sweeten your coffee, add extra flavor to your yogurt or whenever you want to add a touch of sweetness to your dish without indulging in refined sugar.

1. Stevia

Stevia is one of the most popular natural sweeteners. This herb which comes from South America is 300 times sweeter than refined sugar. It contains zero calories, so is a great choice if you’re trying to lose weight. Plus, it has no glycemic impact, so it’s a perfect refined sugar alternative if you’re diabetic. Stevia is also very easy to digest which means you won’t suffer from any of the digestive problems that are often associated with sugar substitutes.

2. Coconut Sugar

Coconut sugar is created by heating the sap from coconut palms. Unlike refined sugar, coconut sugar doesn’t de-stabilize your energy levels, so is ideal if you want to stay productive and focused during the day. Like stevia, it’s also a great choice if you suffer from diabetes because it won’t disrupt your blood sugar levels. Another great thing about coconut sugar is that it supplies your body with nutrients as it sweetens and is a good source of calcium, iron, potassium and zinc.

3. Date Sugar

Date sugar is made by grinding down dehydrated dates into sugar sized granules. As you’d expect from the production process, it has the same rich and sweet flavor of fresh dates, and shares all their health benefits. These health benefits include promoting healthy digestion, strengthening your heart and lowering your blood pressure. The main negative of date sugar is that it doesn’t melt or dissolve easily, so it’s not a good choice if you want to sweeten your drinks.

4. Honey

Honey is sweeter than refined sugar and has a much greater range of health benefits. Rawa honey contains high levels of vitamins and minerals which support many vital processes within the body. It also has antibacterial and antifungal properties, so is a perfect sweetener for boosting your immunity. Unlike refined sugar, honey is also great for your skin and can help make it brighter, smoother and more radiant. It tastes great in tea and can also be used as a replacement for sugar in many recipes.

5. Maple Syrup

Maple syrup contains around half the calories of refined sugar and is a much more nutritious choice. It’s loaded with antioxidants which protect your body’s cells from damage and reduce the visible signs of aging. Maple syrup is also a brilliant source of the manganese and zinc which boost your metabolism and your immune system. In addition to this, it’s great for your skin and can protect against skin blemishes, dry skin and redness. Finally, maple syrup has been shown to protect against a range of chronic ailments and diseases including arthritis, cancer, diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease and heart disease.

Low Sugar Alternatives To Soda

Low Sugar Alternatives To Soda

Soda is one of the biggest sources of hidden sugars in our diet. A single can of soda contains a staggering 33g of sugar. However, if you’re used to chugging soda every day, making the transition to drinking just water can be difficult. That’s why in this post we’re going to be sharing some healthy, low sugar alternatives to soda that you can enjoy today.

1. Fruit Juice Spritzers

Fruit juice spritzers are a great place to start when quitting soda. They contain around a third of the sugar that you’ll find in a can of soda (12g of sugar per cup), taste sweet and are carbonated. While fruit juice spritzers are probably not something you want to be drinking every day if you’re cutting back on sugar, they’re still a much better choice than soda. To prepare a fruit juice spritzer simply combine half a cup of your favorite fruit juice with half a cup of soda water and enjoy.

2. Green Smoothies

If you choose the right ingredients, you can easily create green smoothies that contain less than 10g of sugar and still have a subtle sweet taste. The great thing about green smoothies is that because they’re packed full of fiber, vitamins and minerals, any sugar they contain will be released into your bloodstream slowly, so you won’t experience any of the energy surges and crashes that usually come with sugar consumption!  I love green smoothies and have one almost every day after my workout!  To find low sugar green smoothie recipes, simply do a search online and experiment with the recipes that come up until you find one that you like.

3. Fruit Infused Water

Fruit infused water contains no sugar or calories, so is perfect if you’re on a sugar detox. It shares the same benefits of standard water and will keep you hydrated, brighten your skin and enhance your energy levels. However, the fruit infusion gives it a subtle and sweet flavor, so if you find standard water too bland, give fruit infused water a try.

To prepare fruit infused water, you’ll need a mason jar and a cup of 2-3 chopped fruits that you’d like to infuse into the water. Once you have the fruits ready, place them in the mason jar, fill it with water and then allow it to infuse in the fridge for at least 24 hours.

4. Fruit Tea

Like fruit infused water, fruit tea contains zero calories and sugar, and is just as healthy as standard water. However, even without any sugar, it has a surprisingly strong, sweet and satisfying flavor.

There are lots of different fruit teas you can try and each one has a very distinctive flavor and offers differing health benefits. Your local store should sell a wide range of fruit teas, so try a few different teas until you find a favorite.

5. Coffee

Coffee isn’t sweet but it’s still tasty, hydrating (to a point) and contains no sugar. If you drink it instead of soda, you’ll cut out 33g of sugar per day. To ensure that your coffee contains no sugar, avoid buying it in coffee shops with the added sweeteners and creamers and drink it black or with milk.

Limit Your Sugar Intake to Avoid Inflammation

Why You Should Limit Your Sugar Intake

Sugar is one of the most harmful ingredients you can put in your body but it’s something many of us eat far too much of, including me at times!  According to the latest stats from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the average American eats 76.7g of sugar every day – the equivalent of 19 teaspoons per day. Below we’ll be discussing five of the main reasons you should limit your consumption of sugar.

1. It Has No Nutritional Value

One of the biggest reasons to avoid refined sugar is that it contains no vitamins, minerals or antioxidants. These nutrients are found in almost every healthy, natural food and are essential for your body’s survival. They support all the internal processes in your body, protect against illness and allow you to perform at your peak.

Eating too much refined sugar often stops you getting the vitamins, minerals and antioxidants your body needs from your diet and causes nutrient deficiencies. These nutrient deficiencies can cause you to feel sluggish, affect how you perform and lead to serious health problems.

2. It Disrupts Your Energy Levels

Sugar enters the bloodstream quickly and causes a rapid surge in energy levels, followed by a rapid crash. While the initial sugar high may give you a few minutes of increased energy and focus, the overall impact of these constant fluctuations in energy caused by eating too much refined sugar is negative. It makes it very difficult to concentrate for long periods of time, causes you to become unproductive and makes you feel lethargic.

3. It Causes Weight Gain

Unlike proteins and fats which take longer to digest and have a satiating effect on the body, sugar passes through the digestive system very quickly and doesn’t satisfy your appetite. As a result, you still crave additional after filling up on refined sugar and are very likely to overeat.

Sugar is also hidden in many foods such as breads, sauces and sodas. Because it doesn’t satisfy your appetite in the same way that other foods do, these hidden sugars add extra calories without you even noticing and cause you to gain weight.  Not only can it cause you to gain weight, but it will cause inflammation in the body.  This can lead to bloating, puffiness and discomfort in your body. 

4. It Causes Liver Damage

Many of the refined sugars in foods come in the form of fructose. When you eat too much fructose, it overloads the liver and causes it to turn fructose into fat. This then leads to fatty liver disease and many other liver problems which have a negative impact on your energy levels, digestion and overall health.

5. It Causes Inflammation In The Body

Numerous studies have shown that eating large amounts of refined sugar can cause excessive inflammation in the body. Not only is this excessive inflammation painful but it also damages your body’s cells and vital organs, and can cause permanent health problems. Inflammation in the body has also been linked with accelerated internal and external aging. Plus, it is also one of the biggest risk factors for chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease.