Week 2 of the ‘Reduce You Sugar’ Challenge is done and dusted, and WOW! I can’t believe all the crafty ways sugar hides in everyday items. Our family eats quite healthily so I was confident that I wouldn’t find many items containing processed sugar in our kitchen, but after some snooping around I was really surprised with what I found.
I made sure to download the free Handy Sugar Guide you get for FREE when you sign up to the challenge to help me understand food labels better, and also for some ways to make better choices when it came to snackfoods for the family.
I went through my fridge and found that some of the things I use all the time for cooking – crushed garlic, minced ginger and salsa – all have added sugar in them! Come shopping day I bought garlic cloves, a knob of ginger and ingredients for tomato salsa and I relegated my old sugary items to the back of the fridge. Since using the fresh ingredients our meals have been more flavoursome – my daughter even said our new salsa should be at a Mexican restaurant! I would most definitely call that a win for our sugar-free alternatives.
Baking and eating sweet treats has always been a favourite of mine but since following Lose Baby Weight plans I’ve learned how to switch to healthier sugar-free alternatives. This past week I’ve been making quite a few treats to freeze or store for snacks. The family (and me!) have been chomping on choc chip chickpea cookies, choc mint bliss balls, chocolate fudge bites, blueberry pancakes (from the Guilt Free Cookbook) and muesli bars. And the best thing is – all of these recipes contain no added sugar and they are absolutely delicious.
A few months ago I made the switch from a standard ‘white with two’ tea to peppermint green tea, but hubby has been a little slower with his coffees. He still has his two coffees a day but this last week he has cut back to having only one teaspoon of raw sugar instead of his usual two of white sugar. And so far, so good.
The ‘Reduce You Sugar’ Challenge really is about becoming aware of what is in the food we buy and looking at ways we can cut back on processed sugars. I’ve learned a lot this past week and I can’t wait to see what the rest of the month has in store.
Jodie
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