Holiday Sugar Swap

15 Ways to Manage Your Sugar Intake

The holidays are upon us and the levels of sugar that can enter our system just seems to multiply without us noticing and then what follows?

Sugar Overload

Can Lead to the Flu...YUCK!!!

As we are entertained at office parties, family events at home and away through the holiday season. We might not think about all the sugar that can add up as you focus on celebrating with friends, associates and family during those special gatherings, one after the other.

You might feel the need to capitalize on that hotel breakfast that is included in the room rate, as well as dig into those office parties designed to thank you for all the hard work you have done throughout the year, and of course you can't leave out those valued traditions of mom's family recipes that might include a sugary pecan pie.

We know the mantra! If you are being entertained or are the entertainer, what is a meal, party, celebration without something SWEET, REALLY SWEET and lots of alcohol.

For those living a regenerative lifestyle, or a diabetic who has good reason to follow good practices when it comes ingesting high sugar foods, it is important to mentally prepare ourselves for any and all sugar breakdowns. The amount of sugar that comes with the holiday season is beyond what anyone normally eats most of the year.

Sugar is hidden in everything, so it is better to be safe than sorry! You mastered the mindset with disciplined achievements over the last 10 months which has taken you to new heights in your health, looks and energy. Don’t let these last two months of the year ruin all that you have done in 2019!

Think about what happened in the past when you didn't think about the sugar content in the food and drinks over the holidays. You remember that awful feeling: bloating; weight gain; the flu; or maybe something else that might have surfaced when an overload of sugar brews inside of you which becomes the food that feeds bacteria, yeast and mold to manifest a perfect environment that triggers dis-ease.

You have grown, matured, expanded your horizons over the years with the understanding sugar is not your friend. You have given up on those instant gratifications, unless it is an occasional healthy choice.

You know it is not worth throwing away years of sweat equity put into your self-care.You know how to make better choices when shopping, cooking and eating that align with your healthy regenerative lifestyle. Honor your hard work and you intentions to feel and look youthful naturally.

15 Top Sugar Swap Tips

We know you are strong and you have learned to arm yourself with some powerful sugar swaps to use at home, out at an event or dinner and while traveling. Let’s review 15 of my simplest sugar swap tips to remember during your hotel stays, family visits, office parties and at home:

1. Resist the Obvious – Sodas, candy, chips and baked goods unless you know the baker or can read the ingredients
2. Taste the Coffee / Tea – Let’s be real, do you really taste the coffee / tea? Between the dairy creamers and the sugar, you know it is just a easy choice to go for the non-sweetened nut, and coconut milks and follow the low glucose options listed below in #5.
3. Breakfast Cereal – One of the worst offenders is breaking down at the start of your day with sugared granola's, oatmeal and breakfast cereals. Make the effort to use pure rolled oats or unsweetened instant oatmeal mix and ask if this is a option where ever you go.
4. Hydrate with Water – Enjoy drinking your 8 glasses of water a day by sweetening it with lemons, cucumbers, watermelon, mint or grapefruit. When you keep water simple and delicious you will drink more.
5. Sweeten Naturally – If you must, bring your own natural popular low-calorie sweeteners with you, like: Stevia; Xylitol, Erythritol, Yacon syrup. At home, since it might be awkward to carry these in your backpack or purse, stock up on the “less bad” sugars like, real maple syrup, molasses, and honey but use sparingly.
6. Fresh Fruit – Most hotels, restaurants offer the ability to dive into some fresh fruit. Take advantage of it and serve it to your guests as well.
7. Naked Proteins – Choose a naked burger and leave the bun behind.
8. Celebrate Raw – Nuts and seeds are great to carry with you on the road and are great to add to any meal or salad.
9. Create the Perfect Parfait – Don’t be temped to conveniently grab those prepackaged granola-filled yogurts. They are the worst sugar offenders and you might as well drink a Coke. If you are home, make your own parfait. The perfect one would include, Oikos Triple Zero (Greek brand yogurt), plain coconut or almond yogurts.
10. Cut the Cheese – Learn to treat any meal with cheese like desert choice, so manage your intake. Cheese will break down in your blood into sugar. So why overload your body when you are not at the least getting the sweet rush. So, if you have cheese on your eggs in the morning, skip the cheese on your salad for lunch. At dinner, substitute the cheese with some extra rich avocado (guacamole) with some green chile on your taco or burrito. Still hooked on Pizza, request a veggie slice without the cheese!
11. Give Up the Snickers – Although it is more and more difficult to find a healthier protein or granola bar, take responsibility for your own health and get use to reading the ingredients on the package. If you need a snack between meals, buy a box for the road that is a better snack for energy. Do not get fooled into an energy bar that will convert into sugar knowing it will only contribute to false energy and adds the bad fat to your system and will throw off your balance.
12. Stop Screaming for Ice Cream – Find and enjoy the many natural, low-sugar frozen treats by making your own fruit blended Popsicle and enjoy the better choices like the Greek yogurt pops available at most food stores.
13. Get your Veggies – Okay, fruit smoothies’ still seem to pacify your desire to make a good choice, but in reality have high sugar content to diminish what appeared to be a healthy choice into a sugar drink. If you reach for a smoothie on the road or make one at home, use one-part low sugar fruit (i.e. berries, melon, kiwi as opposed to Mango, Cherries, pineapple and papaya) with two parts vegetable.
14. Trail Mix – STOP BUYING the trail mix at the convenient stores. Make your own before you leave town with a healthy mixture of unsalted and raw nuts (i.e. almonds, walnuts, pecans) and add some coconut flakes with some Goji berries.
15. Skip the Alcohol – If you find you enjoy an alcoholic drink on special occasions or after a hard day of work, keep it to 1 glass, and choose a dry Wine instead of those sugary mixed drinks.

AND YES, WE SAID SKIP THE ALCOHOL!

Okay if you can't, then choose and serve WINE!

If you desire an alcohol drink on occasion to kick back, and relax over the holidays at parties, or at home, choose a dry wine.

Choose and serve wine. This is a better choice to make if you like that occasional alcohol drink and like to give your guests a better option. Research seems to prove there are health benefits to drinking wine.

Here are a variety of reasons that might motivate you to drink wine over other types of alcoholic drinks:

• Lower insulin – Enjoy a glass of wine and skip the desert. This could prove a good alternative for those concerned with cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.

• Weight loss – For those who have mastered their healthy weight zone, research reinforces a glass of wine daily can lower the chance of becoming overweight.

• Longer life – It has been said red wines have Resveratrol. This is a compound that triggers genes like SIRT1 which has been known to improve longevity.

• Relaxation – Wine releases calming neurotransmitter, GABA. Perfect with dinner, but not good as a bedtime sleep aid because it effects your blood sugar which can interfere with the quality of your sleep.

Balance is one of the keys to a regenerative lifestyle which is usually a easy concept to remember for good health. Over-drinking, can add a burden to the body as its converts into sugar which can create major health issues, tax your liver and can add all sorts of unexpected problems.

Let’s briefly discuss ways to pick a healthy wine and the best time to drink it:

• Red or White - The dryer wine is best, whether it is red or white. Obviously, the fruitier the taste it would only make sense the sugar content would be higher. Once reason is because the fermentation process that some cheaper wines might have, means the fermentation process was shortened or not completed. You want to drink a wine not a juice, which means you should choose a brand that you know has absorbed all the grape sugars.
• A Brand for You - My best choice for wine has been Dry Farm Wines. They are known for their organic, low-sugar impact and a reliable wine to drink regularly.
• NO Wine before Bed - As mentioned briefly above, drinking wine to fall asleep misses the point and is a bad choice. If you would like ways to help you with your sleep naturally, go here for a variety of brands including gluten free choices and we make it easy to order from over 300 top quality practitioner brands 24/7.
• One Glass A Day - Wellness can be best supported in a lifestyle of balance enjoying the grace for each moment you are alive without having to be too hard on yourself if you need to take a break from your best habits. When you value one glass a day, after dinner, you can relax into a reflective day and decompress naturally in order to move toward your vision and passion for a healthy life. You can live a smart lifestyle with a smile and without the guilt.

Begin Your Sugar Swaps Today!

...get a head start on the holiday season!