Sugar Detox Week 4: No Refined Sugars

Suddenly I feel like my titles are very negative.  I considered changing them to be positive (like the ebook I got this detox from), but I decided that I like to be different.  Sometimes doing what is good for us, just isn't a lot of fun.  Well, at least not the kind of fun we're used to.

I think it's safe to say that no one likes all change.  I for one enjoy moving, redecorating, shopping for a new wardrobe, but I don't like changing my patterns.  That is for sure!  This process that my kitchen is going through has required me to embrace the stores I once hated and hate the stores I once embraced.

I once despised "health food" stores because of their ridiculously high prices on items that I could buy elsewhere and their lack of brand options.  For example: I can't buy Rapadura at Trader Joe's.  All they have is Trader Joe's brand turbinado.  If I'm going to pay the same price, I want Rapadura.  Now, I drive a minimum of 10 miles one way just to go grocery shopping at these stores.  I have an even better understanding of the role certain chemicals, pesticides, etc. play in my current health problems now, so I'll make the drive and spend the money and it's all for good health.

I once LOVED Wal-Mart simply because I could "price match" everything and only go to one store.  Now, I only go there if I couldn't find it at the "healthier" store and I absolutely have to get it.  It is also right down the street from my house.  In fact the 2 closest grocery stores to me are both Wal-Marts!

I'm also purchasing groceries through coops and online grocery companies now.  I never wanted to do those things before simply because I didn't want to schedule my day around picking up groceries.  Now, I have all the time in the world to wait for a semi truck and unload it for my groceries.

That said, now down to this week's change.  This week we cut out refined sugars.  That meant that my husband switched to Rapadura in his coffee and tea (I already switched) and I used a lot more money's worth of sugar in my pancakes.

My husband was so good too!  He took his OWN sugar to his men's group because he knew there would be coffee.  Such a proud moment!  And on top of that, I drank coffee without sugar at IHOP because I forgot to bring my own.  On top of that, I had them give me milk for my coffee.  Have you ever read the ingredients in those non-dairy creamers?  They have water, corn syrup, a bunch of sodium somethings, vegetable oil and at the very end is says it contains soy and milk.  Milk?  In a non-dairy creamer?  Ok, that's another issue all together.

Next week (a.k.a. tomorrow) we start week 5 of our detox.  Week 5 begins 'No Quickbreads'.  That even includes crackers.  It's basically any bread that doesn't use yeast (or sourdough).  It doesn't specify if tortillas are included in that, but we are going to keep them simply because I doubt my husband can go a month without "Mexican" food.

In honor of our next step in the detox we had pancakes for dinner.  I know, what a bad mommy!  But let me just tell you that these are awesome pancakes!  Whole wheat and made with Rapadura.  My daughter and I enjoy topping them with raw butter and homemade jam made with honey!  This recipe is so good that I'm going to share it even though it isn't soaked or sprouted.  You could totally try making it with sprouted flour, I just didn't want our last pancakes for a month to turn out funny.  We wanted to enjoy every last bite ;-)

Whole Wheat Pancakes
Makes 6-8 servings (I make a half batch for our little family and we have extras)
Dry Ingredients
2 c. Whole Wheat Flour
1 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
1/3 c. Sugar (I use Rapadura, in case you didn't notice. LOL)
1/2 tsp. Salt
Wet Ingredients
2 1/2 c. Milk
2 Eggs
1 Tbl. Vanilla
2 Tbl. Oil/ Melted butter (I like coconut oil)
Instructions
Whisk dry ingredients together.  Whisk wet ingredients together separately.  Pour dry ingredients into wet ingredients and stir just until mixed.  Pour onto a preheated pan.  Oil your pan first if needed (I use a seasoned stainless steel pan, so I don't need oil).  Flip when bubbles begin to appear on the wet surface.  Let cook about half as long as the other side took.

My husband enjoys topping these with butter and maple syrup.  My daughter and I eat them with butter and jam.  They are actually so sweet that I like to just eat them as is as a quick snack (kind of like a cookie!)

Anyone else making changes lately?

Sugar Detox Week 2 & 3: No White Flour & No Desserts

So... I got a little busy last week and couldn't do an update on week 2 of our current detox.  Week 2 was No White Flour.  Now we're on week 3, which is No Desserts.  Let's start with last week since it was rather eventful.

On Sunday last week my husband basically had a melt down because he thought there was nothing to eat in the house and he couldn't go get a burger or burrito to ease his hunger pains.  If this detox teaches us nothing else, it will at least teach us to wait for our food because preparation takes time.  We are having to get accustomed to making food when we are hungry, or at least preparing it.  That was the first problem of the week.

On Monday last week I spent the entire day in the kitchen making "snacks" for my family because apparently fruit doesn't count as a snack.  Who knew?  Oh what a day it was!  I then proceeded to spend the rest of my week trying to keep up with my family's appetite.

The biggest problem that we seem to run into is that we run out of bread pretty quickly.  I make our bread, so it is a 4 hr process for me to make some more bread.  I plan to begin making the dough in larger batches so that I can freeze the extra and just thaw it when we need more bread, but I've been holding off until I have made some sprouted flour.

Another difficulty I have run into is that I have yet to find a decent tortilla recipe that doesn't break a part when I try to make a burrito.  I guess I get to experiment with that next!

This week we began no desserts.  No big deal for us, at least at the moment.  I have found myself craving chocolate bars lately, but that could always just be a hormonal thing :-)  No desserts is any form of dessert including candy.  I've been getting my night time sweet fix with a little bit of fruit and some raw yogurt.

Next week we will be removing all refined sugar from our diets.  I've basically done that already, but there are still a few things that I'll need to make adjustments on.  That also means that I need to go buy some more organic unrefined sugar for our pancakes and oatmeal.  Don't worry, that'll be omitted soon enough!

As for right now, I'm working on perfecting a couple things so I can do some how to's and I'm currently photo recording my first attempt at making sprouted wheat flour.  Stay tuned for things to get interesting VERY soon!

In the mean time, how often does your family eat dessert and what is your favorite kind?

Sugar Detox Week 1: No High Fructose Corn Syrup

I'm sure that most of us are aware of the fact that high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is not good for us.  If you're not, a simple Google search can remedy that :-)

The question becomes, how bad is it and should I completely avoid it?

The answer to that question is up for debate, but with the research I've done and the medical problems we struggle with in our family, we've chosen to cut it out!

I will start by saying that for the next 7 1/2 weeks we are continuing a Sugar Detox that I found on a wonderfully informational blog called Naturally Knocked Up.  While I do have fertility problems that I am learning to deal with and hopefully correct, that is not what led me to this site.  I happened across it while Googling something having to do with non-soy eating.  What a co-in-ki-dink, huh?

This is going to be kind of my journal of the process from now until the end.  Once we are done with the detox, I hope to not have any type of refined sugar or flour in my house, but that doesn't mean we won't eat elsewhere simply because the food isn't ideal.

We go to potlucks and we have family dinners with my in-laws.  We enjoy a nice dinner out and occasionally want to splurge on some delicious Marble Slab Creamery ice cream.  I guess for me the rule is: If it's real, I'll eat it.  If it's scientifically made/fake, It's off limits for me.  My hubby isn't quite as picky as me, he's more concerned about taste (at least that route usually means it's real!)

Anyways, back to HFCS...

I have chosen to completely avoid HFCS in any way shape or form, but I do LOVE Dr Pepper.  I may have to purchase a stash of the old school DP that is made with cane sugar.  It's still off limits for now, but once the detox is over, I may have to have a stash for an occasional treat.  Once again, I digress...

I have PCOS which makes me a higher risk than normal for diabetes.  I need to completely stay away from HFCS and pretty much all refined sugar.  That is why this is an important part of my journey to simplicity.  No more hazardous foods means I'm less likely to need hazardous medications :-D

So we began our detox this past Sunday.  My husband was not thrilled when I threw out his BBQ sauce because it had HFCS.  Nor was he happy about the brand new jar of jam that got tossed too.  Well, he got over it and I've since replaced the BBQ sauce.  I have yet to make a replacement jam, but it IS on my To-do list!

The amazing thing was that I didn't have to throw as much out as I thought I would have to.  My fridge and pantry are looking rather bare since cleaning out all soy-containing foods.  The actually removed A LOT of the HFCS.  What does that tell you about the products we are eating that contain soy?  A topic for another day...

On Monday we went to Whole Foods to replace the ketchup, BBQ sauce, and to purchase some stuff I needed to make chicken stock (perhaps another post?)  I also purchased a massive gallon of honest to God apple juice (you know the expensive, organic, just juice kind?) for only $8!!! Yeah, you read that right!  And yeah, I really said it was at Whole Foods!

So, step one in the process was done, there is no HFCS in my house!

Then came feeding my family...

We had some delicious meals.  BBQ chicken with mashed sweet potatoes and green beans was on the top of my hubby's faves for this week.  Yesterday was leftover night.  Fortunately, I had planned on starting this detox and so the week before I didn't make any meals with HFCS, therefore all of our leftovers were keepers when it came time to clean the fridge out.

So far, I haven't really missed my DP.  I did for about a half hour last night think it sounded good, but I held my ground.

While we have cut out the HFCS, apparently we are not ready to cut the caffeine.  I have made a 3 qt pitcher of iced tea nearly every day this week so far.  I enjoy it and my husband will drink it since there is no soda.  I have yet to open up the apple juice mainly because I'm not sure how to fit it in my fridge, but I'll work on that soon.

Now I'm preparing for next week which will cut out refined flour.  This is something we've already done in our house, but that means no muffins from Winco, and no pastries in the Grazing Room at church on Sundays.  We'll have to stick to cheese and fruit... Not even crackers! Perhaps I'll make my own and sneak them in in my purse?

Since finding out my daughter is allergic to soy, I've had to start baking all of our bread.  Well, I could have continued purchasing bread for my husband, but if I'm going through the trouble, I might as well make his too!  Not to mention that I'm happy to cut the soy oil from HIS diet too :-)

Back to bread, I've been researching a lot about soaked and sprouted grains (another e-book available from Naturally Knocked Up called 'Is Your Flour Wet?').  I've decided on sprouting wheat and making my own flour.

At the moment I don't have the items I need, but they are on their way as I type (VERY EXCITED!).  For the time being, I figured I'd better get baking and find a recipe I like so I don't waste my sprouted flour.  I finally found a recipe that I and my husband LOVE.  I'll share that next week in my update on switching to whole grains :-)

You are welcome to join in on the detox and share how it goes for you!  I would love to hear your thoughts on the sugar addiction crisis here in America...