Are YOU hungry for a change?

Sugar is bad, mkay?  If you know a smoker or have ever been a smoker, you know how bad breaking that addiction can be.  Sugar is the same way and you know what...it's in EVERYTHING!  Well, it's in everything that's in a box or can on a shelf.  I'm sure there are a few things here and there that don't contain it, no need to call me out, I'm just making a point. ;)  It's the food industry's way of keeping us coming back for more like crazy sugar zombies.  

Watching Hungry for a Change today was pretty enlightening.  I've always been a proponent for clean and healthy eating, but there were plenty of science based statements that I know I'll carry with me forever.  Bye bye diet sodas, bye bye crazy (albeit sometimes delicious) sugary foods.  I don't need your crazy chemicals.  I truly believe that I can change not just how I look, but how I feel and how my body ages.  I want to feel and look young for-ev-er.  (catch that Sandlot reference?)

Once you understand that sugar is a drug, just like cocaine/weed/alcohol/meth, the better off you'll be.  It's addictive!  We're all probably addicted, if you're not, congrats!!  I am the first to admit that I have a sugar problem.  My sweet tooth is HUGE.  I'm not saying I will never ever put sugar in my mouth again.  Will it be a daily thing?  Hell to the no.  Weekly, maybe.  I'd like it to be even less often than that.  I've done it before, I can do it again.  There's plenty of ways to have a treat without compromising my health.  Seen those recipes on Pinterest for Avocado Chocolate Pudding or Sweet Potato Brownies? Yah.  Delish. 

Bread, pasta, soda, candy, chips, and ANYTHING processed has sugar in it.  Do yourself a favor and start eating real, whole foods.  Real food is delicious.  Very few Americans are eating real foods, we're eating food-like substances.  Don't just eat to look good, eat to feel good.  The looking good part will follow.  Eat to live.  Eat to nourish your body and soul.  Cheetos, though yummy, do not nourish your soul.  Mac & cheese used to be my drug comfort food.  Right now, I get that "ahhh" feeling from my brown rice and lean meat.  Tonight, I got that same feeling from my trusty baked chicken, asparagus, and sweet potato with a sprinkle of cinnamon.  

What's the easiest way to avoid sugar?  Don't buy it.  Shop the perimeter of a grocery store.  Fresh veggies, fruits, nuts, seeds, lean meats.  Better yet, find a co-op, grow a garden, shop local.  Two of my favorite quotes from Hungry for a Change was the tip of not thinking "I CAN'T EAT THAT" but "I can, but I DON'T WANT TO" and "People are overfed and undernourished".   Watch the first part of the movie here.

A scary fact was that a lot of the chemicals we're exposed to in our food are lipophilic (fat loving).  So here we are, sweating and trying to burn fat.  Unfortunately, we're not riding our toxins that have built up.  What can help?  Chlorophyll, think parsley and cilantro.  Both are great cleansers.  Cilantro detoxes heavy metals (think mercury) and parsley not only freshens breath, but cleanses your entire blood supply.  Make some homemade salsa and BAM you're cleansing!  Just don't dig into said salsa with chips...use it as your dressing on salad or in your morning eggs!  I also love drinking hot lemon water in the morning.  I LOVE coffee, but definitely feel better when I drink my hot lemon water.  I even just use a drop of my Young Living Lemon Oil!  Chia seeds and other gelatinous fibers will bind to those fat loving toxins and sweep them out of your system.  Chia seeds don't just have to grow on your terra cotta head/dog/other strange form from 1980.  You CAN eat them and even drink them!  Weight will come off when you cleanse.  It's more than that though, cleansing your body is like giving your car a tune up, it just runs better.

Try this chia seed recipe:   

Skinny Banana Bread with Chia Seeds

I'll be making a version using almond milk and a gluten free flour. :)  Enjoy!!