Manic Monday ~ Sugar is WAY too sweet!!

Happy Labor Day! Chances are you have or are attending a social event over this holiday weekend. I will bet you that food is part of it. And with that bet, there will be a sweet option of either cookies, pie, brownies, cake, ice cream, or s'mores. One of those sweets is sure to always be present where I seem to go. And if it's not, then it's the sugary drinks - soda, lemonade, or juice boxes for kids and who knows what mix up for adults. The problem: it's bad for you if not consumed in MODERATION! The other problem: we USUALLY consume too much! That's our culture. It's very common and it numbs our sensitivity to the rich taste of sugar. Sugar becomes a part of the normal palette of taste. I'm guilty of it! In fact, I LOVE sweets more than anything else. I'm a "Sugar Momma!" In the literal sense!

Did you know the recommended maximum intake of added sugar for an average adult person is 25-30 g PER DAY. I will say it again, PER DAY! Years ago I wanted my kids to have increased calcium intake, so I went through a season of buying individual flavored yogurts. Well, those yogurts also had 18g of sugar per serving! And guess what? That would be about the limit of sugar for a kid for the day. My kids were never use to drinking chocolate milk...... until they went to school. They pick chocolate milk every time. Now white milk just doesn't taste good .."mom"!" They are sucked in to the sweetness of chocolate milk. In fact, I refuse to buy it at home because just over the summer, I did buy a gallon. Guess what? It was gone in 2 days! With no one touching the white milk! It was suppose to be a treat, but not realizing that I had fridge raiders, it was being drank like water should be.

Now, it's hard to break the sugar palette. BUT, it's possible! My husband and I go on a cleanse type diet for a few weeks each season. It is not a starving cleanse. It's a cleanse in which we commit to no added sugar or refined flours in our foods/drinks for 14-21 days. We commit to whole foods that are considered clean. We drink a lot of water and we stay focused. It allows us to get back on track and focused to what is good for our health. And it gets our palettes back to where we savor good healthy foods. Let me tell you, it works. I recently went through this cleansing process and did good. I achieved many benefits such as higher energy, weight loss, and more. I also had the pleasure of taking over my son's melting ice cream cone. Boy, I tell you.... It was almost too sweet for me! Now, when I'm on a roll with casual eating, that ice cream cone would be leaving me wanting more. But not so much when I retrain my palette.

Now, I enjoy simple natural sweetness that I can easily consume with apples, oranges, pineapples, and berries. No refined stuff there! And take these thoughts a step further and research added sugars and the negative effects on our culture. Americans are among the highest consumers of sugar!

For now, take a different direction with your palette. Take 14-21 days to commit not consuming sugar. You will be amazed what you experience after you get through the first several "tough" days!!!

Happy Labor Day and have a GREAT day!

~ Rachel Zimmerman