Sweeter than Sugar

So it's been awhile since I've updated on my 2012 Challenge: 2 treats per month. As the saying goes, no news is good news. Which means that I've been sticking to it and doing well, according to my own rules. As is the case with personal goals, only YOU can establish the rules, the rewards, and the reasons for said goals. I went with 2 treats a month, but I've inspired some of my fitness participants/clients to start wherever they're at-- for some, that's 2 treats a day, for others 2 a week, and then for some 2 a year . . . Any improvement is improvement and baby steps is often the most effective way to get there, even if it takes more time.

So here's my update: March. If you recall, I used March 1st (Disney vacation, see Girl Scout cookie post!) & March 30th (a family celebration of my Grandma's 81st birthday had she lived to see it & I made her carrot cake recipe, sugar and all). I felt rather ill after the March 30th binge (in addition to the carrot cake, I enjoyed my cousin's chocolate chip cookies & licking my fingers while attempting to also make my grandma's chocolate buttercream/coconut cream Easter eggs). It was one of those treat days that lead to an actual sugar hangover-- queasy, headache, icky-all-over kind of mornings. I regretted overdoing it, especially with a bodybuilding comp just 2 weeks away. I spent the following 2 weeks on TCM-- total commitment mode (yes, I just invented that), dedicated to my meal plan. I felt like I undid all the damage, despite not placing at the comp (see previous posts).

CPK after morning show, splurge: a piece of bread with buttah!

horchata, the sugary kind ;)

Naturally, April 14th aka Comp Day, was my first treat day of the month. I didn't even wait till the night show was over. I visited my family in the audience between my two categories, where my mom handed me a bag of Dove dark chocolates for later. I had just failed at earning a trophy for Bikini Novice-- did she think I'd actually save that comforting chocolate bliss for later? No, now was the right time. It was good. Real good. And I didn't even care that I still had to go on stage one more time-- I knew those calories wouldn't show up on my body for at least a day anyway, and the chocolate would pump my veins, not that bikini gals like to be veiny, but whatever, I wanted the chocolate. After the comp, I enjoyed half a Cafe Rio salad and a few bites of key lime flan, oh, and an horchata. And because I had used up all my willpower during TCM, I opted to take treat day numero dos on April 15th. This made twice I had chosen back-to-back treat days. I'm not sure yet if it's better or worse for me. On the one hand, it typically makes me more eager to get back to treat-free because I begin to feel gluttonous. On the other hand, it makes it a bit harder because then I have to space out my next treat day more. Whatever the case, I will most likely repeat this pattern for May, because I'd like my treat days this weekend post-Cape Cod Ragnar relay. (If you have any suggestions for what I must eat while in Boston, please do share!)

Sometimes I truly think it would be wiser and easier to simply cut treat days altogether. And perhaps for 2013 I shall do just that. Now that I've discovered all sorts of healthier sugars, it wouldn't be difficult to completely cut refined sugar. Of course, I still know sugar is sugar, and one must keep even fruits in check, but knowing how to sweeten naturally means I can really make this a permanent change and live to tell about it! I keep thinking I should write a memoir about just that, and maybe help others to the path of nixing refined sugars out of their lives for good . . . Would anyone read such a book? I just think if I can do it, a true bakery-addict, then anyone can!

For now, let me share what I've learned about alternative clean sweeteners. I preface this with a couple facts: a.) I'm still learning and experimenting and humbly acknowledge that there are many other experts out there with a greater history and skill with natural sweetening than I, and b.) nutritional science is ever-changing and rapidly bringing new issues to light, so next week, half of this could be proven sub-standard. But I doubt it. I'm only presenting the least controversial.

1.) Stevia- 0 calories. plant-based, lots of different brands & even different tastes. Find one you like the most and don't overdo it. You can find granulated and liquid forms. Baking with it is tricky-- I used to use it mostly for coffee, plain greek yogurt, and oatmeal. Now I don't need any sweeteners for those; I've learned to appreciate them plain.
2.) Banana-33 calories for 1/3 banana. ah, how bananas I am for banana! Once you're off refined sugar, you realize just how sweet and perfect a banana is. It gives baked goods moistness, fat, and sugar. I love to make banana-oat cookies (recipe to come) or sweeten my greek yogurt and oatmeal with warm bananas-- mmm mmm good.
3.) Dates- 66 calories for 1 pitted date. admittedly, I'm still new to this but I have friends who are pros at baking with pureed pitted dates. If you're one of them, please feel free to share your best recipes! Pretty pretty please?
4.) Organic Evaporated Cane Sugar-15 calories for 1 tsp. This is an unrefined form of sugar. Same sweetness, same calories. This article explains it well: http://www.livestrong.com/article/468229-what-is-evaporated-cane-sugar/
5.) Xylitol- 10 calories for 1 tsp. a sugar alcohol used in toothpaste & gum & great sweetener for baking, as it doesn't breakdown in heat and has the same sweetness as table sugar. Can be dangerous for dogs to ingest, can cause bloating if excessively ingested. for more info, wiki & http://www.xylitol.org/nutritional-benefits-of-xylitol. Other sugar alcohols include erythritol & maltitol, though maltitol I've read isn't the best. http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/nutrition/a/maltitol.htm
6.) Organic Coconut Sugar- 15 calories per 1 tsp. So I just saw this in Good Earth & it looked so delicious that I bought it before even researching it. Luckily, my research on it thus far has been positive & I can't wait to try it on my next treat day! I'm just a coconut freak. So it must be good for you . . .

Here's another great source that pretty much reiterates what I just said but also discusses raw honey, sucanat, and maple sugar flakes: http://www.cleaneatingmag.com/How-To/Article/Our-Favorite-Clean-Natural-Sweeteners.aspx

I'm sure there are many, many more natural sweeteners now in existence (any fruit and even many vegetables can sweeten). But these are the few that are in my pantry right now. Remember, sugar is still sugar. While natural sweeteners are much healthier, we still need to be mindful of how much we're intaking-- calories are calories. Plus, when we assault our taste buds with constant sweetness, we alter their natural threshold. Now that I've cut most sweeteners, everything tastes better, richer, more flavorful, more robust, more intense, sweeter. I now eat 100% cocoa chocolate and think it is the best thing in the world! Even 90% tastes too "watered down". I enjoy all the natural flavors in herbal tea. I can drink black coffee and actually appreciate it. I can taste a spicy kick in my raw broccoli, the perfection of sweetness in a slice of pineapple, the zesty tangy sweetness of fresh lime juice on my salad. I feel like my taste buds have been awakened to their true potential, like I've been hiding their talent under a bushel all these years! Let your taste buds do what they were meant to do-- TASTE!

So my challenge to you, dear readers, is to cut refined sugar! Do it in baby steps, do it cold turkey, do it by making easy swaps but DO IT! Your taste buds have so much to offer you ;)