The Great Sugar Detox, Day 18

By admin | January 28, 2010

So, I cheated. Everything was going along fine, no cravings, lost a few pounds even. But one day I just *had* to have some dark chocolate (PMS rears its ugly head). So I had some dark chocolate (85 percent, so little sugar added). A little was fine. I was careful to notice: did it make me crave more sugar? Not so much, but in the past I have noticed how re-entry with sugar can cause a sugar craving/feeding frenzy cycle. Not good.

How are you doing? If you cheated, did you lose control and binge? That’s not uncommon, especially if you are sugar or gluten sensitive. This gives you good information about yourself and should arm you with more motivation to avoid sugar, so look at it as a good learning experience.

Here is another good perk I am noticing: If someone at my workplace has gluten free cookies or some other kind of treat lying around, I will tend to grab a little something here and there without even thinking about it. This sugar detox has made me realize how often this happens and how mindlessly I engage in this activity (um, occasionally have been known to grab a piece of chocolate covered ginger out of the bulk bin at the store), especially if someone is offering up a bite of something “forbidden.” I may or may not be thinking particularly of my ice cream pint eating boyfriend.

So, with renewed vigor, I will continue on the sugar free path for the next few days. When the detox comes to an end, don’t lapse right back into your old patterns! You’ll likely see how dramatic an effect sugar has on your well-being. Many people report that foods containing sugar (natural or otherwise) taste too sweet, and they notice the effects it has–especially the energy spike and crash. Being sugar free means no sugar crashing and more sustained energy! That is another benefit I’ve enjoyed: no cravings because I haven’t been on the sugar cycle of eating something sweet triggering you to crave more sweet.

This experience has reminded me to practice one particular mantra that I preach to clients: eat mindfully! Grabbing something here and there just because it’s there is not mindful eating. Also, I realize how avoiding sweet foods means way fewer cravings. I feel more balanced and better overall. Good reminders all around.

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What is “Normal?”

By admin | January 23, 2010

You know what’s not normal? Here is a list:
-pooping less than once per day (yeah, let’s talk about poop first)
-feeling groggy or tired after meals
-feeling tired in the afternoon
-burping and farting your way through the day
-waking up and not being able to fall back asleep during the night
-waking up frequently during the night
-waking up groggy and cranking and not being able to function before coffee
-struggling with cravings
-constant hunger
-being chronically depressed
-being in pain
-debilitating menstrual cramps
-foggy thinking, not being able to concentrate

Many people are so used to experiencing the above issues that they believe it’s normal. This is especially true with digestive issues and energy levels. You may be used to poor sleep, waking up exhausted and needing to fuel yourself with coffee to keep going throughout the day, or having heartburn (or do you treat it with Prilosec?), feeling gassy and bloated, or constantly being overweight because you are constantly hungry and subjected to cravings. You may be resigned to thinking that’s just how you are.

These are all signs from the body that something is off balance. Ideally, you wake up in the morning feeling refreshed and clear. You should be able to make it through the day without fueling up on coffee. You poop once or a couple times a day. You feel energized by your meals rather than tired after or bogged down by them. You can make it through the day without succumbing to overwhelming cravings, and you’re not mindlessly snacking. You fall asleep by 11pm and sleep well during the night. You should be able to relax without drinking wine, and fall asleep without Ambien. Does it sound too good to be true?

Bloating, belching, farting, constipation, and heartburn are NOT normal, and taking meds to relieve these issues only addresses the symptom, not the underlying cause of the problem. And while we’re at it, poop consistency is important. Do you look? It should be roughly banana shaped and formed and without a disgusting odor, not loose and stinky. If you see undigested food particles, you could have low stomach acid that’s not properly breaking down your food. This also means you’re not absorbing all the nutrients you need from your food.

Of course we all experience the above issues from time to time, but if you’re facing these problems regularly, it is a sign that your body is off balance. These initial pesky problems are often the body’s first way of alerting us to an imbalance. You can pop a pill and forget about it or uncover the reason why it’s happening and correct that. Which do you choose? Medicate and forget, and wait until your body is so far off balance that you’re hit with a serious illness? Or nip it in the bud?

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The Great Sugar Detox, Day 8

By admin | January 18, 2010

NoSugar
Still plugging along sugar-free over here, save for green apples that I enjoy with hazelnut-almond butter for snacks. I would kill for chocolate, though. I miss my dark chocolate desperately. It’s easy to whip up sugar-free chocolate treats (see recipe, below, courtesy of Diane Sanfilippo over at Balanced Bites), but 70 percent dark chocolate with a touch of sugar and a little sea salt is bliss. But I am thinking clearly and feel good and happy and productive, so that’s a benefit. It’s good for the body to get the sugar out!

Are you an alcohol drinker? If so, a sugar detox is a great way to clear your mind and increase your energy level. Even one glass of wine can disrupt your sleep cycle, as the sugars can wake you, and the extra burden on your liver to detox creates stress on the body when it should be repairing and regenerating. I drank more wine (and enjoyed more desserts) than I am used to over the holidays, so I am very much enjoying the clarity and restful sleep that being booze-free brings.

How are your cravings? They should usually disappear by day 3 or 4, but if you still suffer with cravings after that point, it is a sign that something in your body is off balance. Cravings are NOT normal. We are used to hearing so much about weight loss via will power, but dealing with constant cravings may signal a deficiency of the feel-good neurotransmitters such as serotonin or dopamine in the brain, or it may mean you are hypoglycemic or have other blood sugar imbalance issues.

Here is a quote from food & alcohol addiction specialist Lynn Eliot Harding, whom I interviewed the other day for a project I’m working on:
“People (in AA or Overeaters Anonymous, who must give up sugar and white flour in order to be abstinent with food and alcohol) have heard this idea that cravings just go with the territory and you’re just gonna have to grit your teeth, but my perspective is any time somebody’s having cravings, you must first look at their physiology and get them stabilized, because that’s really a warning sign from the body that something’s out of balance. The idea is that you don’t just treat symptoms, you find out what the underlying problem is and you heal that.” And I agree wholeheartedly. More on this topic later.

I’d love to hear from you about how your sugar detox is going: challenges, victories, what you’re eating, and how you’re feeling. In the meantime, if you miss chocolate as much as I do, here is a sugar free chocolate treat recipe made with nutrient-rich ingredients.

SWEETENER FREE chocolates (thanks to Diane Sanfilippo)
1/4 cup virgin coconut oil
1/4 cup + 1Tbsp coconut creme (which is just coconut meat ground into a paste. Find at www.tropicaltraditions.com)
1/4 cup almond meal (I make my own by grinding almonds in the food processor)
3 Tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla (optional)

Stir oil and coconut creme together over a low flame to melt, and whisk in other ingredients until smooth. Pour into a mini muffin tin or ice cube tray into 12 portions and put in the fridge to solidify. Try putting raw cocoa nibs, coarse red salt, coconut shreds, or a touch of cayenne into tin or tray first for variety. Enjoy.

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Have a Question? Ask Nutrition Bytes!

By admin | January 17, 2010

Holistic Nutrition Bytes is happy to announce our newest feature: Ask Me! Click here or click the Ask Me tab at the top of the page to ask me a question about treating health concerns naturally, holistic nutrition, natural medicine, herbs, vitamins, stress relief, hormones, detox plans, weight loss, anything involving health or wellness.

While we’re on the subject, please sign up for our newsletter in the box on the right of the page (scroll down a bit) to get info about our classes, workshops, and FREE teleseminars. Newsletters also contain natural health & nutrition & wellness tidbits and free recipes.

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The Great Sugar Detox, Day 4

By admin | January 15, 2010

So, no cravings here yet and feeling great because I have been taking my own advice to the fullest! That’s right, I don’t always practice what I preach to my clients. There, I admit it! Sometimes I fail to plan ahead or fall victim to eating the wrong foods, or my routine begins to slip and I have to put myself back on track. So I am well aware of the challenges involved in making lifestyle changes and how to address them. Here is a great example of me not taking my own advice: I am allergic to dairy. SUCH a drag because I love yogurt and cheese. Seriously, who doesn’t love cheese? Well, the other day I had some cheese (foolish, but I couldn’t resist for some reason) and the following day, I woke up sneezing with a runny nose and thought, “it feels like I’m getting a cold?” Then I remembered: I had cheese! Dairy is mucous-producing, and especially if you are allergic. I felt slightly off all day. It is remarkable the ill effects food may have on us that we think are “normal” or part of our everyday lives. I didn’t pop a DayQuil or Benadryl. Rather, I discovered the underlying cause and was able to remove it once I noted the profound effect it had.

The basis of what I “preach” is to maintain stable blood sugar by eating in regular intervals and maintaining a good routine–waking up and going to bed at the same time every day, exercise, yoga or meditation for stress relief–and to get good quality nutrient-dense foods and sources of organic protein. This sets you up for a solid foundation of nourishment–giving your body what it needs to fuel you through a day of stable energy and good moods.

Here’s an example of a typical day’s routine and diet for me during The Great Sugar Detox (and during regular life when I’m doing everything right!). This was my Wednesday:
8am: wake up, take the dog out, have some green tea, check emails, meditate if I’m feeling particularly virtuous
9am: breakfast–today I had pumpkin-coconut “pudding” and chicken sausage. If I wasn’t doing the fruit-free sugar detox, I might have a fruit-protein-spirulina-flaxseed smoothie.
Work til noon or 1pm
Lunch: brown rice, chicken & shrimp, broccoli & snow peas
green tea
Work til 5pm
Exercise! Dog walk, then pilates (or yoga)
7pm: dinner – garlic spinach, chicken leg, cultured veggies for probiotics & to help digestion
relax, household chores or movie
10pm: bedtime herbal tea
11pm-read, bed!

By following this plan, I feel perfect during the day. Stable blood sugar means no cravings, daily exercise means a lot of energy, green tea keeps me calm and focused. My schedule was disrupted over the holidays, so it feels good to be back on a routine.

How are you doing on The Great Sugar Detox? Are you having cravings? If you are accustomed to lots of sugar or white flour in your daily diet, you may have a hard time kicking it. If you pass day 3 or 4 and still have wicked cravings, it may be time to consider an herbal or amino acid based supplement to combat deficiency and help you get over the hump.

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Vegan Pumpkin Pudding

By admin | January 14, 2010

Before you go, “gross,” here me out on this. Oh my goodness, it is so good. So delicious. I think it’s the creamy texture that gets me, like ice cream without being frozen. This recipe uses pumpkin (canned, or make your own by roasting a sugar pie pumpkin and pureeing the guts), coconut milk, and kudzu (or kuzu) root to thicken it. Kudzu is an interesting starch: in the South, where I’m from, the plant grows rampant as an invasive species that quickly takes over areas and displaces other vegetation. When eaten, kudzu root is a rich source of isoflavones, has cholesterol lowering properties, and is used to help alcoholics quell binge drinking by reducing cravings.

It can be used as a thickener, like cornstarch or arrowroot, and is widely used in macrobiotic cooking. It’s high in minerals and in addition to the benefits mentioned above, it is said to have some general medicinal properties.

My business partner Karen (www.benourishedsf.info) is also a chef and developed this recipe. I was skeptical, but once I tried it, I was in heaven. It’s delicious and fast and easy. Find kudzu root in bulk bins at your natural foods store or at the Whole Foods in the aisle with the packages seaweeds. It comes in solid form clumped together like rocks, and before you use it, add a little water and whisk to make a slurry.

2 cups pumpkin (canned or roasted + pureed sugar pie)
1 cup coconut milk
7 tbsp kudzu root
1 tsp vanilla
cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger to taste
couple pinches of stevia OR 2-3 tblsp raw honey

Whisk pumpkin and coconut milk together on low heat in large saucepan. In a separate small bowl, add kudzu root and enough water (about 1/8 – 1/4 cup) to make a thick slurry when whisked together. Add approx 7 tblsp of the kudzu to the pumpkin mixture and whisk thoroughly. Mixture will begin to thicken. Add vanilla and spices to taste and whisk until pretty thick. Divide among ramekins, cover, and refrigerate until set. Serve topped with candied ginger or a little coconut milk, or enjoy plain. Would also be great with freshly whipped cream.

NOTE: as I am partaking currently in The Great Sugar Detox currently, I made this tonight unsweetened. It’s still delicious, and the spices help to flavor it, but I definitely prefer it with honey. I’m actually looking forward to eating it for breakfast. Pumpkin is a great source of fiber and vitamins (esp vita A), coconut milk is an immune-boosting fat, and cinnamon is a blood sugar balancing spice! Why not?

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Sugar Detox, Day 2

By admin | January 12, 2010

SO! I began The Great Sugar Detox yesterday (Monday), and so far, so good. I’m a desserts on the weekend kinda gal, and even then I try to choose gluten and/or dairy free sweets, sticking only to my dark chocolate during the weeks. Yesterday wasn’t that big a deviation for me, so no cravings so far. I did have to make a few adjustments: no seasoned rice vinegar to finish off my kale (it has sugar), no honey in my afternoon tea, and no grapefruit in the morning (my mother sent me a dozen grapefruits for christmas). I am breakfast-deep into day 2 now, but I thought I’d share with you what I ate yesterday:

I started off the day with green tea (matcha)
green apple w hazelnut-almond butter
chicken sausage (from meat counter @ WF–no sugar added)

lunch: vegetable soup
chicken w brussels sprouts
green tea

snack: marys gone crackers w hummus

dinner: leftover roast chicken (I made it on Saturday night using my recipe adapted from Martha Stewart–see the recipe section for my fool-proof recipe) with root veggies (carrots, red potatoes, celery root, onion, garlic) and dino kale (almost put some seasoned rice vinegar on it til i realized it had some sugar in it.)

few handfuls of boyfriend’s popped corn (I made it for him for a snack and used coconut oil & sea salt)

exercise: 45 minute dog walk + various wii fit games

Yogi Tea Bedtime formula. This herbal blend really promotes a restful night’s sleep.

Today I will crank it up a notch and do my 50 minute power yoga routine along with a dog walk. Tonight is class one of our first holistic weight loss workshop of the season, so I need some calm energy to keep me going!

I’d love to hear from you if you are interested in doing The Great Sugar Detox or if you are doing it, too!

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Kick the Sugar Habit!

By admin | January 10, 2010

I admit it. I have a sweet tooth. Big time. Ever since I was a kid, I took after my dad, who also loves the sweets. I’m not so much a hard candy gal, and I certainly don’t drink soda or sweetened drinks (yuck), and to be honest, I don’t care for overly sweet and sugary desserts. I’m a sucker for baked goods, though. And cheesecake. And pumpkin pie. Oh, and CHOCOLATE. Anything CHOCOLATE. Luckily I’m not a milk chocolate fan, so I stick to dark chocolate, 70 percent or more cacao. I have a square or 2 every day. It’s good for you and releases feel-good chemicals in the brain! I also make my own baked goods usually so I can adjust the levels of sweetness and make the necessary gluten free & dairy free adjustments.

more addictive than crack.

more addictive than crack.


But here’s the thing. After the holidays, I noticed my sugar cravings creeping up on me. That’s the thing with sugar: the more you eat it, the more you crave it. This is true also with white flour products, which break down as sugar in the body, and also alcohol. Inspired by fellow nutritionists Erin Huggins, Diane Sanfilippo, and Ashley Mathe, I have decided to embark on the same 21-day sugar detox they’re doing! Starting Monday, January 11, so that I can polish off the remaining chocolate truffles in the house.

This cleanse means no sugar of any kind (including evaporated cane juice, brown rice syrup, etc), honey, agave, stevia, fruit (except green apples), white flour, booze, or sodas for 21 days. I have sugar sensitivity in my family: that means we are prone to sugar-based addictions (alcohol + food) and hypoglycemia. We have diabetes on my Dad’s side, too. Do you have a history of alcoholism in your family? Diabetes? Is anyone more than 30 pounds overweight? Do you or does someone in your family have trouble with bingeing? Then you DEFINITELY need this cleanse. It’s only 3 weeks!

Sugar is one of the most harmful substances we can ingest. It is linked to more health issues than any single other food. This includes alcohol, which acts exactly like refined sugar in the body. Ever wonder why there are so many donuts at AA meetings? Because alcoholism is a disease of sugar addiction. Take away the booze, and the sugar cravings transfer to food. Same goes for food addiction: any person who has problems with alcohol or food addiction (bingeing behaviors, cravings, anorexia, obesity) MUST eliminate white flour and sugar and alcohol from the diet to truly overcome the addiction. Eventually, the cravings will subside. But every time a food or alcohol addict eats sugar or flour, the cravings will be triggered.

If you need convincing about sugar’s harmful effects, look at this list (very nicely compiled courtesy of Erin Huggins).
Sugar:
*suppresses your immune system, LINKED TO CANCERS
* promotes weight gain and obesity
* disrupts the mineral balance (causing stress in the body)
* contributes to depression, anxiety and mood swings
* promotes gut dysbiosis or overgrowth of bad bacteria in the gut, such as candida
* contributes to insulin resistance and diabetes
* can cause hormonal imbalances
* increases risk for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis
* disrupt the body’s pH balance
* can cause hypoglycemia
* will reduce good HDL cholesterol and increase bad LDL cholesterol
* prohibits weight loss

SO. What are the benefits? Well, first off, I don’t want to be addicted to anything. I don’t want to have cravings or energy dips, and I want to feel my best! If you have those 3pm sugar cravings that you satisfy every day, now is the time to be free. It takes about 21 days to break a habit, and only about THREE for the cravings to disappear as your body recalibrates. So, you can expect better sleep, MORE ENERGY, clear skin, better digestion, stable moods, lower cholesterol & blood pressure, lower triglycerides, NO CRAVINGS, and…. weight loss, if that’s a goal for you! Expect a 5-10 pound weight loss over the 3 weeks. Can’t beat that!

So, what *can* you have? First off, eat organic. Follow my general gluten free diet, which includes the following:
-lamb, poultry, wild fish, eggs, beef, bison, buffalo
-as many veggies as you can handle and lots of leafy greens like kale, chard, collards, spinach
-legumes such as lentils, beans
-you can have green apples but no other fruit
-nuts, seeds, nut butters (READ LABELS!)
-gluten free grains such as brown rice, quinoa
-dairy, if you can handle it, preferably raw

What to avoid:
* white sugar
* brown sugar
* maple syrup
* agave nectar
* honey
* fruit juice or fruit juice sweetened food
* fruit, except green tipped bananas & granny smith apples
* stevia
* refined white flour – it acts like sugar in the body
* sugar substitutes – no diet drinks
* alcohol

Let’s do it! Quick pep talk: you might have some rough cravings for the first 3 days, but it is easier to quit cold turkey and get it all out of your system. DON’T give in! Tapering down makes cravings worse. Once you get to day 4 or 5, your cravings will be gone–you’ll see!!

I’ll post updates and let y’all know how it’s going. Who’s with me?

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What’s Your Type?

By admin | January 7, 2010

Does your energy level fluctuate during the day? Do you wake up feeling good but fall flat and sluggish after meals? Or, do you wake up lethargic, pep up with coffee, then crash? Are you confused about what you should be eating, or do you have the “perfect” diet, yet you still don’t feel your best?

We are all biochemically different. What one person may thrive on makes someone else feel like crap. This is part of my job: through a detailed intake and health history, I help you figure out exactly how to build meals with the proper amounts of protein, carbohydrate, and fat to help you feel your best. I commonly work with clients who want to be vegans or vegetarians for ethical or health reasons, but their physiology may not support a meatless diet; they require more protein. Maybe their body is recovering from a period of stress, illness, or even hypoglycemia or blood sugar imbalance. They feel lethargic and foggy and grumpy on a meat-free plan. Many, many years ago, I went vegan, subsisting on grains, beans, and soy products and have never felt worse in my life. I lasted a week and remember walking around in a haze for that duration. Many years later in the course of my studies I would I discover that I had a soy allergy and fared better on a virtually grain-free diet of organic meats and veggies.

Long story short, there are 3 basic “metabolic types:” carb, protein, and mixed. Carb types can handle more grains, beans, starchy veggies and little or no meat. Protein types crash on a vegetarian diet and need more protein for fuel, and mixed types fall somewhere in between. Here are a few questions to ask yourself:
-Are you always thinking about food? (do you “live to eat?”) Always hungry? Protein type. You crash on a breakfast of oatmeal (high carb food) and feel tired eating a vegetarian diet.
-Do you have to force yourself to eat (”eat to live”) and do well with periods of fasting? Carb type.
-If you’re somewhere in between, you may not feel great on a veg diet but you need less meat than a protein type.

Protein types feel best with mostly meat and low carb veggie (such as leafy greens) based diets with few or no grains. A meal for you might include a serving of roasted salmon with brussels sprouts and a side of cultured vegetables. A mixed type could add brown rice to this, and a carb type could eat lentils, brown rice, and brussels sprouts with little to no salmon and feel great.

Contact our office for a consult if you want to know your type: info@maryvancenc.com. Figuring out your type will help you hit your ideal weight, improve your digestion & energy level, strengthen your immune system, and function at your best! We will put together a customized meal plan for you to achieve optimal wellness.

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FREE Teleseminar Tuesday, 1/5/2010

By admin | January 5, 2010

Join us for our first FREE teleseminar of the new year at 7pm, PST. A timely topic: Learn the Top 3 Secrets for Losing the Post-holiday Pudge. Call (641) 715 3300 and enter access code: 950150#

Did you fall victim to holiday weight gain? Have you tried over and over to lose weight, only to fail or regain the weight you did lose? Do you try different diets that leave you feeling hungry or irritable? Having trouble losing those last 5 or 10 pounds that won’t seem to budge?

This FREE teleseminar is for you! Learn the Top 3 Secrets that nutritionists use with their clients for successful, lasting weight loss! The teleseminar will be led by certified holistic nutrition consultants Karen Diggs & Mary Vance, who are experts at helping people overcome weight loss resistance so they can achieve their goals—once and for all!

You’ll learn:
• The reason why this toxic element can sabotage your weight loss efforts—and how to get rid of it
• Which chemicals in your food, water, products, and home can cause your body to store more fat
• The link between bloating, heartburn, constipation, indigestion and weight gain
• Why your hormones affect your ability to lose weight
• One simple technique that you can use immediately to stop bloating and jumpstart weight loss right away

7-8 PM, PST
Call (641) 715 3300 and enter access code: 950150#. We will provide time at the end of the teleseminar for your personal questions, so you don’t want to miss the live call. If you’re not able to make the call at the scheduled time, contact us at info@maryvancenc.com, and we’ll send you the recording FREE.

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