I love yogurt. For someone who isn't "big" on breakfast- mixing that up with some fruit each morning made me feel like I was really getting after it on the crusade towards better health. It's full of healthy probiotics, comes in varying fat content options, and packs enough protein to make you feel like lifting things- heavy things. Plus, it was so darn good. I would get the organic vanilla kind with 1% fat, dollop that over some blackberries and my, my, my, I had found my new favorite breakfast, lunch, and dessert. Not dinner- that would be absurd. Everything was great until one day when I got curious. I wanted to compare protein content between brands, so I used my newly acquired superlative strength (thank you, my cultured dairy friend) to pick up the different yogurt containers and read their nutritional information. Boy, was I floored. My favorite brand had 22g of sugar per serving! That's about the same amount that is in sodas, Oreos, those amazing little powdered donut holes that I hadn't had in years because I was so hellbent on being "healthy". Betrayal! That explained why I was so chipper and happy go lucky each morning- it wasn't the protein, it was because I was hiking my blood sugar up the flagpole before work each day. No wonder that last five (okay, let's be honest- 8) pounds I had been trying to lose before spring hit had been so stubborn. I was running it off every night and slathering it right back on each morning.
I eventually got over my wounded outlook on yogurt and began buying the plain non-fat Greek yogurt. I am able to add honey or agave or whatever sweetener I am hankering for to my yogurt and take solace in the fact that I am able to control my sugar intake. This experience, although harrowing, taught me a valuable lesson about the foods I buy. I always check the sugar content, as well as the calories from fat. Don't even get me started on sodium- thats a different post entirely.
Sugary Seductresses
- Whole grain bread- a spoonful of sugar helps the health benefits go down.
- Cereal- the "healthy" types often have just as much sugar as kids' cereal. I'd much rather eat the dang marshmallows if it's costing me the same on the sugar scale.
- Yogurt- as I said. Beware.
- Nut butters. Making your own is really simple and a great way to avoid this glucose glue trap.
- Fruit juices- these are delicious and usually offer a lot of vitamins per serving. Be careful to use moderation because even natural sugar turns to fat inside the body if not used.
- Granola- so good, but sooooo sugary. Best to make your own. More on that later.
- Salad dressings- if you are an avid salad eater or just trying to slim down your caloric intake for the day, please, please, please read what is in your salad dressing. Some nutritional information on the back of those bottles is nothing short of ungodly. Making your own salad dressing is another great way to control what goes into your body. More on that later.
Basically, it is best to check out the facts on anything you don't make yourself. It takes about two seconds the scan through the nutritional information on products and I promise that in most cases, you will be glad you did. I personally do not agree with "fake" sugars. My pathetic hypochondriac brain imagines that my body takes whatever unnatural and processed ingredients it doesn't "recognize" and instantly turns them into cancer cells. Probably couldn't be further from the truth, but it is a good motivator for healthier eating, let me tell ya.
Sweet Tricks
- I adore oatmeal, but I cannot help but feel I am eating a bowl full of boogers unless I put something sweet in it. Recently, I have taken to mashing up a banana and mixing it in for a naturally sweeter taste.
- Light Vanilla Soy Milk makes amazing coffee creamer. They make it in chocolate, too. You're welcome.
- Adding no sugar applesauce to baked goods sweetens them naturally and it also helps to keep them really moist and decadent.
- Instead of adding sugar to an angel food cake or a pound cake, add crushed pineapple. Still quite sugary, but it is a healthier option and when taking portion into account, it is a much better choice. Unless you hate pineapple- then, this clearly is not for you.
- Baked sweet potatoes or yams make a great option if you are craving something sweet. Sprinkle some cinnamon and nutmeg on that bad boy and have at it.
- Banana "ice cream" is my new jam. It's just semi frozen bananas blended in a food processor and whatever you would like to add. I put dark chocolate chunks in mine, along with walnuts. If you didn't already know about banana ice cream, I just changed your life. More on that later.
If you have any other amazing tricks, please feel free to leave a comment or contact me directly and I will add it on. Holla@chaboi.