Before you read further--There's still time to enter my current giveaway of CHRIST THE LORD: THE ROAD TO CANA by Anne Rice. Go here for details. (I posted my review of this book on GOODREADS, if you're interested.)
As many of you may recall (because you're avidly following my every move, right? lol) I follow a Paleo eating style. I've lost 26 pounds since I began eating this way and I feel fabulous. Because I don't eat white flour, white sugar, or most white carbs (potatoes, gluten free), I'm always on the lookout for healthy stuff I can eat. I cheat all the time, by the way, because of the difficulty of feeding a family--read: six other people who don't care to cut out all the bad stuff. I also cheat just because I want to.
To make this lifestyle work, I've learned that all you need do is follow the rule of MOST. Eat well MOST of the time. Avoid sugar and white flour MOST of the time. Then, when you cheat a little here, a little there, your body can easily handle the rogues. :)
The other important MUST if you want to succeed at eating well is make sure that you do, in fact, eat WELL. Eat as much as you want--of the good stuff. Experiment in the kitchen. I make zucchini chips that beat potato chips. I make chocolate brownie bombs to die for and they have NO white flour or sugar in them. (Honestly: I have to hide a few from the kids or they're gone in a flash. The kids DO eat regular brownies, but I don't, so I think it's fair to set a few aside!)
Incorporating a few "cheats" into your eating plan is well worth it to keep you on the straight and narrow the rest of the time. One of my favorite cheats is dark chocolate. The stuff is loaded with antioxidants. It seems every few weeks or so I see yet another article lauding the wonders of dark chocolate. I've tried quite a few brands, as I don't have a problem with having a tiny bit almost every day. The best I've found to date is ENDANGERED SPECIES NATURAL DARK CHOCOLATE. (My favorite is Forest Mint.)
It's 72% Cocoa--a pretty good ratio; still sweetened with "water-filtered beet sugar," so it's important not to eat a whole bar at once. But, if you can make do with a little piece a day, then I highly recommend it. A large bar (3 oz) can last me more than a week, sometimes two.
(Next grocery trip I want to try their "Extreme" Dark Chocolate with 88% cocoa!)
In the meantime, another product I want to share with you is STEAZ ORGANIC ICED TEAS. My supermarket had these on sale or I might not have noticed them, but I was so pleased to find they are NOT artificially sweetened. (Stevia is not an artificial sweetener. And unlike sucralose, it hasn't been tinkered with by scientists to make it calorie-free.)
Every flavor I tried is truly delicious, but my favorite is peach-mango. It has a clean taste--if that makes sense. The thing about iced tea that makes it better than stevia-sweetened soda, in my opinion, is that your body really doesn't need the carbonated water of soda.
OK: Your turn! This week's giveaway book is GOD HAS A WONDERFUL PLAN FOR YOUR LIFE: The Myth of the Modern Message, by Roy Comfort. DOES God have a wonderful plan for your life? According to His perfect plan, yes. According to what OUR idea of wonderful is, maybe not. I recently found that I'd bought two copies of this book by accident, so one of you will win a copy by leaving a comment and sharing your best healthy treat with us.
In a future post I'll even share my no-sugar, no flour brownie bomb recipe. Right now, I want to hear from you!
Warmest Blessings,
Linore
PS: In the spirit of full disclosure, I mention now and then that if I share an Amazon link, I may get a tiny affiliate payment if you order through it. I'd appreciate it if you do, as it will help support my e-newsletter, which, unlike this blog, is not free. Thanks!
3 comments:
Good morning, Linore! It sounds like you are doing great with your 'plan' for eating healthy. My husband and I were forced into eating right this past April. Jack had a small stroke and from then on our lifestyle had to change, especially our eating habits. I am happy to report that as of now, Jack has lost about 63 pounds and I have lost 20 pounds...our plan was fairly easy, just cut out all 'white' products in our diet. The biggest problem food for us was bread. Just cutting out bread (all bread) the pounds began to drop dramatically. Of course, we started taking at least two walks a day as well. Both of us have high blood pressure and high cholesterol; Jack more than me. Today, both are completely under control and we are doing great and Jack has no signs of a past stroke. Hmmm....did I answer your question? :) Have a wonderful Thanksgiving week, Linore and God bless.
Wow, what a testimony, Debbie! Losing 63 pounds in so short a time is amazing--good for you husband. And twenty for you is really something considering you don't look like you need to lose any. :)
Cutting out the bad white stuff is truly a life-saving step. For breakfast, I no longer miss bread of any type. I use a peach, a sliced apple, an orange, or berries with my eggs and I am just as satisfied! Even more, since I know it's all good for me. I used to bake my own bread, so I know what it is to enjoy a good slice or two. But you can get used to different things and soon you won't miss the bread. Go to the "Wheat Belly" website. Once you read about how bad bread really is for you, it changes the way you look and think about it. I usually view it as poison, and believe me, that goes a long way to helping me not want or miss it. Thanks for coming by, Debbie! You're so faithful. :)
congratulations linore on your eating healthy journey...i'm looking forward to the recipes that you will share w/ us...
i enjoy walking...a lot. and i try to drink lots (i mean lots) of water.
karenk
kmkuka at yahoo dot com
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